TheBus CountryExpress! Route E extended to provide direct service from Ewa to Waikīkī

NEWS RELEASE
MAYOR KIRK CALDWELL
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION SERVICES
CITY & COUNTY OF HONOLULU

TheBus Country Express! Route E extended to provide direct service from Ewa to Waikīkī

Transportation Director Mike Formby (right) outlines the bus service improvements, with (left-to-right) Mayor Caldwell and Councilmembers Pine and Menor

Waikīkī – Mayor Kirk Caldwell, Honolulu City Councilmembers Ron Menor and Kymberly Pine, and Director of Transportation Services Mike Formby announced that TheBus has expand the coverage area for CountryExpress! Route E effective as of Sunday, December 7. This will provide safe, direct service from Ewa to Waikīkī for the many hotel workers and others commuting in from Ewa seven days a week.

Mayor Caldwell pledged to make the restoration of reliable and efficient bus service a priority for his administration. This extension restores and improves upon the CountryExpress! Route E service that was in place prior to the deep cuts in bus services implemented by a previous administration in 2012. Those cuts shortened this route by eliminating service to Waikīkī and ending service downtown.

Councilmembers Menor and Pine pushed hard for this route improvement and helped to make funds available. As a result, CountryExpress! Route E will be restored to provide service along Kapi‘olani Boulevard, Ala Moana Boulevard, Kālia Road, Kalākaua Avenue, and Monsarrat Avenue.

In addition to restoring the original routing through Waikīkī and adding new stops on Kapi‘olani Boulevard at Kamakee Street and on Ala Moana Boulevard at Ala Moana Center, downtown routing will be revised in response to customer feedback:
• Downtown stops eastbound will be on Bishop at Hotel, King at Punchbowl Street, and Kapi‘olani Boulevard at South Street
• Downtown stops westbound will be on Alapa‘i Street at King Street, Beretania Street at Punchbowl Street, and Hotel Street at Alakea Street
• Three downtown stops will no longer be served by Route E: Punchbowl Street at Hawai‘i State Library, Punchbowl Street makai of King Street, and Ala Moana Boulevard at Richards Street.

For additional information, the public may contact TheBus at 848-5555 or visit www.thebus.org.

Mayor Caldwell restored or improved the following routes since taking office last year:
• CountryExpress! Route C from Makaha to Ala Moana
• Route 5 (Ala Moana-Mānoa)
• Route 13 (Liliha-Waikīkī -UH Mānoa)
• Route 14 (St. Louis-Wai‘alae-Maunalai)
• Route 55 (Ala Moana-Kane‘ohe-Hale‘iwa)
• Route 1L (Kalihi-Hawaii Kai)
• Route 2L (Kalihi-Waikīkī)
• Route 501 (Mililani Mauka)
• Route 504 (Mililani Mauka)