When a larger coordinated bus system began operating after Hurricane ‘Iniki in 1992, some critics felt the system would be ineffective and a waste of taxpayer’s money. Critics predicted readership would remain low because people were too reliant on their
When a larger coordinated bus system began operating after Hurricane ‘Iniki in 1992, some critics felt the system would be ineffective and a waste of taxpayer’s money.
Critics predicted readership would remain low because people were too reliant on their vehicles and that only a negligible number would use a public bus system.
Over the last 11 years, the bus system has grown to a fleet of 34 busses, all of which have lifts to accommodate physically challenged riders, boasts more than 90 bus stops island and operates from a centralized headquarters in Lihu’e.
Ridership has increased as well, transportation officials say.
The system has gained popularity because of higher gas prices, concerns about higher auto costs and insurance, public perception the system is more reliable and more physically-challenged riders ride the bus, according to Janine Rapozo, executive on transportation of the Kaua’i County Department of Transportation.
The growing popularity of the bus system will seemingly bolster a plan by Kaua’i County Councilwoman JoAnn Yukimura calling for an integrated transportation plan to significantly ease traffic congestion on Kaua’i.
Yukimura has said that goal could be reached the use of more buses along with other modes of transportation.
Rapozo said she believes ridership has increased partly because the bus system is more visible to the community. They see buses running up and down island roads on schedule every day, she said.
“They see a new baseyard ,” Rapozo said. “It has the look of permanence.” The facility is located by the new Kaua’i police station on Kapule Highway and began operating in the summer of 2001.
More people are riding the bus because of “economics,” Rapozo said. The high cost of operating and insuring a vehicle have prompted some residents to take public transportation, she said.
Another incentive for taking public transportation is the $15 monthly bus pass, which allows for unlimited travel during the day, she said.
The bus system accommodates the general public and the physically challenged, Rapozo said.
Physically-challenged residents also are picked up by bus drivers at their homes. But a growing number of these riders, it seems, are taking the initiative to get to the bus stops themselves, giving them a heightened sense of independence, Rapozo said.
“There is a change in the way we view the disabled, and we are serving them,” Rapozo said.
Ridership also is up because her department works with organizations or neighborhoods in establishing bus stops that benefit the community at large, Rapozo said.
For instance, Island School officials wanted a bus stop by the school in Puhi to accommodate inbound students from south Kaua’i, Rapozo said.
To provide better coverage, the bus stop was put in front of the Performing Arts building at the Kaua’i Community College in Puhi, providing bus service not only for Island school schools but for KCC students as well, Rapozo said.
“We try to integrate demands,” she said. “Since 1999, we have added more bus stops based on community demands. That has helped increased the readership.”
Her agency, Rapozo said, is constantly looking at ways to improve the bus system.
The state Department of Transportation, which funnels $150,000 in federal grant funds to the county bus system each year, will be undertaking a study to look at the department’s services and bus routes.
Rapozo said she hopes to glean information from that study that “will give us some direction.”
She said her agency also will be working with the County Offices of Community Assistance to help with the creation of a transit advisory board to give input on how to improve the bus system and transportation matters.
In consultation with the Mayor Bryan Baptiste’s office, her agency is already considering improvements that involve putting bicycle racks on busses, runs to the Lihu’e Airport and allowing luggage on buses, Rapozo said.
The bus system currently operates on a budget of $1.8 million, the bulk of which comes from the county. The bus agency projects a budget of about $1.9 million for fiscal year 2004.
As with most municipal bus systems across the nation, the Kaua’i bus system cannot rely on revenues from fares alone to remain in operation and must rely on government appropriations, Rapozo said.
A small county bus system was in operation some 20 years ago, providing services to residents, senior citizens and physically-challenged riders.
Following Hurricane Iniki, Yukimura, then mayor at the time, secured federal hurricane relief funds for an emergency public transit system. It included the use of private bus companies that were contracted to provide public transportation.
The system evolved, but reached a crossroad by the mid-1990s, Rapozo said.
Faced with reduced revenues as a result of hurricane-damaged homes, then-Mayor Maryanne Kusaka had to decide whether to continue to push for expansion of the system or go back to a smaller system that was in place before Iniki, Rapozo said.
Rapozo, who began working for the bus system in 1994, said Kusaka felt there was merit in having a larger system, but scaled it according to available revenues. Since then, the system has only grown, Rapozo said.
“We are serving riders during peak travel times in the morning and in the afternoon and on Saturdays for people who have no other type of transportation,” Rapozo said. “We are geared toward the community.”
Staff writer Lester Chang can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225) and mailto:lchang@pulitzer.net
