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New bus service opens
Thursday amid criticism
The Bus Rapid Transit system
will run from downtown to Waikiki
The city's Bus Rapid Transit begins its maiden travel on the first -- and possibly only -- leg Thursday after a false start and years of controversy.
City officials said the route will provide the bus-riding public with a convenient and cleaner mode of transportation around the city. Critics, however, continue to view Bus Rapid Transit as financial folly.
Originally scheduled to begin yesterday, the launch was postponed because rain delayed repaving work on Kuhio Avenue. The repaving should be completed by tomorrow, city officials said.
Using newly purchased hybrid electric and gas buses dubbed TheTransit, the new downtown Honolulu-Waikiki route will run from Aala Park through downtown Honolulu and Kakaako and end in Waikiki. Buses will follow the same route back downtown.
The route's first bus will depart at 5 a.m. on weekdays, with the last bus leaving just past midnight. Buses will run every 10 to 15 minutes.
There will be special signs at 20 key stops as well as some new bus shelters.
"This is a step toward a more livable community," said city Deputy Transportation Director Bob Fishman.
But Fishman acknowledged that what will be rolled out this week is more like an "enhanced bus service along a heavily traveled route" and is not what was originally envisioned. "This has been amended," he said.
Bus Rapid Transit was originally designed in two parts -- an in-town bus service and regional service -- but the project never gained wide acceptance. Its detractors criticized the BRT for its proposed use of dedicated lanes, both on city roads and state freeways.
More recently, $31 million in BRT-related improvements made to Kuhio Avenue caused an outcry, and in September the federal government pulled $20 million in funding.
But the greatest challenge is yet to come. Mayor-elect Mufi Hannemann has opposed the project from its inception, and it might be up to him to determine what happens next.
Despite the criticism, its supporters have not given up. Fishman said the project still has a lot to offer, including travel convenience.
"It gives communities more options on how to live a better life in the city," he said.
He also said the hybrid buses, which hold 75 passengers and cost $750,000 apiece, are more fuel-efficient and offer a quiet ride.
In the meantime, work along the route is expected to continue, Fishman conceded. In Waikiki, some new traffic signals have yet to be installed.
Critics continue to say that BRT is not convenient and will not save any time for commuters.
"Waste of money is what you have," said Cliff Slater, a longtime critic of the BRT system.
www.thebus.org
