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Bus driver was wrong
to skip stop

Question: Last month, I was waiting for a bus at Alakawa Street and Dillingham Boulevard, going toward Ala Moana Center. A Route 52 bus, with empty seats, came by and kept going. He was followed by a Route 40 bus, standing room only, which picked us up. I complained to the driver, especially since the 52 bus runs on Hotel Street and the 40 runs on King Street. We caught up to the Route 52 bus at the DillinghamKing Street stop, and I was able to transfer. I complained to the driver, who said they are trained to skip stops if another bus is coming and they are on the same route. When I said that his bus goes on Hotel Street and the other bus on King Street, he replied, "Hotel and King Street are only one block apart." This is akin to a pilot landing in Kona when his destination is Hilo, and excusing his behavior by saying "it's the same island." Shouldn't bus riders deserve proper service?

Answer: Oahu Transit Services officials apologized for the driver's conduct.

"Our policy is to only skip stops if the bus following is going to the same destination or beyond, along the same route of travel," the company explained. "In this situation, the driver was not following procedure, as the bus following behind was on a different route of travel."

According to Oahu Transit Services, the procedure also is that if two buses are on the same route and the second bus is full, it is allowed to overtake the first to alert the first driver that heshe needs to pick up the remaining passengers on the route.

In this situation, however, because the two buses were on different routes, the second bus driver followed proper procedure and was not allowed to overtake the first bus, the company said.

We were told that your complaint was forwarded to the Customer Service Department so that "division supervisors will be able to correct the driver on the proper procedures, as well as provide a refresher on our customer service standards."

Q: I recently obtained a disabled parking placard. I went to the municipal parking garage behind the Municipal Building to attend a hearing, and there were no vacant handicap stalls. I was told that with my parking placard, I could park in any stall at no charge. But there supposedly were only certain designated areas in the garage where this would apply. Where are those areas?

A: Under state law, anyone with a valid disabled parking placard is allowed to park for free in any metered stall, for a maximum 2 1/2 hours or the maximum time on the meter, whichever is longer.

In the Civic Center, the public may park in areas with metered stalls or, with a valid placard, in designated disabled parking stalls, according to the city Department of Transportation Services.

With your placard, you may park for free in any metered stall there.

Note that in parking lots with an attendant rather than meters, the disabled usually pay the going rate. There is no law requiring that parking in those lots be free to the disabled.

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