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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0294.005 2012-2014 PICOUNCL 2qq opposing Bill 86, draft 2, to raise bus fares comments for Hawaii County Council, 9:00 am Tuesday, June 18, 2013, West Hawai'i Civic Center by Cory Harden, PO Box 10265. Hilo, Occupied Hawaii 96721 808-968-8965 mh©interpac.net Thank you to Brenda Ford for being the one Council member voting against this fare hike last time. About one in seven Hawai'i County residents live below the poverty level. About one out of five is on food stamps. Has County Council researched how this fare hike will affect low-income people? Has anyone asked resorts to help pay for the bus? "Although resort workers count for a high percentage of total ridership, to her[Tiffany Kai's, acting Mass Transit administrator's]knowledge, no one has approached the resorts about chipping in for the cost of mass transit..."[Bus fares may rise, Hawaii Tribune-Herald, 5-5-13] Has County Council researched what it costs taxpayers to support cars? • building and maintaining roads, bridges, traffic lights, streetlights, parking spaces, and harbors to import fuel • having police, fire and ambulance trained and ready to deploy at a moment's notice to car crashes • dealing with deaths and injuries from car crashes • dealing with pollution impacts to health and the environment • losing acres of valuable land to asphalt People have researched what it costs an "average household" in the U.S. to buy, maintain, and operate a car. It's"the largest expenditure after housing... Households that are likely to use public transportation on a given day save more than $9,700 every year...." [Public Transportation Benefits, American Public Transportation Association, copyright 2013, httpilvvww.aota.com/mediacenteriptbenefits/Pacifesidefault aspx Former County Council member Pete Hoffmann, after years of experience with public policy. concluded that free bus service was not an "economic burden"to the County, but an "economic driver". [Hele On fees off and on, Hawaii Island Journal, 5-25-11] People are asking why a road is called an "investment in infrastructure"— but a low bus fare is called a "subsidy". n We should not be raising fares. We should be restoring free bus service. W tern •<--4 OD 77 C) -Crn cs Comm. N . Ref. To: JUN 18 Ref. Date