Private bus to offer rides for UH football opener
By Brandon Masuoka
Advertiser Staff Writer
A private bus company yesterday offered $5 roundtrip rides to Saturday's University of Hawai'i football season-opener at Aloha Stadium to help football fans cope with the city bus strike.
• WHAT: NCAA football • WHO: Appalachian State vs. Hawai'i • WHEN/WHERE: 6:05 p.m. Saturday at Aloha Stadium • TICKETS: $19 (sideline), $17 (South end zone), $10 (North end zone), $9 (senior citizens, ages 4 through high school), free (UH students, Super Rooters) • PARKING: $5 • TV: Delayed at 10 p.m. on K5 (Channel 5) • RADIO: Live on KKEA (1420 AM)
As of yesterday, the stadium has sold about 28,000 tickets for the game, including season tickets, according to Aloha Stadium box office manager Ainsley Paki.
Appalachian State at Hawai'i
An estimated 2,000 people ride the city bus to UH football games, according to Aloha Stadium parking supervisor Engel Garcia.
Last year, there were about 40 city buses that each had a seating capacity of 50 people that serviced Aloha Stadium, Garcia said.
Roberts Hawai'i School Bus will service three routes in East Honolulu, Central O'ahu and Windward O'ahu, said spokeswoman Sam Shenkus.
Shenkus said Roberts Hawai'i would not be able to cover 2,000 riders, but the company would be able to service all the riders on the three designated routes. Their buses have a capacity of 40.
"For all those people who want to take the buses at those routes, we can handle them," said Shenkus, who added about 120 riders per game rode their buses last year. "We'll be happy to take them."
The first bus will start at Koko Head Elementary School at 4:15 p.m. and pick up passengers at Hawai'i Kai Park 'n' Ride at 4:30 p.m. and the Bank of Hawai'i at Kahala Mall at 4:45 p.m.
The second bus will load passengers at Mililani Mauka Park 'n' Ride at 4:15 p.m. and proceed directly to the stadium.
The third bus will start at Keolu Elementary School at 4 p.m. and pick up passengers at the Windward Mall Shopping Center on Alaloa Street facing Sears at 4:15 p.m.
Reservations are required and service is first come, first serve. Call Roberts School Bus at 832-4886 for reservations and information.
Last season, 38,019 fans attended the season-opener against Eastern Illinois. At the same point last year, ticket sales were in the 30,000 range, Paki said
"It's a little below, normally at this time we would have more," Paki said.
Paki said the uncertainty of the bus strike, pay-per-view television and this season's opening opponent may be causes for the ticket drop.
"In the past, the opening game always does well," Paki said. "We've been between 35,000 and 40,000 in the past. It's a big difference. We have a long way to go yet."
Paki said ticket sales usually increase on Thursday or Friday before the game, adding "hopefully if people get paid on Friday they'll come out."
