A free bus fare system could be more accessible than some think, according to the newest report from the Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice.
The team’s “Funding Free Transit” report predicts it would cost roughly $62 million annually to keep operations running as they are now. It states that on Oʻahu, about 15% of TheBus system’s operating costs are supported by fares — the remaining 85% is funded through public revenue.
To make up for the 15% of the budget that is currently supported by bus fares, the report suggests pulling from other existing sources, including the barrel tax, the Clean Fuel Standard or the state’s highway fund…