Maui waives car disposal fee
By Christie Wilson
Advertiser Neighbor Island Editor
WAILUKU, Maui — In a move to reduce the number of cars being abandoned on Maui's roads, the county is allowing motorists to bring their derelict vehicles to the junkyard at no cost.
Vehicle owners are still responsible for towing fees to get the cars to the abandoned vehicle processing facility in the Central Maui Baseyard off Mokulele Highway, but they do not have to pay processing charges.
"We've looked at the problem, and one of the issues that keeps coming up is that people do not have money to properly dispose of their cars and pay the $150, $200 processing fee. So they strip the (vehicle identification numbers) and dump it on the side of the road," said county Finance Director Keith Regan.
The county handles an average of 100 abandoned cars a month, paying more than $350 to tow, process, store and eventually dispose of each vehicle. About a third of that cost is towing. By encouraging people to take their vehicles directly to the Central Maui Baseyard facility in exchange for free processing, the county hopes to save on towing fees and prevent junk cars from being left on the roadside.
"The county has been dealing with this for many years, and we're trying to chip away at it. No one has found a true solution," Regan said.
When an abandoned car is tagged for removal and towed, the county tries to trace the registered owner through the vehicle identification number labeled on various parts of the car. "People are becoming a little smarter in terms of trying to prevent the county from going back and locating this information," Regan said.
A buy-back program in effect for several years that paid out $50 for each abandoned car turned in ended last year. Regan said the money ran out and there were questions about gray areas in the county ordinance that established the program.
The county is looking at submitting revised legislation to reinstitute the buy-back program, he said. Other proposals include charging a disposal fee when a vehicle is purchased, subsidizing the cost of towing for people who can't afford it, and establishing abandoned car processing sites in Hana and on Moloka'i and Lana'i.
Fleet-registered vehicles and cars registered to a business are not eligible for free processing. Neither are cars purchased from the county's abandoned vehicle auction.
To qualify, vehicles must have a valid Maui certificate of title, and the vehicle identification number must be legible and match the VIN on the certificate of title. All registered and legal owners must sign the title to release interest.
To schedule a drop-off time, call Maui Tow & Transport at 872-9128.
Reach Christie Wilson at cwilson@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 244-4880.
