While the city Department of Transportation Services continues its tweaks to the revamped bus schedules introduced in June, a second phase of changes is set to be unveiled Aug. 19.
Some of the changes are aimed at improving connections that are in demand, said Wayne Yoshioka, DTS director. For example: Kapiolani Community College and the University of Hawaii Manoa campus will be linked. Others will achieve greater efficiency by splitting off an area such as Palolo into a smaller circulating shuttle route, he said, allowing another service to be more predictably on schedule. Similarly, breaking the North Shore from the 52 route, one of the Phase 1 amendments, made Wahiawa service more reliable, he said.
DTS has been making the rounds of neighborhood boards, with presentations Tuesday in Hawaii Kai and Wednesday in Manoa. However, Yoshioka also is directing residents online (http://www1.honolulu.gov/dts/), where a link near the bottom of the page will enable them to download maps of the proposed changes. Concerns can be taken by phone — 768-8365 — but Yoshioka prefers email (thebusstop@honolulu.gov) because it enables staff follow-up with the resident.
Here are some of the bullet points in the next round of changes:
» Route 2 will serve Campbell Avenue and extend to Kapiolani Community College.
» Route 13 will move to Kapiolani Boulevard, extending through Kapahulu to the University of Hawaii.
» Route 4 will end at McCully Street and Kalakaua Avenue.
» Routes 19 and 20 will replace Route 2 around Kapiolani Park.
» Route 3 will end at KCC.
» Route 9 will skip Palolo Valley, extending through Kaimuki to end at KCC; Route 901 (Palolo Valley Shuttle) will replace Route 9 in Palolo Valley.
» Route 14 will delete Kahala and Kapahulu, serving St. Louis and Maunalani Heights directly via Waialae Avenue.
» Routes 18 and 24 will join into a single route via Kapahulu, with the Waikiki portion of 24 eliminated.