The Kauai Bus

The Kauaʻi Bus is the public transportation service of Kauai County, Hawaii. They operate nine regular local bus routes.

The Kauaʻi Bus

Parent	Kauai County
Headquarters	Lihue, Hawaii
Service area	Kauai County, Hawaii
Service type	bus service, paratransit
Routes	9 regular, plus 2 limited service express[1]
Fuel type	Diesel
Website	Official website

History

The forerunner of the Kauaʻi Bus was a fleet of ten buses managed by the County of Kauaʻi's Office of Elderly Affairs to serve the senior population. In 1990, the first four fixed routes were started between Kapaʻa and Līhuʻe, and was expanded island-wide in 1992 with Hurricane Iniki recovery funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.[2]^:4–1

The Kauaʻi Bus has a central administration, operations, and maintenance facility at 3220 Hoolako Street in Līhuʻe.[2]^:9–20

Routes

The Kauaʻi Bus operates six fixed routes; five of those run seven days a week. Three of the routes make up the Mainline service, which runs along the perimeter of the island from Kekaha to Hanalei. Two of the Mainline routes (Kekaha–Līhuʻe, primarily aligned with Route 50 and Hanalei–Līhuʻe, primarily aligned with Route 56) connect in Līhuʻe, and the third (Wailua) duplicates Hanalei–Līhuʻe service between Wailua and Līhuʻe, with additional service along Kuamoo Road within Wailua.[2]^{:4–4;4–21} The Wailua Mainline is not operated on weekends.[2]^:4–9 The other three routes are Shuttle services, which provide local service within their respective communities (Kalāheo/Kōloa/Poipū, Kapaʻa/Kapahi, and Līhuʻe).

The mid-day Līhuʻe Lunch Shuttle (Routes 01–12) was discontinued as of April 11, 2016.[3]

The 2018 Short Range Transit Plan proposed splitting the Līhuʻe Shuttle (Route 70) into two separate routes connecting in downtown Līhuʻe. The revised Līhuʻe Shuttle would operate between Lihue Airport and Hanamāʻulu, and the Puhi Shuttle would operate between Kauai Community College and downtown Līhuʻe.[2]^:7–7;7–8 Routes 100E and 150 were discontinued as of October 21, 2018,[4] and the 200E express was discontinued as of January 13, 2019.[5] The October 2018 changes also extended Route 100/200 service (Kekaha – Līhuʻe Mainline) to Līhuʻe Airport and Courthouse, removing those stops from Route 70 (Līhuʻe Shuttle).[4]

No.	Name	Fare	Service Hours	Headway
Mainline Routes[1]
100/200[lower-alpha 1]	Kekaha-Līhuʻe	Mainline	5:15 AM – 9:15 PM / 5:25 AM – 7:25 PM[6]	60 min
400/500[lower-alpha 2]	Hanalei-Līhuʻe	Mainline	5:15 AM – 9:15 PM / 5:25 AM – 7:25 PM[7]	60 min
800/850[lower-alpha 3]	Wailua-Līhuʻe	Mainline	6:30, 7:30 AM / 12:30, 4:30, 6:30 PM[7]	60–240 min[lower-alpha 4]
Shuttle Routes[1]
30	Kōloa	Shuttle	6:15 AM – 8:15 PM[6]	60 min
60	Kapahi	Shuttle	6:23 AM – 8:23 PM[7]	60 min
70	Līhuʻe	Shuttle	5:55 AM – 8:55 PM[8]	60 min
Discontinued Routes[1]
01-12	Līhuʻe Midday Shuttle[lower-alpha 5]	Shuttle	10:30 AM – 1:15 PM[9]	15 min[lower-alpha 4]
100E/200E	Kekaha-Līhuʻe Express	Mainline	6:15 AM / 4:45 PM[10]	1×[lower-alpha 4]
300/350	Kōloa-Līhuʻe[lower-alpha 6]	Mainline	6:20 AM – 5:20 PM / 7:45 AM – 5:30 PM[11]	60–240 min
450/550	Kapaʻa-Līhuʻe[lower-alpha 7]	Mainline	6:03 AM – 6:03 PM / 7:21 AM – 3:21 PM[12][13]	120 min
450E/550E	Kapaʻa-Līhuʻe Express	Mainline	7:00 AM[13]	1×[lower-alpha 4]

Notes

1. 100 is inbound to Līhuʻe; 200 is outbound to Kekaha
2. 400 is inbound to Līhuʻe; 500 is outbound to Hanalei
3. 800 is inbound to Līhuʻe; 850 is outbound to Wailua / Kapaʻa
4. Weekdays only
5. Numbered sequentially; 01 is the 10:30 AM departure, 02 is 10:45 AM, etc.
6. 300 is inbound to Līhuʻe; 350 is outbound to Kōloa
7. 450 is inbound to Līhuʻe; 550 is outbound to Kapaʻa

Fares

Regular fares

Fares[14]
Group	Mainline	Shuttle
General Public	$2.00/trip	$0.50/trip
Discounted[lower-alpha 1]	$1.00/trip	$0.25/trip
Children 6 and under	Free with paying passenger

Passes

Duration[14]	Regular	Discount[lower-alpha 1]
Daily Pass	$5.00	$2.50
Monthly Pass	$50.00	$25.00
Annual Pass	$550.00	$275.00

Notes

1. Discounted fares apply to the following groups:
   • Seniors (65+ years)
   • Youth (7–18 years)
   • ADA with Kauaʻi Bus reduced fare identification card

Fleet

The Kauaʻi Bus fleet[2]^:9–15

Type	Quantity	Capacity		Service
		Passengers	Wheelchairs	Mainline	Shuttle	Paratransit
Bus (30+ passengers)	19	31–33	2
Bus (<30 passengers)	21	16–23	2–5	[lower-alpha 1]
Van	15	14–19	4–5

Notes

1. Off-peak hours only

References

1. "Bus schedules". County of Kaua'i.
2. Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. (February 2018). Kauaʻi Short-Range Transit Plan: Final Report (PDF) (Report). County of Kauaʻi. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
3. "Changes to Kauai bus routes to take effect". Hawaii News Now. April 11, 2016. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
4. "Kauaʻi Bus announces route, schedule changes beginning Oct. 21" (PDF) (Press release). The County of Kauaʻi. October 8, 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 25, 2018.
5. "Kauaʻi Bus announces route, schedule changes beginning Jan. 13" (PDF) (Press release). The County of Kauaʻi. January 8, 2019. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
6. "South/West" (PDF). County of Kauaʻi. February 7, 2021.
7. "North/East" (PDF). County of Kauaʻi. February 7, 2021.
8. "Līhuʻe" (PDF). County of Kauaʻi. February 7, 2021.
9. "Lihue Bus Schedule". County of Kauaʻi. September 1, 2007. Archived from the original on November 8, 2007.
10. "Kekaha - Lihue" (PDF). County of Kauaʻi. July 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 1, 2016.
11. "Koloa - Lihue Mainline". County of Kauaʻi. September 1, 2007. Archived from the original on November 8, 2007.
12. "Kapaa - Lihue Mainline". County of Kauaʻi. September 1, 2007. Archived from the original on November 8, 2007.
13. "Hanalei - Lihue" (PDF). County of Kauaʻi. July 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 1, 2016.
14. The Kaua'i Bus fares

See also

• TheBus (Honolulu)
• Maui Bus