Income limits set for
cheaper bus passes

Question: During the bus strike and bus pass rate increases last year, part of the agreement was to implement a low-income pass at the then-current rate of $30. On March 8, "Kokua Line" said the city was having a hearing on March 29 to "receive testimony on the developed rules and regulations covering the program." It is now August -- what happened to the low-income pass promised by the city?

Answer: It should be available very soon.

"The final rules have been completed, and they are on the mayor's desk for signature," Cheryl Soon, director of the city Department of Transportation Services, told us Thursday. "As soon as he signs them, we will be formally starting the program."

The discount pass program is based on federally set income levels adjusted to family size. For example, to qualify for a discounted pass, the income level for a family of three would have to be no more than $17,750; family of four, $19,700; and family of five, $21,300.

You must fill out an application form from the Department of Transportation Services, verifying both family size and gross income. The most typical way of showing proof is with a recent income tax statement, Soon said.

The pass will be $30, instead of $40, for an adult and $13.50, instead of $20, for a student.

Applicants must show up in person at the transportation office, third floor, Honolulu Municipal Building, 650 S. King St., with the proof of qualification.

"We will take the information and it will be checked," Soon said. Those determined to be eligible will be given a voucher, which must be taken to the Oahu Transit System offices on Middle Street to exchange for a pass.

The city will announce details once the discount pass program is officially approved.

Q: I saw a Russian Hawaii Tour minibus park in a disabled parking spot in the Hawaii Kai Shopping Center last Monday. The driver and about 10 tourists returned about a half-hour later. The bus had a placard hanging on the rearview mirror. I am aware that some of the handicapped community do not show outward signs of disabilities; however, no one appeared to have any handicap. Is this a proper use of the placard, for commercial purposes?

Answer: The bus was carrying a passenger with a handicap at the time, according to Jarnot Boytek, owner of Russia Hawaii Tours.

"I am able to park in the handicapped space whenever I do have a handicapped person on board," he said. "That's my understanding. ... I don't see any problem with it."

"As long as there is a legitimate parking placard properly displayed, the vehicle, whether it's commercial or noncommercial, can park in the space," said Kirby Shaw, parking administrator with the state Disability and Communication Access Board. "There is no prohibition" against commercial vehicles.

The placard is issued to an individual and not to a company, Shaw said.

Even if a passenger is from out of state, as long as they have a legitimate parking placard, the vehicle is allowed to park in the reserved space, he said.

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