Question: I was driving on Kamehameha Highway in Pearl City around 6:30 p.m. March 13. There were two buses, and I merged in front of the second bus that was not in service. That annoyed the driver, so he sped up, got up on my bumper and started honking his horn. We got up to the light at Acacia Road and he barely stopped, riding my bumper. I turned and he followed. I guess he was going to wherever they park. I turned into Panda Express to go to dinner, and he stopped the bus on the road, opened his door and started waving and yelling at me to come back. My wife, 10-year-old son and I ignored him and went in to eat. Afterward we went back to the car and found a bus transfer stuck under the windshield wiper with the words, "f– u b–." Is there anything that can be done about this?
Answer: Oahu Transit Services says its investigation into your complaint, which included the bus number and photo of the bus transfer, continues to be "in progress."
OTS spokeswoman Michelle Kennedy apologized, saying that no matter the circumstance, the behavior you described "is not acceptable."
"We take this allegation very seriously and will conduct a thorough investigation," she said.
If the allegations are substantiated, the bus operator will face disciplinary action. However, Kennedy said the nature of any disciplinary action won’t be disclosed because of privacy restrictions.
"Our organization has over 900 bus operators who follow strict guidelines of safety, customer service and road etiquette," she said. "We hope that the possible actions of one operator will not change your view of our entire staff of bus operators, their professionalism and commitment to serving the riders and community with aloha."
Question: Recently I drove on the H-3 freeway and saw a lot of the call phones covered with plastic bags. Do they plan to repair them?
Answer: The call boxes, which were damaged during last May’s thunderstorms over the Koolau Mountains, should be repaired "by July."
In November we were told that 30 of the 98 emergency phone call boxes along the H-3 that were knocked out would be repaired by last month (is.gd/kokualine11022011).
But that target date couldn’t be met because of necessary revisions to procurement purchase orders, said Dan Meisenzahl, spokesman for the state Department of Transportation.
Repair crews were able to replace five damaged circuit boards, which control cellular signal transmissions, using an existing supply of replacement boards. But 25 call boxes remain out of service.
The circuit boards, installed 15 years ago, can now only be custom-ordered through a single mainland vendor, which "will repair the cards and return them, a less expensive option than fabricating new ones," Meisenzahl said. The cost is $11,304.
He said revised purchase orders were necessary to justify the use of a sole-source supplier, instead of getting price quotes from multiple vendors.
Although 25 call boxes are unusable, Meisenzahl said public safety has not been compromised.
"Operators at the H-3 Tunnel Operations Center monitor nearly two dozen traffic cameras spanning the H-3
24 hours a day, seven days a week," he said. "If stranded vehicles are in obvious need of assistance, operators will contact police to respond and assist motorists."
Mahalo
To Joe and David Okabe for stopping to help when I had a flat tire just before entering the H-2 from Mililani town March 24. They had the spare tire on in no time and refused a small token of appreciation. Mahalo also to another gentleman, whose name I didn’t get, and to Ross Yamanaka, who also offered help, as well as the AAA roadside assistance worker who came anyway after I had canceled my trouble call. –Florence Matsuda
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.
