MAYOR KIRK CALDWELL ANNOUNCES THEBUS SERVICE
IMPROVEMENTS

Honolulu – At a press
conference held today at the Alapai Transit Center, Mayor Kirk Caldwell,
Transportation Services Director Michael Formby, and Oahu Transportation
Services President/CEO Roger Morton announced a series of improvements to TheBus
service which will begin next month.

“The changes to TheBus routes and frequencies last year
produced mixed results,” said Mayor Caldwell. “There were some positives,
including service on Kapahulu Avenue and Kapiolani Boulevard, and UH-Manoa to KCC. But longer wait times between buses and overcrowding affected riders across the
island.  Some locations became difficult to reach at all, especially remote
locations late at night and early in the morning.

“Our plan is to reverse the cuts that caused the greatest hardship while keeping the positive changes.  Next month, we fix two routes needed by TheBus riders on the Leeward Coast and in town.  Then we will roll out
more improvements in May on the windward side, along School Street, in East Honolulu, Wakiki, and Manoa, and improve U.H. Manoa service before the new school year in August.”

Improvements to the following routes will go into effect
on March 23^rd:

• CountryExpress
  Route C (Makaha to Kapolei to Ala Moana Center)
• Restore weekend and holiday
  service frequencies from every 60 minutes under the cuts to every 30 minutes. 
• Route 14
  (St. Louis Heights via Waialae Ave to Maunalani Heights)
• Restore weekday peak
  service from St.
  Louis to Maunalani via Waialae from every 108 minutes to
  every 40 minutes; more frequent transfers. 
• Restore original Diamond Head route for weekday off-peak and weekend
  service; restore frequencies from 108 minutes to 60 minutes. 
  

Improvements to the following routes will go into effect
in May:

• CountryExpress
  Route C (Makaha to Kapolei to Ala Moana Center)
• Restore weekday mid-day
  service from every 45 minutes to every 30 minute
• Route 55
  (Ala Moana Center
  via Kaneohe to
  Haleiwa)
• Improve mid-day service
  frequencies from every 60 minutes to every 45 minutes
• Route 1L
  (Kalihi to Hawaii Kai)
• Extend Route 1L to provide
  limited-stop service along the School Street corridor previously served by
  Route
• Route 2L
  (Kalihi to Waikiki)
  
• Add additional weekday peak
  hour trips

• Route 5
  (Manoa to Ala
  Moana Center)
• Improve morning peak hour
  frequencies from every 60 minutes to every 30 minutes

Improvement to the following route will take place in
August:

• Route 13
  (Liliha via Waikiki to UH-Mānoa)
  
  • Restore service frequency
    to from every 20 minutes to every 15 minutes

The improvements previously implemented in December 2012 cost approximately $600,000 in FY2013.  The 2013 changes announced today will cost approximately $3.5M in FY2014.