The Honolulu Advertiser from Honolulu, Hawaii • 5

(i On 'me Honolulu AQveruser tnoay. May 4. Moment of truth nears for Hele-On bus experiment system that operated for decj ades in Hilo and surrounding neighborhoods. The future of public transport tation here is clouded eve4 more by the initiative propos to cut residential real properti taxes in more than half, whicl allegedly would cause a revej nue loss of between $17 millioi and $18 million a year. If that measure is passed voters in November, Hele-On will be among the first proj grams to be liquidated to comj pensate for a 30 percent cutback in revenues, according td most office holders.

Others point out, however, mayoral candidate Dante Car penter is elected in November: public transportation likely wilj be kept alive in one form ot another. For one reason, they say, Car penter was chairman of th council committee that initially, studied the proposal of an ist landwide bus system that re suited in the demonstration that is still technically continuing. For another, they add, it wa his wife, Olan, who came up the winner of the contest to namf the system Hele-On. hired University of Hawaii-Hilo economist Youngki Hahn under a private contract to study and make recommendations on the future of Hele-On. Hahn concluded that, yes, the county should have a transit system for the benefit of those who can't drive and as a hedge against more costly roadway development were the system to be dropped.

That report was attacked by Gerald Monden, an analyst for the county legislative auditor's office. Monden criticized Hahn's conclusions as being "more of a historical reflection rather than a plan for the future." Monden challenged Hahn's premises and said the economist's conclusions contained "several inaccuracies" in an unusually critical analysis of the report. In Monden's view, the future of Hele-On may be governed by the share of federal support provided to offset operating losses. This has been declining since the county launched the bus system. Hele-On started in late 1975 after the county bought out and shut down the popular but allegedly unsafe sampan private 1 AdvaftiMf photo by Hugh Clark By Hugh Clark Advtfiitet Big Island Bureau HILO Hawaii County officials are nearing the crossroads of an eight-year experiment with a modest bus system known as Hele-On.

They must decide soon whether to continue operating the transportation program that is operating between $800,000 and loss, The county council has three related proposals before its public works committee, -v One, a study on the lengthy experiment, calls for making the critical decision on committing to a long term transit system that features nominal around-the-island service plus more frequent runs through the more populated Hilo and Kailua-Kona areas. This would allow for advance planning by providing for replacement of buses, already showing the signs of wear and tear since they were provided by federal grants, and for stabilizing year-to-year operations. Another is a proposal from the present private contractor, Laupahoehoe Transportation to continue to provide drivers and operations, including insurance and maintenance, at a cost of $15 an hour over the next five years. This would save the county $300,000 a year, according to Chiaki Matsuo, the owner of Laupahoehoe. A third possibility is a novel proposal by the Hawaii County Economic Opportunity Council Hele-On buses are losing almost $1 million a year: question for the Big Island, should the mass transit system be kept? ating by private contract, by an outside non-profit agency such as HCEOC or under a more typical government union contract.

Some council members believe the island is too big and too sparsely settled to provide urban services like public transportation. They say the trial run has proved the system is a concept that has failed econo-micaly. But the supporters of Hele-On say it is a boon to older residents, to those unable to drive because they are handicapped or too young, and to those who don't want to add another car to the family. The Matayoshi administration the operation by private contract since it began. The council's public works committee, headed by two-term councilwoman Merle Lai, has asked that she be made a part of any negotiation process among the administration, Laupahoehoe, HCEOC and or the UPW.

This, in itself is unusual, since the council normally sets policy and has the administration carry it out. Neither the committee nor the full council has suggested openly what Lai might negotiate for continuing the so-called experiment indefinitely, making the transit system a permanent feature of county government services and oper that it provide drivers at an hourly cost of $7.50, which HCEOC director George Yo-koyama compares with charges suggested by Laupahoehoe. Yo-koyama claims a savings of more than $300,000 a year. But some council members fear Yokoyama's proposal on behalf of a quasi-public agency that gets funding from federal, state and county sources eventually may lead to drivers being organized. This would raise driver costs significantly, they say.

The United Public Workers has been seeking to organize Hele-On drivers for years. Big Island UPW director Jack Konni has been publicly against Californian hurt badly in car incident edly suffered serious head iiv juries and was taken to thfc Queen's Medical Center. Shf was reported to be unconscious and on life-support systems ih the hospital. LAHAINA A 37-year-old California woman was reported in critical condition yesterday after she fell or jumped from a moving car Wednesday night at Kaanapali, police reported. The woman, a visitor, report 'MEM 8.99 25 off LEATHER WALLETS Reg.

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