Is it permissible to wait at a bus or train station or bus stop late on Shabbat day in order to catch the first bus or train after Shabbat? For example, if somebody spent Shabbat in Jerusalem, may he walk to the city's Central Bus Station on Shabbat afternoon so that he can board the first bus to Haifa when Shabbat ends?
Halacha distinguishes in this regard between a bus or train terminal, such as Jerusalem's Central Bus Station or New York's Penn Station, and a bus stop on a street. When a person stands at a terminal, it is evident that he is waiting to board a bus or a train, and this is therefore inappropriate on Shabbat. With regard to ordinary bus stops on the street, however, people very often sit there even if they are not planning to board or bus, or meet their friends there. As such, standing at a bus stop does not necessarily reflect one's plans to board a bus after Shabbat, and therefore one may go to a bus stop to wait for a bus on Shabbat, even if one goes there for the sole purpose of boarding a bus after Shabbat. As mentioned, however, one may not walk to a bus or train station on Shabbat to wait for his bus or train.
