County looks to add bus stops at Kaua'i airport

By Jan TenBruggencate
Advertiser Kaua'i Bureau

LIHU'E, Kaua'i — The county bus system hopes to add stops at the airport to its islandwide operations in the near future, said Janine Rapozo, director of the county transportation service.

"We're trying to work it into our routes and to decide whether we need more money," she said. "With existing routes, it adds time, so it's a domino effect right down the line."

She said Lihu'e Airport director Stan Sekimoto has approved the concept of running the county's mass transit system through the airport, with a loading station probably near the center of the passenger terminal.

The county bus system is a low-key, multifunction program operated with mostly federal money. It runs a scheduled islandwide transportation system and takes senior citizens to activity centers. A "paratransit" system picks up disabled people at their homes, by appointment, for doctor visits and other business.

"They take them where they need to go. Sometimes, they even take them to funerals," said Mattie Yoshioka, county director of the Offices of Community Services, which oversees the county transportation system.

For the elderly and disabled, it is a crucial asset on the island, said Roger Ariola, 53, who lost both legs in a highway accident. "I see a lot of people, they don't have any options. I wouldn't know what to do if I couldn't use the bus," Ariola said.

The ARC of Kaua'i, which serves adults who suffer from developmental disabilities, has more than 40 clients daily taking the bus.

"They bend over backward to be accommodating. There's that little extra Kaua'i stuff that they do," said Ellen Ching, ARC executive director.

For example, she said that one bus recently dropped off an ARC client at a home that appeared empty. The person at home was actually on a long-distance call, but the bus made another pass by the home a few minutes later to be sure the client was OK.

"They didn't have to come around again, but they do that," Ching said.

The 35 vehicles in the county bus system range from an eight-passenger van to a 26-passenger bus. There are vehicles that can handle two wheelchairs and others that take up to five. They operate out of a year-old bus maintenance facility next to the new county emergency services building near Vidinha Stadium.

For many passengers, the key to the system is a cadre of friendly drivers who get to know people on a first-name basis. Ariola credits bus director Rapozo with helping create the spirit of the bus system.

"She's just great," he said.