Maui’s Bus System Gets Snazzy New Ride

Maui rolled out a fresh set of wheels for its bus fleet, and it’s a little something like what we see in London and more recently, Waikiki.

The new double-decker bus is the first of its kind for the Valley Isle and carries up to 90 passengers at a time. That’s twice as much than the average bus’s capacity.

Maui’s new double-decker bus can carry up to 90 passengers.

The double-decker hits the streets end of March or early April. It’s for residents and visitors who use the Maui Bus to travel between Central (Kahului) and South Maui (Wailea). In fact, the bus system itself is fairly recent and was established in 2002. Since then, the Maui Bus has expanded to 13 regular routes and 4 commute routes.

It’s not quite the same as that big, red AlohaBus we see cruising around Waikiki. Instead of an open-aired second level, Maui’s double-decker bus has a roof over the top. This makes it less of a tourist venture and more of a necessity for daily commuters. County officials pointed to an increased demand by riders in recent years.

The AlohaBus on Oahu is geared more toward tourists.

While you may not be able to wave your hands in the air (like you just don’t care) on the top level, Maui’s bus can still be fun for visitors to ride. The double-decker takes you to all sorts of fun places and is a great and affordable way of sightseeing the island.

Its route starts in Kahului town, home of the Maui Arts and Cultural Center. Then to Maalaea, where there’s a three-mile stretch of sandy beach popular for sunbathing and swimming. There’s even a pretty cool aquarium called the Maui Ocean Center. The bus’s final stop in Kihei and Wailea is one of my favorite areas of Maui. You’ll discover the most gorgeous beaches here and probably won’t ever want to leave!

Photo Courtesy (first): County of Maui/Ryan Piros

MAUI BUS PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION • 13 bus routes, 7 days a week • For more info, www.co.maui.hi.us/index.aspx?nid=609

Posted by: Bruce Fisher on Mar 14, 2013