The Kauai Bus is the public transportation service of Kauaʻi County, Hawaiʻi. It runs nine regular local bus routes; the Mainline service, runs along the perimeter of the island from Kekaha to Hanalei. The bus fare for the mainline is $2 but due to the hurricane, all fares have been waived.
History The forerunner of the Kauai Bus was a fleet of ten buses managed by the County of Kauai's Office of Elderly Affairs to serve the senior population. In 1990, the first four fixed routes were started between Kapaa and Līhue, and was expanded island-wide in 1992 with Hurricane Iniki recovery funding from FEMA.
The Kauai Bus has a central administration, operations, and maintenance facility at 3220 Hoolako Street in Līhue.
Routes The Kauai Bus operates fixed routes; five of those run six days a week. (They do not run on Sundays, including paratransit, until further notice due to staffing shortages.) 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–Līhue, primarily aligned with Route 50 and Hanalei–Līhue, primarily aligned with Route 56) connect in Līhue, and the third (Wailua) duplicates Hanalei–Līhue service between Wailua and Līhue, with additional service along Kuamoo Road within Wailua. The Wailua Mainline is not operated on weekends. The other three routes are Shuttle services, which provide local service within their respective communities (Kalāheo/Kōloa/Poipū, Kapaa/Kapahi, and Līhue).
The midday Līhue Lunch Shuttle (Routes 01–12) was discontinued as of April 11, 2016.
The 2018 Short Range Transit Plan proposed splitting the Līhue Shuttle (Route 70) into two separate routes connecting in downtown Līhue. The revised Līhue Shuttle would operate between Lihue Airport and Hanamāulu, and the Puhi Shuttle would operate between Kauaʻi Community College and downtown Līhue. Routes 100E and 150 were discontinued as of October 21, 2018, and the 200E express was discontinued as of January 13, 2019. The October 2018 changes also extended Route 100/200 service (Kekaha – Līhue Mainline) to Līhue Airport and Courthouse, removing those stops from Route 70 (Līhue Shuttle).
No. Name Fare Service Hours Headway Mainline Routes100/200 Kekaha-LīhueMainline5:15 AM – 9:15 PM / 5:25 AM – 7:25 PM60 min400/500 Hanalei-LīhueMainline5:15 AM – 9:15 PM / 5:25 AM – 7:25 PM60 min800/850 Wailua-LīhueMainline6:30, 7:30 AM / 12:30, 4:30, 6:30 PM60–240 min Shuttle Routes30 KōloaShuttle6:15 AM – 8:15 PM60 min60 KapahiShuttle6:23 AM – 8:23 PM60 min70 LīhueShuttle5:55 AM – 8:55 PM60 min Discontinued Routes01-12Līhue Midday ShuttleShuttle10:30 AM – 1:15 PM15 min100E/200E Kekaha-Līhue ExpressMainline6:15 AM / 4:45 PM1×300/350Kōloa-LīhueMainline6:20 AM – 5:20 PM / 7:45 AM – 5:30 PM 60–240 min450/550Kapaa-LīhueMainline6:03 AM – 6:03 PM / 7:21 AM – 3:21 PM120 min450E/550EKapaa-Līhue ExpressMainline7:00 AM1×
Notes
Fares
Regular fares FaresThe Kaua'i Bus fares Group Mainline ShuttleGeneral Public$2.00/trip$0.50/tripDiscounted$1.00/trip$0.25/tripChildren 6 and under Free with paying passenger
Passes Duration Regular DiscountDaily Pass$5.00 $2.50Monthly Pass$50.00 $25.00Annual Pass$550.00 $275.00
Notes
Fleet +The Kauai Bus fleet Type Quantity Capacity Service Passengers Wheelchairs Mainline Shuttle Paratransit Bus (30+ passengers) 19 31–33 2 Bus (<30 passengers) 21 16–23 2–5 Van 15 14–19 4–5
Notes
References
See also TheBus (Honolulu) Maui Bus