"After 35 years of trying, we've finally got a new kind of transit," Harris said.

The new route was initially intended to be the precursor to an islandwide network of buses with frequent service on dedicated lanes.

With mounting public opposition and both mayoral candidates saying they oppose expanding the BRT system, it now appears the new line will stay one of a kind for at least the foreseeable future.

Harris, who has long pushed for a new transit system in Honolulu and leaves office at the end of the year, remained upbeat yesterday about how the new route will be received and prospects for using hybrid-electric technology in the future.

Each of the 10 new $749,000, 75-passenger articulated buses will use a technology that combines gas and electric power to run almost silently and reduce emissions by about 90 percent when compared to a normal bus, Harris said.

Work on new bus stops and roadway repairs for the BRT line should be substantially completed by the Nov. 8 start, Harris said.

However, the city last month lost federal funding that would have been used to create dedicated lanes for the buses on parts of Ala Moana Boulevard and Kalia Avenue. Without those lanes, the prime advantage of the new route over existing service will be the short waiting time between each bus.

The city said the new 5.6-mile line with about 20 bus stops is expected to serve some 16,000 riders a day and cut eight to 10 minutes off the existing travel time between downtown Honolulu and Waikiki, which has been disputed by some BRT critics.

"It's really just going to be an expanded bus system without those dedicated lanes," said City Council Budget Committee Chairwoman Ann Kobayashi. "What is upsetting is that we spent all that money on those special buses without really achieving anything very much."

Harris said the new technology could be a model for future transit systems in Honolulu.

"Ultimately even if the new mayor moves ahead with a different plan, such as a monorail, this hybrid-electric system could be included," Harris said. Using such a system would significantly reduce the power costs of any new transit system, he said.

The new route, which was chosen to service the growing area around Aloha Tower, the new University of Hawai'i School of Medicine and the Ward Entertainment complex, will be called the E line, Harris said. In Waikiki, the bus will run down Kalakaua Avenue and return via Kuhio Avenue.

Several employees at Ward Warehouse said they'll wait and see whether they would take the new bus. The route would run on 'Auahi Street, which is on the mauka side of the shopping complex.

Rebecca Davis works at the Rainforest store and rides the bus daily to and from her home in Kaimuki. She said she has to transfer once and it usually takes her an hour to get to work.

Davis said she isn't sure if the new bus will make her daily commute easier.

"If it fit into my route and was more convenient, I would definitely consider riding it because it's a hassle to have to transfer all the time," Davis said. "If it gets me straight across, I'd ride it every day. I'm not really concerned with the whole hybrid part of it. It doesn't make much difference to me."

Maia Kikuyama is a senior at Roosevelt High School and works part-time at Aloha Sushi. The Pauoa resident said her father usually drops her off at work and she finds a ride home.

When she does catch the bus home, Kikuyama said it takes her straight to Pauoa without transferring. Kikuyama said she probably wouldn't take the new bus because she likely would have to use a transfer.

She said the new route may be more useful to tourists.

"They always ask where to go and they have to use the trolley," Kikuyama said. "It'll be easier for them because it'll go straight to Waikiki."

The buses, which will run from early morning to late at night, will have a special two-tone silver color scheme with TheBus' familiar rainbow along the roofline. Regular bus passes can be used and the one-way fare will be $2.