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Would be interesting to know... if anyone has ever rode the:
3AM bus to Kona and toured around kona till the 4PM bus back?
I guess that would make a pretty good outing on the kona side but a rather boring one of pretty much stuck in an area for about 9 hours. I guess you better have your day planned out pretty well.
But for a 3 dollar ride (if you bought tickets) it would be well worth it since you're spending 6.5 hours on a bus and around 2-300 miles. I would think since you wouldn't have to worry about driving the view would be pretty good on the return trip back.
Tho you'd be screwed if you missed that 4PM bus for some reason.
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So, are people still taking the bus, or are they finding other transportation? Anyhow have a personal story? Ive spoken to 2 disabled people who are no longer riding the bus as much because they cant afford the fare. I am so upset by this increase that I'd be out there picketing the bus station if I didnt have little kids with me all the time over the summer. And I still may get out there to picket somehow. IF you see a female out there waving a sign it will be me! We are a wealthy enough country and should provide basic transportation for our poorest residents!
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I took the bus from Kona yesterday, standing room by Hilo, then went to UHH, still fairly full, then home...still fairly full, I did stop at the terminal to get the 10 ride tickets... easy to use, just tear off a little taggie like ticket...If you are shopping near the terminal, it might be a good idea to pick up one, if you ever see the potential of using the bus & do not like to pay a little more...
For disabled with documentation (the same needed for the free rides for a few years), the rides, with the reduced rate, are $0.75.... other than very short jaunts, not really enough to toss away the bus....and still way cheaper than it was just a few short years ago, when there were far fewer routes & the charge was based on distance traveled...then the reduced rate was $0.75 for travel within Hilo or Kona proper, all else was higher..
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quote:
Originally posted by PaulW
Also: how many widows under 60 would there be? Not many.
Maybe not, what if it was your mom? [?]
Also consider students who use Hele-On to get to school. Last month it was free, this month it will cost them $33 for 22 days of school a month, more if they do anything else or if they get a monthly pass at $45.
My neighbor has three kids that ride Hele-On. That's a $99/mo hit on him, in addition to his increased cost for commuting. Maybe that's not a lot to you, but for some folks it is.
I just think they could have taken a more gradated approach.
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quote:
Originally posted by OpenD
My neighbor has three kids that ride Hele-On. That's a $99/mo hit on him, in addition to his increased cost for commuting. Maybe that's not a lot to you, but for some folks it is.
Assuming full-time $7.25/hour and 15% withholding, that $99 is more than 10% of someone's take-home pay.
Perhaps employers should be required to subsidize transportation for their minimum-wage workers? After all, they're getting a great deal since the minimum-wage isn't likely to be increased soon (if ever)....
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quote:
Originally posted by kalakoa
[
Perhaps employers should be required to subsidize transportation for their minimum-wage workers? After all, they're getting a great deal since the minimum-wage isn't likely to be increased soon (if ever)....
Why should an employer be responsible for where their employees live? Not to mention now employees would be compensated differently based on the geography of where they live. I am pretty sure that would be illegal. Remember, minimum wage is not set by the employer so no reason to target and try to punish them. Most of them are people just like you and I trying to make ends meet as best they can.
I used to own a small business in the mainland and in addition to insurance I had to match 100% of what the employee paid into SS. It's extremely hard for a small business to make ends meet. I don't understand why everyone thinks that a business owner should pay this or pay that. Most business would not be able to afford that and would be out of business and only corporations would remain. The few that could afford that would have to pass those costs onto you and me.
Everyone is complaining about the minimum wage. Let's say they raise it to $15. Most small business can't afford that and would be gone not to mention the costs of goods for those that did survive including the big box stores are going to sky rocket and those costs are passed on to us. With the increase in costs now everyone is complaining again that the minimum wage is only $15! It's a never ending circle.
I just wish all the people complaining about the minimum wage would start their own business and see what the expenses actually are. When you own a small business everyone tends to think you are rich for some unknown reason.
I know I will get blasted for saying this but I have never lived in a state where I see more of an entitlement mentality. The government should pay for this, they should pay for that. The new generation coming up (across America) wants a house just like yours but doesn't want to work for it. They think they are entitled to it and it should just be handed to them. They want a job paying $20 an hour but don't want to go to school to get an education. If they government is going to subsidize anything it should education! That is just my two cents worth.
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quote:
Originally posted by Hawaii Bound
Why should an employer be responsible for where their employees live? Not to mention now employees would be compensated differently based on the geography of where they live. I am pretty sure that would be illegal.
This situation has already been created by "market forces", people earning minimum-wage (usually) can't afford to live near employment centers.
quote:
Originally posted by Hawaii Bound
Everyone is complaining about the minimum wage. Let's say they raise it to $15. Most small business can't afford that and would be gone not to mention the costs of goods for those that did survive including the big box stores are going to sky rocket and those costs are passed on to us. With the increase in costs now everyone is complaining again that the minimum wage is only $15! It's a never ending circle.
Umm, we already have "costs skyrocket/prices are passed along", which is a huge problem for non-unionized workers whose wages are
not keeping up with inflation.
quote:
Originally posted by Hawaii Bound
I just wish all the people complaining about the minimum wage would start their own business and see what the expenses actually are. When you own a small business everyone tends to think you are rich for some unknown reason.
Preaching/choir: I am self-employed, so I know all about "expenses", especially the catch-22 in which I can't take on bigger jobs because the extra work wouldn't pay enough to add employees. After the taxes, licenses and insurance, paying someone minimum-wage would cost about $15-20/hour. The alternative isn't much better; subcontracting someone as a 10-99 means less tax headaches, but at the expense of retaining an lawyer to make sure the subcontractor isn't accidentally an "employee" in the eyes of the IRS.
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"School kids on the hele-on? What happened to the yellow school bus?"
They charge for that, too, and some of the yellow bus routings don't work for everyone. This is especially true for kids who transfer out of area or go to charter schools at some distance.
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quote:
Originally posted by Chunkster
"School kids on the hele-on? What happened to the yellow school bus?"
They charge for that, too, and some of the yellow bus routings don't work for everyone. This is especially true for kids who transfer out of area or go to charter schools at some distance.
Rephrase the above arguments, and you get this:
Why should a school system be responsible for where their students live?
Entitlement?
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quote:
Originally posted by kalakoa
Rephrase the above arguments, and you get this:
Why should a school system be responsible for where their students live?
Entitlement?
Maybe we should start another thread on why Hawaii charges for school bus transport when most other states do not. I rode 20 miles each way in Alabama for 12 years and my family paid nothing.
