LIHU‘E — A very expensive vehicle can still be cheaper than buying an island beater if someone else picks up the tab. The county Transportation Agency recently acquired for its Kaua‘i Bus fleet a hybrid bus for $250,000, nearly double
LIHU‘E — A very expensive vehicle can still be cheaper than buying an island beater if someone else picks up the tab.
The county Transportation Agency recently acquired for its Kaua‘i Bus fleet a hybrid bus for $250,000, nearly double the cost of a regular diesel-fueled bus, according to the agency’s executive on transportation, Janine Rapozo.
The county, however, only came up with about 20 percent of the cost. The rest came in the form of federal grants, she said.
“We are very fortunate to be getting all these grants,” Rapozo said at a Transit Advisory Committee meeting Friday in Lihu‘e.
The hybrid bus runs on an energy recovery system, in which a diesel-fueled engine recharges an electric battery.
Despite the apparent environmental props, Rapozo said the hybrid bus, after calculations, is saving the county only one-to-two miles per gallon.
A regular bus runs eight-to-nine miles per gallon, said Rapozo, noting that the savings are “not much.”
Over the lifespan of the bus, it is probable that it will be “very close” to break even, she said.
But the hybrid bus has its strengths. Besides being largely funded by the federal government, the bus leaves a smaller carbon footprint and has been performing “really well,” said Rapozo, adding that the county has had problems with the regular buses, even the newer vehicles.
Rapozo said the county mechanics and especially the bus drivers are still getting familiar with the new bus.
Expansion
Committee Chair Ben Sullivan said the committee members would like to see the bus services increase. The benefits would affect even those who don’t use the bus, because increased ridership would take automobiles off the roads and consume less fuel.
Many community members testified last April and May during the budget review meetings, showing strong support to keep the bus drivers out of the county furlough and expand services to include late hours and weekend trips.
Sullivan said the Kaua‘i County Council is looking into implementing a two percent fuel tax, which would generate funds to be used in improving services.
Councilmembers said during the budget review meetings that halfway through the fiscal year they would look into an ordinance that would implement the fuel tax to support bus service expansion. Rapozo said she thinks the next council — to be elected Nov. 2 and sworn into office in January — is expected to take up the issue.
Paratransit
The Office of Elderly Affairs used to offer senior transportation, and that’s how the Transportation Agency started, according to Rapozo.
She said the bus is required by law to offer similar services to citizens with disabilities, but allows the agency to charge twice as much for the paratransit bus. At one point the paratransit was more expensive than the regular bus, but the rides now cost the same.
Handicapped citizens who are unable to ride the regular bus can request the paratransit bus to pick them up at home. Seniors over 60 years old also qualify for the services.
The paratransit scheduled trips run until 4 p.m., but because the law requires that its service be comparable to the regular bus services, the paratransit is available upon request until 6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, said Rapozo, adding that pickup requests are few so there is no need for on-call drivers.
Rapozo said the agency is considering slowly phasing out the paratransit services to seniors, and possibly offer them free or discounted rates at the regular buses.
Committee member Jo Manea said on O‘ahu all she has to do is show her Medicare card to the bus driver to get a discounted rate. She suggested that something similar could be implemented on Kaua‘i.
School system
Rapozo said the majority of the bus ridership is comprised of seniors and youth.
“We are now cheaper than the school bus,” said Rapozo, adding that many bus stops are close to high and middle schools. The increase of graffiti in the buses show that more youth has been using the service, she said.
The University of Hawai‘i at Manoa has recently added a bus pass as part of its registration fee, Rapozo said. Every student now gets a pass.
“Parking is a real problem at UH,” she said.
Kaua‘i Community College Student Government Sen. Ian Ross sent a suggestion to the agency to implement a similar program here. Every student would be able to use their student ID as a bus pass if Ross’ idea is accepted.
Rapozo said Ross’s suggestion would probably have to go to the council for approval. The mayor, she said, has the ability to waive fares, which he has done in special events, but she said she is not sure this falls into this kind of exemption.
Ross proposed a trial period of one year to evaluate costs and make arrangements. He suggested that the $5 student ID fee could be raised, that the college’s budget could include the pass, and the Student Government could work with KCC and other organizations to raise funds.
Manea said if the college starts charging for parking, the money could be used to fund the bus pass.
The bus recently added an express route to KCC, which also increased the ridership to Island School, located behind the college.
The express route to KCC happened thanks to a comment from a KCC student, Rapozo said. The student told committee member Harold Matsunaga that she wished there was an express route to KCC. He took her seriously and told her to call Rapozo. The next day the express route was in place.
Sullivan said the KCC idea might be a “good pilot program,” but the broader goal of the committee is to offer bulk passes to businesses, which would buy passes at discounted rates for employees.
The Pacific Missile Range Facility, Syngenta and Wilcox Memorial Hospital have programs that offer free or discounted passes to their employees.
When the late Mayor Bryan Baptiste was in office, the county offered 200 bus passes to its employees. The workers who picked up the passes took roughly 300 combined trips per month.
Since Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. came onboard every county worker is allowed to use their work ID as a bus pass. The ridership from county workers amounts to 300 to 400 trips per month, said Rapozo, who noted that it’s not that many given that the county employs over 1,000 people.
Amenities and other businesses
Rapozo said the county is looking at adding some amenities to the buses to make the rides more attractive. The administration is considering adding wireless Internet services, plus retrofitting the vehicles with cup holders. The buses already have air conditioning.
Other additions may include remodeling bus stops, adding bicycle racks and benches.
Friday’s meeting was Sullivan’s last as chair. The committee elected William Trugillo to be the new chair. He will preside over his first meeting Jan. 21.
Visit www.kauai.gov for meeting agendas.
• Léo Azambuja, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or lazambuja@kauaipubco.com.
