By Treena Shapiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

Q. I have a senior bus pass that does not expire until 2005. Why isn't the city honoring these passes through their expiration date, instead of making every senior who needs a pass wait in long lines to get a new one at the higher price? If the bus pass is a contract, is it legal for the city to void the old passes?

A. Not according to the city's attorneys, says city spokeswoman Carol Costa.

The new bus fare schedule passed by the City Council last month requires the Department of Transportation Services to issue everyone new $30 annual passes at the higher price and give pro-rated reimbursements for the old $25 biennial passes.

"We believe the bus passes are not contracts but mere licenses to ride the bus that can be revoked," Costa said.

Q. I live in 'Ewa Beach and since the day my family moved in, we have constantly been cleaning our cars and the front of our house. Within five minutes of washing our cars, what we wash off comes right back on — small dots of a yellowish-brownish liquid that dries and is very hard to wash off. There is no way a bee could do this. We are thinking it may come from planes overhead. How can we make sure that what falls on our house is not from the planes or a risk to our health?

A. After consulting the Health Department's Clean Air Branch and Vector Control, Darcie A. Yukimura, a department public information specialist, said the spots may be a sort of pollen or insect. "It's really a question of the environment surrounding the person's property," she said.

If it is because of bee or fly activity and you would like Vector Control to send investigators down to determine whether the insects are a health threat, call 483-2535.

Q. What can I do about a neighbor who keeps parking his car on the street facing the wrong direction in what would otherwise be a legal parking spot? It doesn't really make sense for him to park it this way to save time, since he has to turn it around when he leaves anyway.

A. While parking there may be legal, parking in the wrong direction is not, said Capt. Jose Gaytan of the Honolulu Police Department Traffic Division.

Gaytan said you should call 911 to report it.

A parked car should be facing the same direction as the flow of traffic, he said. "Some people think it's not that big of a deal, but if you think about it, in order to be parked there, you have to travel in the wrong direction on the roadway at some point."

Do you ever get frustrated or confused trying to navigate the various layers of government? Are you looking for an answer to a simple question but can't figure out where to start? If you have a question or a problem and need help getting to the right person, you can reach The Bureaucracy Buster one of three ways:

• e-mail: buster@honoluluadvertiser.com

• Phone: 535-2454 and leave a message.

Be sure to give us your name and daytime telephone number.