Question: The city has proposed changes to TheBus routes on the Windward side. This affects Kaneohe-Honolulu riders adversely. I went to the Kaneohe Neighborhood Board on Feb. 15 to get details of the change and to talk about our concerns. Nobody showed up from TheBus. … The rumor is that the changes will be made on March 1. Is this a done deal? Does the city want rider input? … Putting it on the internet is not going to reach most of the Windward community.
Answer: Kokua Line has received several questions and complaints about proposed changes to bus routes on Windward Oahu, an overhaul the city says will increase bus service on that side of the island and between Windward Oahu and downtown Honolulu.
Representatives of the city’s Department of Transportation Services (DTS) and/or its bus operations contractor, Oahu Transit Services, Inc., were expected to be at Windward neighborhood board meetings in January and February to discuss the proposals. We’re following up with the city to see if that occurred as scheduled, and to ask what other in-person outreach is planned.
In the meantime, we can say that the proposed changes do not take effect March 1, the overall plan is not a done deal, and the city does want rider feedback, which is being sought via an online survey, by phone or by email.
The 2018 Windward Redesign Plan, which readers with internet access can view at 808ne.ws/windbus, aims to restructure Express Routes 85, 85A, 87, 88, PH4 and PH5, and Local Routes 55, 56, 57, 57A, 65, 70 and 77. It also introduces a new route numbering system. The overhaul is the first for the region since the 1960s, with changes based “on the priority of need, operating efficiency and resource allocation,” according to the city. The website shows before-and-after maps of each planned route, so it is useful if you can access it.
Although you did not specify your usual route, we’ve received several complaints about changes planned for Express Route 85, which runs between Kaneohe and Honolulu. On the Windward side, it would begin and end at Aikahi Park Shopping Center, rather than running deeper into Kailua. From Honolulu, the 5:25 p.m. Kaneohe-bound trip would be eliminated; there would be only three afternoon departures from town. Service to areas bypassed by the new route would be covered by other connections, namely Routes 61, 63 and 87, according to the plan.
As noted, the city seeks passenger feedback. You can take a survey online at 808ne.ws/bussurvey; comments are limited to 200 characters. You also may call DTS at 768-8368 (voicemail) or 768-8367 (direct line Mondays to Fridays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.), or email thebusstop@honolulu.gov. Or you may leave a voicemail for OTS at 768-9890.
The public comment period continues through February, the new routes will be finalized from March to April, and changes would be implemented from June to August, according to the website.
Mahalo
To the gentleman in the bright orange T-shirt at the swap meet on Feb. 7: Thank you so very much for assisting me when I became dizzy and disoriented, possibly from heat stroke or dehydration. My friend wasn’t able to support me and you came to our rescue, helping her get me to a shady spot where I could sit and rest. Then you found her in the parking lot and guided her back to me while her husband gave me water. We were total strangers but I cannot tell you how much your assistance meant to all of us! After resting at home and drinking a lot of water I was fine, but things might have been much different had you not stepped up to help. Mahalo and aloha to you! — Robert
Write to “Kokua Line” at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
