Rav Kavs going the way of the Dodo bird

Sam Waterson is quoted as having said "If you are not moving forward, you are falling back". Mikhail Gorbachev is quoted as having said something very similar, "If you are not moving forward you are moving backward".

The point of both is that people always need to be look to progress, how to improve, how to move forward. If you take it easy and rest on your laurels, you are falling behind. You are falling behind all the other people who are moving forward and you are falling behind yourself and your own advancement.

The rav kav system for public transportation finally seems to be running pretty smoothly, but that only means it is time for the next great advancement in transportation technology. Within a few months the next greatest thing since sliced bread will be released to the public, and it will basically put the rav kav system to rest.

The new apps soon to be released will allow passengers on public transportation in Israel to pay using the phone directly, with no rav kav or anything else. According to JPost,

public transportation users will need to open up the app after getting on a bus or intercity train, choose which form of public transport they’re on and then scan a QR code that will be placed on every bus and train that will let the app know which line they’re on, according to Calcalist. The user will then need to indicate how long they’re planning on traveling on the line in order to be charged the correct fee. The app will then provide a payment confirmation, which users can show to inspectors if they’re asked to prove that they paid.

Another benefit of the new system will be that at the end of the month it will analyze the trips the passenger normally takes and recommend the cheapest travel package it thinks is appropriate, whether it be some combination of daily or monthly packages, or accrued money, or bundles of rides...

Interestingly, because many Haredim (and some others) do not use smartphones, a solution for them is also being developed so they can use, and benefit from, the new system. According to the Bizness website, an official within the Ministry of Transportation has said, unofficially for now, that a special bracelet is in development that will work with the new devices on the bus for paying for rides. Other possible "smart" solutions are also being looked into that would not be smartphone-dependent.

I find it cute that they think that Haredi men are going to wear this special bracelet so they can pay on the bus. Obviously it can be kept in a pocket or in a backpack (or gal paz bag), but then why make it into a bracelet rather than just a small coin shape or a disc (similar to a dog tag disc) or something else that can go into the wallet or pocket?

I hope they will make it easy for people to transfer the balance of money people have on their rav kavs onto the new system, be it phone or bracelet or whatnot...

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