Members of the Honolulu City Council have started to express their concern that the building of the Honolulu Rail Project may result in less federal funding for TheBus and TheHandi-Van systems currently in place. According to documents released by the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation, the city has the right to take approximately $244.7 million in federal funding from the bus system and include it in the rail budget, if needed. This money was allocated to buy new buses and vans for TheBus and TheHandi-Van system as well as to do preventative maintenance on existing vehicles.
Tulsi Gabbard, City Councilwoman, stated that, ”not a single dollar should be taken away from running, operating, and maintaining our buses in order to go toward this rail project. We need to continue to focus on improving our bus system. It is a system that is among the best in the nation, and we can’t afford to take any resources away from that.”
Director of the city’s Department of Transportation Services, Wayne Yoshioka, commented that there is only “a very small probability” that these funds would be given to the rail project. Yoshioka stated, ”It’s really there for insurance, to make the (rail) financial plan more robust.”
Ann Kobayashi, City Council Budget Chairwoman agreed with Gabbard and added, ”They keep saying they don’t need it, but then don’t put it in the (rail) financial plan. What worries me is the Handi-Vans are very old, and I understand some of them are not well-equipped for those in wheelchairs, so if we need new Handi-Vans and this money is committed to rail, how are we going to purchase a new Handi-Van?”
Source: Honolulu Star Advertiser, 5-6-2012, www.staradvertiser.com
Posted by Jeff Uyemura-Reyes, Broker-in-Charge, Realtor®
Global Executive Realty, LLC
www.myhawaiihomesearch.com
www.myhawaiicondo.com
www.myhawaiidreamhome.com
Posted by Jeff Uyemura-Reyes, Broker-in-Charge, Realtor®
Global Executive Realty, LLC
www.myhawaiihomesearch.com
www.myhawaiicondo.com
www.myhawaiidreamhome.com
