KOLOA — To reduce traffic congestion and meet the growing needs of commuters in Koloa and Hanalei, county officials are adding new bus routes effective Monday, a county news release said Tuesday. “Our Transit Advisory Committee and transportation staff have
KOLOA — To reduce traffic congestion and meet the growing needs of commuters in Koloa and Hanalei, county officials are adding new bus routes effective Monday, a county news release said Tuesday.
“Our Transit Advisory Committee and transportation staff have been evaluating ridership on all of our routes. Additionally, our staff met with other stakeholders including Jody Kjeldsen, executive director of the Po‘ipu Beach Association, regarding public transportation for hotel employees and visitors,” said Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. “The changes we are about to implement reflect the results of these meetings.”
Anyone heading to Koloa on weekday mornings will be able to catch the 6 or 7 a.m. route 350 bus in Lihu‘e and arrive at his or her South Shore destination in time for work depending on the weather and traffic conditions in the area, the news release says. These new bus routes will replace the 7:45 a.m. route.
In the afternoon, a 3:20 and 4:20 bus have been added to route 300, which goes from Koloa to Lihu‘e.
“These changes were designed to make it convenient for South Shore commuters and visitors to ride the bus,” said Janine Rapozo, executive on transportation.
Another major change to The Kaua‘i Bus system is the expansion of services to Hanalei.
Routes 450 and 550 that currently terminate and start in Kapa‘a will terminate and start in Hanalei, routes 400 and 500, except for the first bus on route 450 which will continue to start in Kapa‘a.
Currently, the county has 450 and 400 routes heading into Lihu‘e from either Hanalei or Kapa‘a. Likewise, the county has 550 and 500 routes leaving Lihu‘e to Kapa‘a or Hanalei.
The change on Monday will mean that all route 450s (except for the first one in the morning) will now start from Hanalei. Therefore, the route number will change to 400. Likewise, all route 550s will now end in Hanalei. Therefore, the route number changes to 500.
In essence, the change will mean hourly service to and from Hanalei (versus every two hours) from 6:20 a.m. to 6:20 p.m., Monday through Friday, Rapozo said.
“Hopefully, these changes will address the growing demand for bus service on Kaua‘i for now. Down the road, if further changes need to be made, then we’ll certainly try to implement them,” the mayor said.
Bus passes cost $15 a month for unlimited travel.
On the mainline routes, individual fares are $1.50 for adults. Seniors and youths ages 7 to 18 pay 75 cents for one-way travel, and children 6 and under ride free when accompanied by an adult.
Fares for the shuttle routes are less: 50 cents for adults and 25 cents for seniors and youths ages 7 to 18.
The Kaua‘i Bus operates 5:15 a.m. to 7:15 p.m., Monday through Friday. On Saturdays and most holidays, it runs on a reduced schedule. No bus service is offered on Sundays and major holidays including Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.
Brochures listing bus routes are available on all county buses and at a number of businesses around the island including Big Save, Kukui Grove Center and Safeway.
For more information, visit www.kauai.gov
