Maui Bus ridership soaring

The Maui News
Sunday, February 11, 2007
By ILIMA LOOMIS, Staff Writer

WAILUKU - Ridership on the Maui Bus has surged, mostly due, transportation officials believe, to an expansion of service in the county public transit system late last year.

More than 71,000 passengers rode the bus in December, more than double the 27,173 passengers who rode in June. Ridership is so strong, said county Transportation Director Don Medeiros, that some routes have buses that are filled to standing-room-only. The county has added buses on those routes and will introduce larger buses to reduce overcrowding.

"One always hopes it'll go big," Medeiros said. "I always felt there was a need. It was just very gratifying to see it."

Starting in August, the county Transportation Department reduced bus fares, expanded service from six to seven days a week, offered longer hours of service, and reduced times between buses from two hours to one hour. The county also added service to Haiku and Upcountry.

Medeiros said he believed people had always wanted to use the bus, but the improved convenience made it possible.

"I think people had tried to use it (before), but the limited service didn't allow them to use it," he said. "I guess you could make the statement that the demand was always there."

Ridership is up across almost all routes, with a significant surge in Central Maui circular routes. The system's Kahului loop had 12,256 riders in December, up 50 percent from August, while the Wailuku loop saw 13,091 riders, a 63 percent increase. The new Upcountry-Central Maui route, which alternates runs to Makawao and Haiku, started with 556 riders in August and more than doubled to 1,276 riders by the end of the year.

Only one route saw a slight drop in passengers during the second half of 2006. The Kaanapali bus had 12,677 passengers in December, down about 5 percent from August.

Medeiros said the increased ridership was leading to overcrowding on several routes, most notably on the Kahului and Wailuku shuttles. When all 25 seats are filled, passengers have the option of using overhead grips to help them stand, he said.

To relieve crowding, the Transportation Department has added a second bus to the line, which will follow the same Kahului and Wailuku routes, only in reverse. One result will be added convenience for passengers, who can return from shopping errands more directly, instead of having to ride the bus all the way around the loop to get back home. It will also help relieve the crowds.

"In essence we increased passenger seats and reduced the headway (time between buses) to half an hour," he said.

The county will also be expanding its fleet with around one dozen new, larger-capacity buses, using $2 million in federal funds and $500,000 approved last year by the Maui County Council.

"Hopefully by May we will have six new 42-passenger transit buses coming in that we will put into service, hopefully, by July 1 or sooner," Medeiros said.

The county is currently looking to purchase an additional five or six 36-passenger buses, he added.

Ridership on the new Upcountry routes has been on the small side but "consistent," even with a lower level of service, Medeiros said. In the coming budget, the Transportation Department will request funding to double service to Upcountry and Haiku to increase convenience, he said.

"I feel the same scenario will apply," he said. "If you get the convenience factor up there, I think people will ride it."

- The Maui Bus schedule - www.mauicounty.gov/bus/busschedule.pdf.