Rav Moshe (IM YD 1:44) says that it is a zilzul of Shabbat and is prohibited even for a mitzva. Rav Ovadia (Yehaveh Da’at 6:16) concurs. Now it should definitely be prohibited a smart cards are used. An escalator that is constantly running, however, should be like a Shabbbat elevator. Maybe even easier as everyone sees that it is constantly running. these are different as the consensus is that no Torah prohibition is violated. Rav Shlomo Zalman reported even said that there is no prohibition at all (except for turning on incandescent lights) but the minhag is to be machmir. Moreover, riding on buses and trains is an egregiously weekday activity not in keeping with the sanctity of Shabbat. BTW, in Israel there is a motorized buggy called a kalnoa. For disabled or elderly people there is a Shabbat attachment that runs it on gramma. There is one man in my community who uses it and another whose Fillipino aide drives one without the attachment (so far as I know as it does not have the sign “mitkan Shabbat”).
Menu