Dan in time and on time
The history of Dan is the history of the Jewish settlement in Israel. The cooperative was officially formed in 1945, but its roots go back to the early twentieth century. In 1908, a young pioneer named Ephraim Halperin created the carriage service from Jaffa to Petach-Tikva, which won the approval of Hassan Beq, the Turkish governor of Jaffa. In 1928, the two organizations, Hamavir and Galei Aviv were united as Galei Hamavir. The bus fleet grew, new routes were added, bus stops with benches were built throughout the city, and in early 1934 a new garage was constructed on Arlozorov street - which today is to serve as the foundation for a residential and office high-rise.
The Dan Cooperative was born on December 1, 1945, with the union of two organizations: Hamavir and the Regev Union. The foundation of the state of Israel and the immigration waves of the 1950’s posed a considerable challenge for Dan. New members joined, more buses were purchased, and routes were expanded to meet the needs of the rapidly growing urban area of greater Tel-Aviv. Expansion, increased sophistication, and constantly improving service have been a hallmark of Dan from its foundation until today.
Transport in Troubled Times
The Jewish battle of Jewish settlments for survival, from the pre-statehood "Incidents" to the present day, has been an inseparable part of the Israeli experience. It is only natural that the Dan Cooperative has always been a central element in the struggle for the security of Israel, at all periods and in all circumstances..
The Israeli Defense Force (IDF), as the "Army of People", use the bus fleet of Dan in its transportation system, in times of peace as well as of war. Every draftee and reserve soldier knows that Dan buses serve any location that can be reached by car. Whether taking leave or returning to service, reporting to training camp or setting out on special operations, buses of Dan always welcome IDF soldiers, and perform their tasks like true military vehicles. In the War of Independence, Operation Kadesh, the Six Days War, the War of Attrition, Operation Litani, and the Lebanon War, as well as many other events and operations, recruited Dan buses and drivers have always been a key factor in the military transportation system, and served soldiers as tangible reminders of their cities and their homes.
Buses through the history of Dan
Today we shall take the most advanced urban bus in the world. Dan has always strived to be at the forefront of transportation technology and to purchase the most advanced buses. In the early twentieth century, the "Diligence" carriages were the first public transportation vehicle. In the 1920s and 1930s, British army trucks were converted into buses in order to serve Dan passengers. Other bus models which operated in the first decades of the existence of Israel were the Super White, GMC, Mack, Ford, and Shausson.
In the 1960s and 1970s, our passengers got to know the Leyland Royal Tiger, and later a large number of German MAN models. Today, Dan customers are served by a wide range of buses, from the 17-passenger minibus, through the 25-passenger midi bus and the regular 60-passenger bus, to the articulated "accordion" bus which can carry over 100 passengers.
The international last word in bus services is the Niederfloor. This is an advanced bus model, carefully designed and engineered to be as convenient and as suitable for city transport as possible. The Niederfloor has a flat floor without steps, and its entrance descends to sidewalk level to make boarding easy for baby carriages and for the disabled.
Up-to-date, continuously renewed bus fleet of Dan, would be a source of pride for any public transportation company in the world.
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