Bus fixes promised at no cost to city
By James Gonser
Advertiser Urban Honolulu Writer
The city's new low-floor buses are generating plenty of complaints.
Rebecca Breyer • The Honolulu Advertiser
Riders say the aisles are too narrow, grab bars are missing or hard to reach, and visibility looking into and out of the bus is poor. The city transportation director says the manufacturer has been contacted about the problems and will correct them.
A woman boards the No. 9 at South King and Punchbowl streets early last evening. Many riders say the new low-slung buses are not handicapped-friendly and are difficult to see into and out of.
Cheryl Soon, director of the city Department of Transportation Services, told the City Council's Transportation Committee last week that Gillig Corp., which makes the $313,186, 40-foot 40-seat buses, is expected to make changes at no cost to the city.
Soon told the committee that the 55 new buses were purchased mainly because they take less time at bus stops to pick up and drop off passengers and because they're easier for elderly riders to manage. But she said many of the complaints are legitimate.
"We have investigated and we concur," Soon said.
The low-floor buses can be recognized by their blue accent scheme rather than the more common yellow pattern and a bus number in the 500 series (visible at the front and rear of the bus as well as on the license plate).
Soon will be at the Downtown Neighborhood Board meeting tonight to discuss the bus problems and possible remedies. She said there are four primary issues with the new buses.
Public meeting
• Grab bars: Passengers have nothing to hold onto as they board the bus and pass the wheel wells, and the overhead handles are too high for some passengers, Soon said. Gillig will add grab bars in the front and a padded steel bar in the back of the bus. O'ahu Transit Services, the company that runs TheBus for the city, will lower the overhead grips.
• Wheelchair ties: The hooks that are used to hold wheelchairs in place are not flush with the floor, and the area for the wheelchair is too small. The hooks will be adjusted and the area increased from 48 to 53 inches, making it easier to get in and out and more comfortable for the user, Soon said.
• Elderly and handicapped seats: Only five seats are designated for elderly and handicapped passengers on the new buses, compared with 10 to 12 seats on the others. The first forward-facing row of four seats will also be set aside and OTS will make new, larger stickers pointing out the priority seats. Bus passengers must give up those seats if asked by an elderly or handicapped person.
• Narrow aisle: It is hard for people to pass and move to the door when exiting, especially if they are carrying shopping bags or backpacks. Soon said the city is working with Gillig on how to reconfigure some of the seating to widen the aisle.
"Aside from those problems, aesthetically, it's so depressing," said Kay Ahearn, a Wai'alae Nui resident and regular bus rider. "The lighting is so bad and windows are dark. You can barely see out."
Ahearn said it is sometimes difficult for her to figure out where her stop is located.
Some passengers have said they are so reluctant to use the new buses that they'll wait until an older one comes by. Others have said the buses are a reason to buy a car and stop using public transportation.
The complaints are not welcome news for transit officials, who had to weather a nearly month-long strike last August and September and saw passenger counts drop sharply before rising back to more normal numbers.
"I hope it doesn't affect ridership," said City Councilman Charles Djou. "After the strike, we really wanted to get our bus ridership numbers back up. So far the numbers seem to show we are not back up exactly where we were a year ago, but we are pretty close. I don't know how the new buses will affect it over the long term."
Soon said the city has 525 buses in its fleet and 40 to 60 buses are replaced every year. Soon said the bus transportation industry is moving more toward low-floor buses, but the city has not yet decided whether to buy more of this particular model or purchase another bus that is more acceptable to Honolulu riders.
Reach James Gonser at jgonser@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2431.
