Changes to bus routes start today

The city is rolling forward today with some of the changes proposed this spring to bus routes and schedules, and that has some Windward and North Shore bus riders upset.

Riders on some affected routes object to new time­tables that have already-crowded buses coming once an hour, instead of every 40 minutes, during "off-peak" hours.

Wayne Yoshioka, director of the city Department of Transportation Services, said department officials listened to community concerns and have altered proposed route times, but not intervals, to accommodate riders on the 13 routes getting schedule changes today.

Yoshioka said officials have been sensitive to areas where services are being cut, and took "extreme pains not to alter peak service." During "peak" hours, buses are added to the base frequency of service, he said.

But that’s little consolation for commuters trying to get to work on Route 55 (North Shore, Windward Oahu and Wahiawa) — the former Circle Island route — because "peak" morning weekday intervals end at 6:02 a.m. in Wahiawa, 7:02 a.m. in Kahuku and 7:32 a.m. in Kaaawa; after that, the bus shifts to a once-an-hour schedule instead of every half-hour.

"We only have the one bus up our side," said Hauula resident KC Connors, who’s been catching the bus for two years since she was permanently injured in a car accident and is no longer able to drive. "Frankly, it doesn’t always come on time and one in four times I wait a long time. It’s a real problem already."

Connors sees firsthand who it will hurt. "It’s going to affect people’s livelihoods, the elderly, disabled, lower income," as well as high school and college students, she said. "I saw a woman (at the bus stop) crying and crying. She said if she doesn’t get to her fast-food job on time and is late three times, she’s fired."

If buses become fewer and more unreliable, more people will take their cars, she said.

Yoshioka said the city had to make changes because operational costs will be going up, including a $3 million annual jump in diesel fuel costs, and said the city doesn’t want to raise bus fares.

"We got to start somewhere," Yoshioka said. "We’re going to roll out the June group of service changes and have a second one in August."

Some major proposed changes include eliminating CityExpress Route B, similar to Route 2, which runs from Kalihi to Waikiki, and changing CountryExpress E from Ewa Beach to downtown, instead of to Waikiki.

Proposed changes to other routes — like Route 14 (St. Louis Heights to Maunalani Heights), which has undergone numerous revisions — are under discussion with the public and may take effect in August, Yoshioka said.

State Rep. Gil Riviere said North Shore and Windward communities "gave clear input" to a transportation official that they didn’t want the hourly schedule, "but that didn’t affect anything."

"Many, many people have said the buses are always full," he said. "Reducing it to the hourly schedule will make it worse."

Riviere said breaking up the Circle Island bus route may have helped Wahiawa residents traveling to town with more reliable service, but "their solution is to reduce the amount of buses going around the North Shore. … Once again, we’re getting left in the lurch."

He suggested adding a route within the North Shore to alleviate problems caused by traffic tie-ups.

David Henkin, Kahaluu Neighborhood Board chairman, said: "If you make the bus service inconvenient enough, you won’t have a problem meeting rider demand because it’s forcing people into their cars. That’s penny-wise and pound-foolish."

The Kahaluu board is working with the city to resolve the changes to the area’s bus routes and schedules.

The city has altered the paths of Routes 55 and 65, which has left a gap in service to those who live between the Hygienic Store and Ahuimanu, forcing people to walk a long distance, Henkin said.

Yoshioka said the buses are not full during off-peak hours, and currently during big surf events or turtle watching on the North Shore, TheBus control center directs buses to operate like shuttles.

"The Windward/North Shore corridor poses many unique challenges for the providers of transportation services," Hauula resident MaryAnne Long said. "We are in a remote, low-income area of the island, serviced only by a winding two-lane highway. This area needs more, not less, services. To cut back on Bus No. 55 service provides undue hardship on the people who live here."

Yoshioka stressed that the bus changes have nothing to do with the rail transit project. He said the funding sources are different, with the bus being funded by revenues from the fare box and property taxes, whereas the rail project is funded by the Oahu general excise tax surcharge and federal grants for fixed-guideway transit systems.

When the rail system becomes operational, TheBus will maintain the same size fleet, which can then be used to provide more service to the North Shore and the Windward Coast, he said.

"I don’t blame them for being upset," Yoshioka said. "Nobody likes this, including us. We’re not happy about reducing service during the off-peaks. We think this is the best balance."