Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi has proposed extending the county's free island-wide bus service for another year.

The so-called “;Kokua Zone”; program, which allows free bus rides on all routes, expires Dec. 31.

The mayor sent a request to the County Council last week asking that the program be extended to Dec. 31, 2010, according to a news release.

Ridership set a record last month with more than 81,000 passenger trips, the county said.

It is expected to grow to about 900,000 passenger trips in the fiscal year that ends June 30, compared with about 800,000 in the previous fiscal year.