LIHU‘E — The Kaua‘i County Council on Wednesday took a few minutes to give its final approval to a bill setting bulk rates for bus passes for Kaua‘i Community College students. Students will be able to acquire bus passes good
LIHU‘E — The Kaua‘i County Council on Wednesday took a few minutes to give its final approval to a bill setting bulk rates for bus passes for Kaua‘i Community College students.
Students will be able to acquire bus passes good for four months, the duration of the school’s semester, at an 80 percent discount. A four-month bus pass costs $100, and with the new law, it will cost $20.
However, the fee will be incorporated into the college’s tuition, and all students will have to bear the cost of the program, whether they use the bus or not. A current KCC student ID will be sufficient for students to board the bus without paying a boarding fee.
The law is presently not in effect. The program will likely be implemented starting next spring or fall semester.
By ordinance, KCC will receive the payment and repass it to the county.
The approval by the full council wasn’t unanimous. Councilman Mel Rapozo voted against the bill and Councilman Tim Bynum was absent Wednesday due to illness.
Bynum has been a supporter of the bill, but Rapozo had his reasons to oppose it.
Rapozo had already voted against the bill last week, when it was still in the council’s Transportation Committee. He disagreed that all students should bear the cost of the program, and unsuccessfully introduced an amendment last week to make give bus rides for free to all students. He also said county employees, who currently are able to ride the bus for free, should pay for a bulk rate before students are mandated to do so.
County Executive on Transportation Celia Mahioka said last week the administration subsidizes the free rides for county employees by including $14,000 in the county’s operational budget.
Council Chair Jay Furfaro suggested Wednesday that free bus rides for county employees may soon come to an end. He called the free rides a “pilot program” that has been a subsidy, and when it phases out, there might be a bulk rate for county employees.
