HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-04-04 Senator Schatz Secures $576,000 for County Mass Transit Buses -- press release
Wil Okabe
Managing Director
Harry Kim
Mayor
Barbara J. Kossow
Deputy Managing Director
County of Hawai‘i
Office of the Mayor
25 Aupuni Street, Suite 2603 Hilo, Hawai‘i 96720 (808) 961-8211 Fax (808) 961-6553
KONA: 74-5044 Ane Keohokālole Hwy., Bldg C Kailua-Kona, Hawai‘i 96740
(808) 323-4444 Fax (808) 323-4440
April 4, 2018
NEWS RELEASE
Senator Brian Schatz Unveils $576,000 in Federal Funds for County Buses
U.S. Senator Brian Schatz announced on Wednesday that the County of Hawai'i will be
awarded $576,000 in federal funds to purchase new accessible buses.
The award by the U.S. Department of Transportation will go to the Hawai'i County Mass
Transit Agency, which operates the Hele-On bus system islandwide.
“This investment in public transportation will improve people’s commutes, reduce traffic
and costs to road maintenance, and help shrink our carbon footprint,” said Senator
Schatz in a statement.
The Democratic Senator from Hawai'i is a member of the Senate Appropriations
Committee.
Mayor Harry Kim expressed deep gratitude to Senator Schatz for this timely award to
buy Americans with Disabilities Act-accessible buses.
“These funds come at a very critical time for us, as we are trying to improve our level of
service to the people who rely on our Mass Transit system,” Mayor Kim said. “We are
really grateful to the Senator for seeing the need and securing the funds to help achieve
this.”
The County had applied for a federal grant to purchase up to six mid-duty ADA-
accessible buses, whose capacity are 15 to 26 passengers each. The grant involves an
80-20 match, meaning that the federal funds pay for 80 percent of the purchase, and
County funds make up the rest. The $576,000 secured by Senator Schatz will be
matched by a 20 percent County match of $144,000.
According to Mass Transit Administrator Maria Aranguiz, the County was in dire need of
these smaller-sized buses. The vehicles will replace existing ones that have exceeded
their useful life due to age and mileage, and which were prone to breakdowns. The
assumed cost of the buses is $120,000 to $140,000 each.
County of Hawai‘i is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer.