Fare increase proposal affects nearly all riders
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By Treena Shapiro
Advertiser Staff Writer
All but the poorest bus riders will see an increase in their passes and single fares under the latest version of a fare hike being considered by the City Council.
At least six of the nine council members support a version of the bill that would more than double the bus pass rate for seniors and persons with disabilities, who would pay $30 a year to ride the bus, rather than $25 every two years.
All bus riders age 6 and over would see a 25-cent increase in their cash fares, adults would pay an extra $10 a month for a pass and youths would pay another $6.50.
But the council members also came up with a circuit breaker to freeze current bus pass prices for riders who meet the federal Housing and Urban Development extremely low-income guidelines.
"We're making the best of a bad situation," said Councilwoman Barbara Marshall, at a press conference yesterday announcing the latest fare schedule.
The version comes after several attempts to improve on a bus fare schedule proposed by the administration, which would have eliminated senior bus passes and contained no provisions for those who could not afford to pay any more for bus service.
"We are raising the senior fares more than I like, but they are still reasonable and a great bargain and we hope that they will not prevent seniors from riding the bus," Marshall said.
The fare increases aim at covering a $6.8 million shortfall in the bus budget that would have meant cutting 100,000 hours of bus service. The Hawai'i Teamsters and Allied Workers Local 996, representing 1,300 striking bus workers, said the service cuts would lead to the layoff of 40 employees.
"We believe this proposal does achieve the $6.8 million," said Council Chairman Gary Okino.
The City Council will take a final vote on the fare increases Wednesday.
The circuit-breaker provision will make it less urgent for the council to make a decision on a bill that would allow advertising on the sides of buses, said Councilman Donovan Dela Cruz, who introduced the bill to subsidize bus fare for low income residents.
A hearing on the proposal will be held Wednesday afternoon.
Last week, the council seemed unable to come together behind a single proposal for bus fares hikes, but now "all the members have finally come together in the spirit of collaboration," Transportation Chairman Nestor Garcia said.
Reach Treena Shapiro at 525-8070 or tshapiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.
