Posted on: Friday, May 7, 2004

Fixes won't help new buses, riders say

By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

Several city bus riders told the Downtown Neighborhood Board last night that they don't like the new, low-floor buses and that the city's plan to improve the buses won't make them any more pleasant to ride.

The board held a public forum on the 55 new 40-foot, 40-seat buses because of complaints from many riders. City transportation director Cheryl Soon addressed many of the concerns and said work will begin this week to address the problems.

She said manufacturer Gillig Corp. will pay for some of the changes to the buses, which cost $313,000 each. Changes will include grab bars near the front of the bus, improved wheelchair floors, doubling the number of senior citizen seats and better interior lighting.

But Helen Gillespie and Vey McWaters of Waikiki said they don't think the city's plans will work. Both women caught a city bus to the board's meeting on Pauahi Street.

Gillespie said her major objection to the buses is that the seats are low and she cannot see out of the windows. Several times, she said, she has missed her stop.

Soon said the improvements won't include raising seats. She said the problem is the design made the windows too high.

But Soon said the city will be removing a rainbow decal on the windows to let more light in and make it easier to see out.

Gillespie said the rainbow-covered windows aren't the problem.

"I don't like not being able to see where I'm going," she said. "It's not the clarity of the glass, but the fact that I'm down too low and the alignment of the seat in relation to the window is bad."

Several riders last night also said they don't find it any easier to get on the low-floor bus than on the older buses.

"I have been with a lady who couldn't step up that far. I do think that they can lower them, but you have to ask the bus driver," McWaters said. "He does not lower them when he sees somebody struggling to get on that small step."

Soon said she will ask drivers to lower the buses when needed.

Gillespie said the city should admit it purchased a bad fleet of buses. "It would be much better to recognize that ... they're not working out and let's go back to maintaining the old buses. The new buses are just an absolute disaster," she said.