City Suspends Accordion-Style Bus Service
Change In Buses Will Mean More Crowds
POSTED: 4:21 p.m. HST July 24, 2003
Email
Print
HONOLULU -- The city has grounded all of its newest fleet of buses because of safety concerns following a fire that badly damaged one of them earlier this month.
The city has pulled the buses from City Express routes that go to and from Makaha. The domino effect will mean more crowded buses in the Honolulu area.
KITV 4 News investigative reporter Keoki Kerr found out that the city signed a contract for 16 more of the same type of buses that have had the problems just a few weeks before the fire that caused them to be pulled from the road.
Two weeks ago, one of the city's newest articulated buses caught fire on the H-1 Freeway near the airport. It's one of 16 buses in service for just six months. They are called articulated because of their accordion-like middles.
Sources told KITV 4 News that bus mechanics found a hydraulic fan pump leak likely caused the fire. When mechanics found a similar fan pump leak 10 other of the new buses Tuesday they grounded all of them, effective Thursday morning, according to sources.
That left the 15 remaining new buses, purchased for $506,000 a piece, sitting parked in bus yards.
The city is temporarily shifting older articulated buses from town routes to the country express routes to and from Makaha. Without the bigger articulated buses in town those routes will be more crowded:
"That means you have to wait longer until the next one, and then squeeze your way on," bus rider Kelli Sugimoto said.
"Maybe a little bit standing up every once and a while. Having to get up and leave my seat for older people and children," bus rider Manuel Merino said.
The new buses will remain grounded until a manufacturer's representative gets here from the mainland and goes through the hydraulic fuel pumps of each of the buses, to make sure that they are safe.
A contract signed by the budget director on June 17, less than a month before the bus fire, approved the $8 million purchase of 16 more of the same models from the same manufacturer, New Flyer of America.
Sources familiar with bus maintenance told KITV 4 News that the new buses have repeatedly had engine problems since they went into service earlier this year. They said the buses have trouble driving long distances at high speeds, which is precisely what they were purchased for to serve those country express routes.
It's unclear how long the new buses will be out of service, but that will have an impact on riders since the city has already cut back on bus service because of budget cuts.
City Transporation Director Cheryl Soon told KITV 4 News late Thursday afternoon she had not heard of any problems with the buses before this month's fire.
She said she authorized grounding the buses in the "greater interest of safety." Soon said the city might not move forward with the purchase of those 16 new buses if its investigation finds the problems are systematic.
It's unclear how long the new buses will be out of service.
TheBus Sr. V.P. and Operations Director Roger Morton said he believes the problems are "fixable."
Since the buses are under a one-year warranty, taxpayers probably won't pay for the work, instead the company will foot the bill.
KITV 4 News Investigates  E-MAIL:Fill our tips form MAIL:KITV 4 NEWS INVESTIGATES 801 S. King Street Honolulu, HI 96813  PHONE:(808) 535-0411 FAX:(808) 536-8993 |
Sources told KITV 4 News that bus mechanics found a hydraulic fan pump leak likely caused the fire. When mechanics found a similar fan pump leak 10 other of the new buses Tuesday they grounded all of them, effective Thursday morning, according to sources.
That left the 15 remaining new buses, purchased for $506,000 a piece, sitting parked in bus yards.
The city is temporarily shifting older articulated buses from town routes to the country express routes to and from Makaha. Without the bigger articulated buses in town those routes will be more crowded:
"That means you have to wait longer until the next one, and then squeeze your way on," bus rider Kelli Sugimoto said.
"Maybe a little bit standing up every once and a while. Having to get up and leave my seat for older people and children," bus rider Manuel Merino said.
The new buses will remain grounded until a manufacturer's representative gets here from the mainland and goes through the hydraulic fuel pumps of each of the buses, to make sure that they are safe.
A contract signed by the budget director on June 17, less than a month before the bus fire, approved the $8 million purchase of 16 more of the same models from the same manufacturer, New Flyer of America.
Sources familiar with bus maintenance told KITV 4 News that the new buses have repeatedly had engine problems since they went into service earlier this year. They said the buses have trouble driving long distances at high speeds, which is precisely what they were purchased for to serve those country express routes.
It's unclear how long the new buses will be out of service, but that will have an impact on riders since the city has already cut back on bus service because of budget cuts.
City Transporation Director Cheryl Soon told KITV 4 News late Thursday afternoon she had not heard of any problems with the buses before this month's fire.
She said she authorized grounding the buses in the "greater interest of safety." Soon said the city might not move forward with the purchase of those 16 new buses if its investigation finds the problems are systematic.
It's unclear how long the new buses will be out of service.
TheBus Sr. V.P. and Operations Director Roger Morton said he believes the problems are "fixable."
Since the buses are under a one-year warranty, taxpayers probably won't pay for the work, instead the company will foot the bill.
Previous Story:
- July 10, 2003: Fire Engulfs Bus During Rush Hour
Copyright 2003 by TheHawaiiChannel.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
