Egged

   Literally, "union"; bus transportation cooperative created in 1933 through the merger of four smaller bus cooperatives. In 1951, Egged merged with the northern Shahar bus company and the southern Drom Yehuda bus company, creating a countrywide public transportation system. After the Six-Day War (1967), Egged merged with the Hamekasher bus company of Jerusalem. The name Egged was given to the cooperative by the great Hebrew poet Haim Nahman Bialik in reference to the original merger. During times of crisis, such as the 1956, 1967, and 1973 wars, Egged buses and drivers helped to reinforce the logistic systems of the Israel Defense Forces by driving soldiers and food to the battlefield.