The Kaua‘i Bus getting a rebrand

LIHU‘E — The next shipment of The Kaua‘i Bus vehicles will feature fresh, new looks.

In an effort to modernize the look of the fleet, two ribbons of light blue and teal will replace the ‘90s-era, sugarcane industry-inspired, green hatching that currently lines the side of the vehicles.

“The slick, crisp, logo pays homage to the original design with the green font, while using aspects of the wind, which illustrates movement from the mountains to the makai,” said County Executive on Transportation Celia Mahikoa at a Kaua‘i County Council meeting last week.

The design originally debuted on bus passes in late 2021, and will be featured for the first time on several vehicles expected to arrive within the next few months. Along with the buses themselves, this new design will be seen in bus shelters and on new uniforms of bus employees (the agency recently implemented a uniform policy for its workers).

“We wanted to give riders the ability to easily identify members of The Kaua‘i Bus,” said Mahikoa. “The use of uniforms has helped to promote an environment of professionalism, safety, cleanliness and brand identification for the agency.”

The logo is the latest in a series of moves from the agency aimed at keeping the fleet up-to-date, which included the creation of an app that tracks the movements of buses throughout the island in real-time.

Since its launch in February 2022, the app has taken off in popularity, with nearly 5,000 downloads from the Apple App Store and about 1,000 more on Android. The app can also be accessed through new QR codes at bus stops.

Several years ago, the bus also added free Wi-Fi on board, which serves a dual benefit for the county. Riders are now able to access the internet during their commute, and the units can also serve as portable internet access points during emergency situations.

The Kaua‘i Bus has also been working toward electrifying its bus fleet to adhere to a new state law requiring all light-duty vehicles in the state fleet to transition to zero emissions by 2035.

Last summer, the county council approved a request to apply for federal grant funding to purchase four new electric buses and charging infrastructure.

The Kaua‘i Bus has seen an increase in ridership over the past year, Mahikoa said, as health concerns about public transit during the COVID-19 pandemic begin to subside.

At the council meeting, resident Tito Castillo said he had a good experience with the bus, but noted it did not offer transfer tickets. If a person transfers buses on Kaua‘i they need to pay two fares instead of one.

“On O‘ahu, they give you a ticket and you can just transfer and continue on to your destination,” said Castillo.

Mahikoa reported that the agency was working to integrate electric fare payments into a statewide system, which would make adding transfer tickets difficult at this time.

The bus costs $2 per trip for the general public. Frequent riders can buy a monthly bus pass for $50, or an annual pass for $550. Passes and tickets are half-price for seniors, youths and individuals with disabilities.

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Guthrie Scrimgeour, reporter, can be reached at 808-647-0329 or gscrimgeour@thegardenisland.com.