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Kokua Line
Question: I was wondering if you could tell me the purpose behind the new bus schedule in the Leeward area. I know quite a few people who, like me, are irked with it. My mom needs to catch the bus from the Waikele Shopping Center to Sam's Club, and it takes her nearly two hours. And that's only about five miles apart. I don't see why she needs to catch two buses for such a short distance. I feel the Waikele area needs a direct route to downtown or Waikiki. There are so many tourists who catch the bus in the Waikele area that it only makes sense. Yet the Wahiawa bus goes all over the island. Please help if you can! Leeward
bus rider unhappy
with changesAnswer: We're sorry it's taken so long to get an answer, which had to come from the city Department of Transportation Services and not Oahu Transit Services, which operates TheBus system.
"OTS doesn't get involved in determining where buses go," said Roger Morton, OTS' senior vice president of operations.
According to DTS Director Cheryl Soon, the new routes in Leeward Oahu are designed to get people around their communities and to get into town faster, based on feedback from residents during numerous workshops and meetings during the past two years.
In other words, don't expect any changes anytime soon.
Most of the new "circulator" bus routes run more frequently and provide more community-oriented service than before, Soon said.
"A short trip around Waipahu, for example, won't be affected by a bus stuck in downtown traffic," she said. She also said Waikele is one area where new circulator routes arrive twice as often as before and operate later at night.
For your mother, Soon said there are two ways to get to Sam's Club from Waikele Shopping Center: take the circulator bus to the Waipahu Transit Center and take either Route 40 or 42, or take the circulator to Kamehameha Highway, then transfer to Route 62.
Soon said tourists still have to make one transfer to get to Waikele, as before, but they now have more than twice as many opportunities to get there. A new local service (Route 43) was started this month between Ala Moana Center and Waipahu, using the freeway.
Q: What ever happened to the cadet program that the Honolulu Police Department had prior to people becoming recruits? I'm very much interested in that.
A: That program was discontinued in the mid-'80s, said HPD spokeswoman Michelle Yu.
However, HPD's human resources division "is looking at developing a program for 19- and 20-year-olds," she said. If you're interested, call 529-3336.
HPD also has an "explorers program" that provides an introduction to the department for high-school students interested in law enforcement, she said.
Mahalo
To Read to Me International Foundation and Pizza Hut. Imagine angels with pepperoni wings! Linapuni and 31 other educational organizations were visited by angels from the two organizations. Mini-libraries and grants were presented to the organizations by Lynne Madden and Lynne Waihee of the Read to Me International Foundation and Henry Katsuda, president and CEO of Theo H. Davies Co., during a reception held at Linapuni School. -- Linapuni School
Auwe
To the people who talk incessantly during Wahine volleyball games. Do they know they are disturbing others? -- No Name
Need help with problems? Call Kokua Line at 525-8686,
fax 525-6711, or write to P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802.
Email to kokualine@starbulletin.com