Hundreds of intercity gas stations nationwide will lower their coffee prices to one shekel ($0.26) between midnight and 6:00 a.m. Sunday in a bid to keep drivers awake.
The one shekel coffee initiative, which will last until April 2015, was spearheaded by Deputy Minister of Transportation Tzipi Hotovely (Likud) in a move to encourage late-night motorists to pull over, purchase a caffeinated beverage and remain more aware on the road.
Israel’s coffee prices underwent a significant shakeup last year when discount coffee chain Cofix began offering cappuccinos for NIS 5 ($1.28), sparking a cross-chain coffee war. However the one-shekel project is the lowest price for coffee that gas stations and retail chains have offered thus far.
“The scheme will provide drivers with an incentive to stop for a refreshment, thereby significantly reducing the number of accidents during [early morning] hours” Hotovely said.
“I congratulate the partners [in the initiative] — gas stations countrywide and the National Road Safety Authority,” she said.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
By signing up, you agree to the
terms
Last winter saw 614 motorists injured in traffic accidents late at night, according to road safety monitoring group Or Yarok.
We can't do this work alone.
The war with Iran has been draining for all of us in Israel. But when I heard about a high casualty incident – ballistic missile impacts in Arad and Dimona that left nearly 200 people wounded – I drank a cup of coffee, packed a bag, and headed south.
There, I spoke with Shilgit, the head of an after-school program for underprivileged youth. Standing outside her destroyed center, Shilgit said it was a miracle that no children were hurt and spoke about the community coming together in the hours since.
As a Times of Israel reporter, I’m committed to telling stories of resilience like Shilgit’s. But my colleagues and I can't do this alone. If you value work like this, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to keep real human reporting like this going.
— Stav Levaton, military reporter
Yes, I'll join
Yes, I'll join
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
