The changes on routes 3, 9 and 12 will begin Dec. 7, said Cheryl Soon, director of transportation services.

"We think the changes will improve the service," she said.

For most of riders, it will mean buses that come every 10 to 12 minutes in peak times and 20 minutes during the middle of the day. The previous times between buses were 15 minutes and 25 minutes, Soon said.

The biggest change will be the elimination of Route 12 from Salt Lake to Ala Moana Center. It also means that riders used to taking the No. 3 from Kaimuki to Pearl Harbor now will have to transfer to the No. 9 along Kapi'olani Boulevard or in downtown Honolulu.

The changes were originally announced in August at the same time city officials planned to cut service hours on TheBus because of budget concerns. Those plans were scrapped when the City Council approved a new fare structure following a one-month strike by drivers and other bus workers.

However, the changes on routes 3, 9 and 12 were meant to be improvements in service and should not have been considered part of the reduction-in-hours package, Soon said.

Here's a closer look at the changes that are to go into effect:

Route 3

• Buses leaving Salt Lake will be renamed 3 Ruger-Koko Head Avenue; buses heading toward Salt Lake will be marked 3 Salt Lake.

• The routing from Downtown Honolulu to Wai'alae Avenue will remain the same. West of Honolulu, the new Route 3 will operating on Liliha, Vineyard, H-1 Freeway and through Mapunapuna to Salt Lake. It will no longer go to Pearl Harbor.

• The buses will not enter or circle Ala Moana Center; instead, the buses will travel past the center on Kapi'olani Boulevard.

• Former riders traveling from Kaimuki to Pearl Harbor will need to transfer to the new No. 9 Navy on Kapi'olani Boulevard or in downtown Honolulu.

Route 9

• Buses leaving Palolo Valley will be marked 9 Navy. Buses heading to Palolo Valley will be marked 9 Palolo Valley.

• The current routing east of downtown Honolulu to Palolo Valley will remain the same. West of Honolulu, Route 9 will replace Route 3 on Dillingham Boulevard, Kamehameha and Nimitz highways to Pearl Harbor.

Route 12

• The route currently running from Kaimuki to Salt Lake will be eliminated.