| The Kauaʻi Bus | |
| Parent: | Kauaʻi County |
| Founded: | October 1994 |
| Headquarters: | Līhuʻe, Hawaiʻi |
| Service Area: | Kauaʻi County, Hawaiʻi |
| Service Type: | bus service, paratransit |
| Routes: | 9 regular, plus 2 limited service express[1] |
| Fuel Type: | Diesel |
The Kauaʻi Bus is the public transportation service of Kauaʻi County, Hawaiʻi. They operate nine regular local bus routes.
The forerunner of the Kauaʻi Bus was a fleet of ten buses managed by the County of Kauaʻi's Office of Elderly Affairs to serve the senior population. In 1990, the first four fixed routes were started between Kapaʻa and Līhuʻe, and was expanded island-wide in 1992 with Hurricane Iniki recovery funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.[2]
The Kauaʻi Bus has a central administration, operations, and maintenance facility at 3220 Hoolako Street in Līhuʻe.[2]
The Kauaʻi Bus operates six fixed routes; five of those run seven days a week. Three of the routes make up the Mainline service, which runs along the perimeter of the island from Kekaha to Hanalei. Two of the Mainline routes (Kekaha–Līhuʻe, primarily aligned with Route 50 and Hanalei–Līhuʻe, primarily aligned with Route 56) connect in Līhuʻe, and the third (Wailua) duplicates Hanalei–Līhuʻe service between Wailua and Līhuʻe, with additional service along Kuamoo Road within Wailua.[2] The Wailua Mainline is not operated on weekends.[2] The other three routes are Shuttle services, which provide local service within their respective communities (Kalāheo/Kōloa/Poipū, Kapaʻa/Kapahi, and Līhuʻe).
The mid-day Līhuʻe Lunch Shuttle (Routes 01–12) was discontinued as of April 11, 2016.[3]
The 2018 Short Range Transit Plan proposed splitting the Līhuʻe Shuttle (Route 70) into two separate routes connecting in downtown Līhuʻe. The revised Līhuʻe Shuttle would operate between Lihue Airport and Hanamāʻulu, and the Puhi Shuttle would operate between Kauai Community College and downtown Līhuʻe.[2] Routes 100E and 150 were discontinued as of October 21, 2018,[4] and the 200E express was discontinued as of January 13, 2019.[5] The October 2018 changes also extended Route 100/200 service (Kekaha – Līhuʻe Mainline) to Līhuʻe Airport and Courthouse, removing those stops from Route 70 (Līhuʻe Shuttle).[4]
| No. | Name | Fare | Service Hours | Headway | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mainline Routes | ||||||
| 100/200 | Kekaha-Līhuʻe | Mainline | 5:15 AM – 9:15 PM / 5:25 AM – 7:25 PM[6] | 60 min | ||
| 400/500 | Hanalei-Līhuʻe | Mainline | 5:15 AM – 9:15 PM / 5:25 AM – 7:25 PM[7] | 60 min | ||
| 800/850 | Wailua-Līhuʻe | Mainline | 6:30, 7:30 AM / 12:30, 4:30, 6:30 PM | 60–240 min | ||
| Shuttle Routes | ||||||
| 30 | Kōloa | Shuttle | 6:15 AM – 8:15 PM | 60 min | ||
| 60 | Kapahi | Shuttle | 6:23 AM – 8:23 PM | 60 min | ||
| 70 | Līhuʻe | Shuttle | 5:55 AM – 8:55 PM[8] | 60 min | - | Express Routes--> |
| Discontinued Routes | ||||||
| 01-12 | Līhuʻe Midday Shuttle | Shuttle | 10:30 AM – 1:15 PM[9] | 15 min | ||
| 100E/200E | Kekaha-Līhuʻe Express | Mainline | 6:15 AM / 4:45 PM[10] | 1× | ||
| 300/350 | Kōloa-Līhuʻe | Mainline | 6:20 AM – 5:20 PM / 7:45 AM – 5:30 PM[11] | 60–240 min | ||
| 450/550 | Kapaʻa-Līhuʻe | Mainline | 6:03 AM – 6:03 PM / 7:21 AM – 3:21 PM[12] [13] | 120 min | ||
| 450E/550E | Kapaʻa-Līhuʻe Express | Mainline | 7:00 AM | 1× | ||
| Fares[14] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Group | Mainline | Shuttle | |
| General Public | $2.00/trip | $0.50/trip | |
| Discounted | $1.00/trip | $0.25/trip | |
| Children 6 and under | Free with paying passenger | ||
| Duration | Regular | Discount | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Pass | $5.00 | $2.50 | |
| Monthly Pass | $50.00 | $25.00 | |
| Annual Pass | $550.00 | $275.00 |
| Type | Quantity | Capacity | Service | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passengers | Wheelchairs | Mainline | Shuttle | Paratransit | |||
| Bus (30+ passengers) | 19 | 31–33 | 2 | ||||
| Bus (<30 passengers) | 21 | 16–23 | 2–5 | ||||
| Van | 15 | 14–19 | 4–5 | ||||