HONOLULU -- The first and perhaps only phase of the Honolulu's controversial Bus Rapid Transit project has been hit with a couple of last-minute delays.

New, more-frequent bus service between downtown and Waikiki is set to begin on Thursday nearly two weeks after it was supposed to start.

The Bus passed out fliers to bus riders last week, announcing that the new service would begin Monday. But that didn't happen, mainly because construction crews are still repaving Kuhio Avenue.

The city said rainy weather and some supply problems delayed repaving, which pushed back the kick-off of new express downtown to Waikiki bus service.

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The mountain side of the street has been paved, but the ocean side still needs paving. Bus riders will have to wait a few days longer to enjoy the results of the $20 million Kuhio widening project.

"It's a bummer, because I rely a lot on the bus, getting back and forth the fastest possible is the best thing for me," one bus rider said.

For now, the new buses that cost city taxpayers $750,000 a piece sit in the back of the Kalihi bus yard, waiting for their on-the-road debut Thursday.

Mayor-elect Mufi Hannemann has said he will stop expansion of the Bus Rapid Transit project. Mayor Jeremy Harris wanted to expand it from Waikiki to Iwilei. Hannemann said he'll keep the new Waikiki and downtown portion.

The city is calling this new express service "The Transit." When the service begins on Thursday, buses will depart every 10 minutes during the day, running from downtown, through Ala Moana, Waikiki and into Kapahulu.