Hawai‘i Island, Kauai Set To Receive $6.5 Million In Federal Funding For New Buses

WASHINGTON – Today, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced that the State of Hawai‘i will receive a $6.5 million grant to purchase new buses for Kauai and Hawai‘i Island.

“Investing in new buses for Hawai‘i Island and Kauai means that the residents who depend on them to get to school or work every day will continue to have an affordable way to get around,” said U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

The funding will be used to purchase ten 40-foot ADA accessible vehicles for the County of Hawai‘i, and to purchase three 30-foot buses and three under 30-foot buses for the County of Kauai.

According to the Hawai‘i Department of Transportation, the ten new buses for the County of Hawai‘i will be used on the Hilo-to-South Kohala Resort commuter routes, the newly created East Hawai‘i-to-West Hawai‘i commuter routes via Saddle Road, the Pahoa commuter route, and the Hilo intra-city routes.

The FTA’s Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Program is to assist in the financing of buses and bus facilities capital projects, including replacing, rehabilitating, purchasing or leasing buses or related equipment, and rehabilitating, purchasing, constructing or leasing bus-related facilities.

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