Honolulu Set To Receive Nearly $6 Million To Improve Public Transit System With New Zero-Emission Buses

HONOLULU — Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D- Hawai‘i) announced that the City and County of Honolulu is set to receive $5,940,005 in new federal funding to acquire six zero-emission buses and necessary on-road charging facilities. These new buses will run 24 hours daily on Route 40 between Makaha and Downtown Honolulu, helping people get to work and visit local businesses.

“Improving our public transit system with electric buses means that we can provide affordable transportation while reducing our carbon footprint,” said Senator Schatz, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “This new federal funding will make it easier for workers to commute and customers to visit local businesses while making our roads cleaner and quieter in the process.”

“Honolulu’s public transportation is one of the best in the nation, with some of the most professional and dedicated drivers for both TheBus and TheHandi-Van. Even under the most difficult of circumstances our drivers drive with aloha, and always show aloha to their riders. This federal grant will help build Honolulu’s public transportation toward a greener, brighter and safer operations fleet; moving the people of Honolulu to where they need to be,” said Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell.

These funds will be used by the City and County of Honolulu Department of Transportation Services to purchase or lease six 40-foot electric buses and support facilities at the Alapa‘i Transit Center. This is the first phase of Honolulu's plan to make Route 40 entirely electric and transition to a zero-emission fleet within the next 15 years, which will ensure that workers have a greener, more affordable commute.

Honolulu received this grant from the Federal Transit Administration’s Low or No Emission program following an intensive application process, with the city competing against other municipalities and localities across the country.

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