Travel Plaza Transportation said Wednesday its three propane-powered minibuses on Maui will go into service in mid-June.

The tour company said the minibuses will reduce the carbon footprint of each bus by 73 percent compared with diesel-powered vehicles and 78 percent compared with gas-powered vehicles. TPT will save approximately $5,000 annually per bus on fuel and maintenance costs. The 25-seat Aerotech 240 propane buses were built in Kansas by El Dorado Bus Co.

“With the advanced technology of our new propane buses, we can continue to support Maui’s visitor industry by providing a comfortable, quality tour experience, while having far less impact on the environment,” said Tsukasa Harufuku, president and CEO of JTB Hawaii.

TPT is a subsidiary of tour company JTB Hawaii Inc.

Solar cap to be hit in days, hui says

A hui of solar advocacy groups said that Maui County could reach its capacity by next week for residential solar systems that can export excess power to the grid.

The Hawaii PV Coalition, Hawaii Solar Energy Association, SunPower Corp. and the Alliance for Solar Choice said in a filing Thursday with the Public Utilities Commission that solar systems will hit the 5-megawatt limit the state agency put on Maui rooftop solar systems sending energy into the grid.

In October the PUC replaced the popular net energy metering solar incentive with a new “grid supply” system and put a 35-megawatt cap on the new program across the state. The grid-supply program credits solar energy customers about 8 cents less per kilowatt-hour than the full retail rate. Net energy metering paid the full retail rate.

Of the total, Maui County’s cap is 5 megawatts, Oahu’s is 25 megawatts and the Big Island’s is 5 megawatts. The PUC said it placed the limit on new PV systems to make room on the grid for other sources of renewable energy.

U.S. firms added 173,000 jobs in May

WASHINGTON >> U.S. businesses added 173,000 jobs last month, lifted by strong gains in services industries, according to a private survey.

Payroll processor ADP said Thursday that construction firms also hired more workers, while manufacturers shed jobs. Large job gains occurred in retail, shipping and utilities companies as well as in professional services such as accounting and engineering.

The figures nearly matched a gain of 166,000 in April.

ON THE MOVE:

Aloha United Way has announced the addition of six executives to its board of directors:

>> Harris Chan is vice president of operations for Starwood Hotels & Resorts for French Polynesia and Hawaii. Prior to his current position, Chan served as vice president of operations for the resort’s Greater China region.

>> Patrick “Rick” Ching is chief operating officer and president of Servco Pacific Inc. He joined Servco Pacific in 1985 in corporate finance and later worked in the automotive operations, where he was promoted to president in 2009.

>> Blenn A. Fujimoto is executive vice president and specialized markets manager of Central Pacific Bank. He joined CPB in 2000 and has more than 35 years of business and banking experience in wealth management, retail and commercial banking, and mortgage operations.

>> Mark Platte is news director for Hawaii News Now, the combined stations of KHNL, KGMB and KFVE. He previously served as editor and senior vice president of The Honolulu Advertiser. He joined Hawaii News Now in 2010.

>> Dan Schaberg is vice president and general manager for Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Alamo Rent A Car and National Car Rental. Schaberg oversees operations that include 70 locations and more than 1,100 employees across the islands.

>> Michael B. Stollar is executive vice president and chief health and transformation officer for the Hawaii Medical Service Association. His focus is to help HMSA create a sustainable community health system to enhance the health of Hawaii residents.

SHIP AHOY!