Question: I was riding the Handi-Van on March 30 when it stopped to pick up a passenger who made the driver wait longer than the allowable five minutes. The man had told the reservations clerk he wanted to be taken to Waipio Costco, but when we got there, he refused to get off and insisted the driver take him to the airport. The driver called the dispatcher. Two police officers came and tried to cajole the man out. In the end, they refused to remove him. It was upsetting for everyone. I ended up getting home two hours later than usual. There apparently are no policies to protect other passengers or drivers. Can something be done to protect us from disruptive or abusive passengers?
Answer: Oahu Transit Services, which has the city contract to operate TheBus and paratransit services including the Handi-Van, does have a policy on handling disruptive passengers, said Wayne Yoshioka, director of the city Department of Transportation Services.
The policy allows “a flexible response to this type of behavior,” he said, which results in sending a formal letter or immediately suspending the customer.
Officials sent the man a “letter of misconduct” on April 3, informing him that this type of behavior would result in potential suspension from Handi-Van services if it occurred again.
Yoshioka said the man is continuing to use the service “and there appears to be no further incidents associated” with him. He said the man, who was certified as a customer on March 6, “seemed not to totally understand” how Handi-Van operates.
Yoshioka said operations and dispatch workers followed correct procedures.
The van operator called dispatch and informed them of the problem, then submitted a written report, and dispatch logged a report for action.
At the time of the incident, supervisors were notified and they decided to call the Honolulu Police Department.
“HPD is called when it is felt that the situation warrants their presence, with the hope that their presence alone will defuse the incident,” Yoshioka said. “In this case, it was HPD’s opinion that the situation was defused and that it was not necessary to remove the customer.”
After police left, the Handi-Van operator proceeded on the route, eventually dropping the man at his originally booked destination.
“Operators are not allowed to make changes at customers’ request for obvious reasons,” Yoshioka said. “Unfortunately for the other riders, the incident did cause some delay.”
He apologized for the inconvenience, but said officials believe this was an isolated incident, not indicative of the majority of Handi-Van trips.
Question: What is the proper valid identification a minor child needs to travel to the mainland besides a passport? We were informed that a picture identification is required.
Answer: If an ID were required, a passport would do since it does have a photo. A passport is required for international travel.
For travel within the United States, children under the age of 18 do not need to provide identification.
See www.tsa.gov/travelers/customer/editorial_1029.shtm for more information.
Mahalo
To those willing to help. I was driving home from work on April 27 when a wheelbarrow and truck rack fell out of the truck ahead of me into the intersection. Another truck driver and a mo-ped rider immediately pulled over to help the driver retrieve the items. I was touched by their actions. When it seems like life is a struggle and nothing is simple anymore, I was happy to be reminded I am lucky to live in Hawaii, where hearts are filled with the aloha spirit. Thank you to all the great residents of the Aloha State! — Jenny Matsumoto-Hussey/Hawaii Kai
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