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For other uses, see The Bus.
 TheBus is the public transportation service of the City & County of Honolulu, Hawaii in the United States. TheBus has a ridership of approximately 71.7 million boardings annually on its fleet of 531 buses, providing daily service on 107 routes.[1] TheBus is privately managed by Oʻahu Transit Services Inc., which operates the system under a public-private partnership with the City and County of Honolulu Department of Transportation Services.
[edit] HistoryTheBus' origins traces back to its early days as The Honolulu Rapid Transit and Land Company, which operated buses and trolley lines mostly in the Honolulu district, while most of the outlying area were serviced by competing bus companies. HRT was founded on June 6, 1898[3], the same date and year that Hawaii was annexed by the United States, and would start streetcar operations in Honolulu in 1901. [4]Honolulu Rapid Transit operated streetcars from 1901-1941, motor buses continually from 1925 onward, and trolley buses from 1937-1957. During its tenure, the HRT Boards were part of the power structure that dominated Hawaii politics and industry for the next 50 years and were related to practically every other important business in Hawaii by either kinship or interlocking directorates. It would also see other issues that caused its downfall in later years, which included a series of strikes by union workers and reports of a hostile takover of the company by its then new owner Harry Weinberg in 1955 after he began buying up other properties in Hawaii[5]. By the 1960s, it became evident that the City & County of Honolulu, being affected by HRT's operation/management structure and constant strikes that at times left passengers without bus service for as long as 60+ days (most notably a 67-day strike in 1967[6], followed four years later by a 60-day strike in 1970), would look at acquiring HRT and its competitors as more cities in the United States were taking over operations of privately owned bus companies. So on September 14, 1970, and under the guidance of then-Mayor of Honolulu Frank Fasi, the city established Mass Transit Lines (MTL) Limited, a management firm and forerunner to The Oahu Transit Services, to oversee operations. After careful negotiations the city would purchase HRT for $2 million for a down payment along with a additional $1 million to buy new buses. Fasi later went to Dallas, Texas and bought 50 ex-Dallas Transit System 1964-built GM air-conditioned New Looks (TDH5303), followed by adding 17 new New Looks (T6H5307A) from GM's Pontiac, Michigan plant, after his visit there. On February 25, 1971, the city council officially approved a contract for MTL to take over operations[7], and on March 1 of the same year HRT was renamed TheBus. It should be noted with exception of the 17 newly built buses that the 50 ex-Dallas buses were renumbered 550-599 and ran in DTS colors as shown in this photo of 567. The DTS colors were similar to the old HRT colors so the Dallas buses didn't look totally out of place. They were all later painted into the new City & County of Honolulu color scheme with the new logo TheBus, which continues today in its current livery. After its transition from HRT to TheBus, MTL decided to give the system a more friendlier modification, where in addition to changing the paint scheme in 1973, it also relaxed the standard uniforms by replacing them with the current short-sleeve shirts featuring TheBus logo, buses, and slogans. Fasi introduced the "new-identity apparel" in 1974, hoping to change the bus' stodgy, old image to a fresher, more fun one that would help lure more drivers out of their cars. These uniforms, which are updated every 2-3 years, have also known to become collectors' items.[8] The success of TheBus and its business model has been well-received by the public, the visitors, and of course, the transit industry itself. Ridership for TheBus has grown from 30 million passengers per year to approximately 71 million. TheBus is now the 20th most utilized transit system in the country, the 13th most utilized bus fleet, and the sixth highest transit ridership in the country per-capita. TheBus also has the lowest cost per passenger mile of any system and one of the lowest cost per boarding passengers in the industry[9]. Despite its success, TheBus also had its share of setbacks. In August 2003 a strike by union workers left Honolulu without bus service for nearly a month[10]. This move and its settlement the following September coincided with the City Council approving a fare increase to $2 and other increases in rates and pass fees, in part to fund the city's promise to the Teamsters not to cut service and employees[11]. By 2006, ridership and profits rebounded thanks to the implementation of programs geared toward college students who commute to school and work, and rising gas prices[12]. On September 29, 2009, Oahu Transit Services and the City & County of Honolulu announced plans to build a intermodal transit center that will be located at TheBus' facilities at Middle Street. The $8.2 million dollar project, called The Middle Street Intermodal Center, whose location will take up a large portion of the Middle Street-Kamehameha Highway intersection, is scheduled to open in October 2010. The newly expanded facility will incorporate TheBus, HandiVan, bicycles, cars, walking and the future light rail line, that, once completed, will include a bridge and walkway for passengers who want to make connections to the rail line's Middle Street station from the transit center. In addition, the center will also have a 1000-car parking facility, a enclosed transit layover bay for waiting passengers, an electronic information billboard, a customer service center, two restroom buildings, a utility building and security office.[13] [edit] America's Best Transit SystemSince its inception, TheBus has been the only mass transit system to be recognized twice by the American Public Transportation Association as America's Best Transit System for 1994–1995 and 2000-2001, beating other transit systems.[14] In addition, TheBus' has received other accolades and awards for its long-standing tradition of providing customers and visitors a well-efficient bus operation, its commitment to Honolulu and its strive to improving service islandwide. [edit] In popular cultureDue to its low cost and wide coverage, TheBus is a very popular means of travel by high school students. The fact that free school bus routes are not provided for the majority of Honolulu's students, as they are in many other parts in the United States, also contributes to high usage of TheBus among high school students. Because of this popularity, and the fact it was developed during Fasi's tenure as mayor of Honolulu, it received the nickname "Uncle Fasi's Limousine Service"[15] which is usually shortened to "Uncle Fasi's" or "Fasi's Limo". (Q:"How are you getting to the prom?" A:"Fasi's Limo!"). It should be noted that this terminology is very rarely used today and those of younger generations will probably not know what 'Fasi's Limo' is. [edit] RoutesMain article: List of TheBus Routes TheBus operates the following:
[edit] Fares[edit] Adult/Youth FaresYouth fares apply to passengers 17 and under, and high school students up to age 19. Passengers over 17 who are not attending high school do not qualify for youth fare.
[edit] Senior FaresSenior fares apply to passengers 65 years and older. TheBus Senior Card allows for a reduced cash fare with the option of buying a sticker that additionally provides free rides for one month. The Senior Card itself expires 4 years from date of purchase. A U.S. Medicare card can be used in lieu of the Senior Card for the reduced fare.
[edit] Disability FaresDisabled passengers can purchase a disability pass for reduced cash fares. A U.S. Medicare card can be used in lieu of the disability pass for the reduced fare. Fare structure is otherwise identical to that for senior fares (with the disability pass in lieu of the Senior Card.) [edit] Other Fares
[edit] TheHandi-VanTheHandi-Van is the paratransit supplement to TheBus, and provides shared-ride services to disabled passengers unable to use TheBus. Registration is required, and each ride must be reserved in advance.[17] [edit] FleetAs of September 2009 there are 531 buses in the fleet, including 91 articulated buses.[18] All buses in TheBus fleet are equipped with automatic stop annunciators. The voice played on the annunciators is provided by songwriter and Hawaiian language scholar Puakea Nogelmeier.[19] The following fleet roster is as of March 2009:[20]
[edit] Future FleetTheBus will add 10 new articulated buses in 2009, followed by 20 new 35 ft low floor buses in 2010. Both will be built by New Flyer and will replace the TMC RTS series. In 2009 TheBus had tested a 45ft. NABI CompoBus (Number 999) as a demo[21]. While it had positive feedback from drivers and riders, there was no word on if TheBus will order this fleet, as it would have to be modified to their specifics because of its design.[22] [edit] See also[edit] References
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