New buses ready to roll

LIHUE — The “legacy names,” or names assigned to each bus, have already been painted on, and barring a few more technical adjustments, the eight new buses are ready to roll, said Kalawaia Lee of the county’s Transportation Agency during Friday’s blessing of the new buses.

“The buses replace aging buses in the fleet, so the names of the buses it replaces have been carried on,” said Celia Mahikoa, the Transportation Agency director. “The names were assigned during the blessing by the kahu, and the continuation of the names continues the legacy of service by the buses.”

The new buses maintain the Kauai Bus fleet at 59, and were acquired with Federal Transit Administration grant funds that required the county to match 20 percent, or $235,000.

“We truly appreciate the support of our congressional delegation, the Hawaii Department of Transportation, Planning Office and the Kauai County Council for their efforts and ongoing support of the Kauai Bus,” said Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. “Having the new buses will improve the reliability of our transit services as well as reduce maintenance expenses required with older vehicles.”

The buses will begin service on the main line and shuttle routes island wide over the next few weeks as the final adjustments are completed, officials said.

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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.