Honolulu Council Could Let Some Ride TheBus For Free

It’s a nice idea, but critics say the city just can’t afford to start letting some folks ride TheBus for free.

Alia Wong reports for Inside Honolulu:

The Honolulu City Council is considering a proposal to change bus fare rates for certain passengers. 

If the bill is passed, riders with disabilities, senior citizens and Medicare cardholders would be able to ride the bus for free beginning in July 2013

Council members unanimously supported the bill at their Wednesday meeting. But the proposal still has to pass through several more hurdles before being adopted. 

Some testifiers at Wednesday’s meeting argued that the proposal isn’t viable given city budget constraints.

“This is a feel-good vote bill,” said testifier Natalie Iwasa. “We have to really look at ‘how are we going to pay for all this stuff?’”

— Alia Wong