Oʻahu wants to crack down on homeless bus riders

New rules for TheBus could prohibit passengers whose belongings emit noxious odors or who ride with no destination in mind, signaling a stricter approach to how Honolulu transit systems handle homeless people.

The changes are part of a City Council bill that aims to boost safety in public transit. In addition to addressing the homeless, it would target vandals and empower the city to ban troublemaking passengers for up to a year. 

There’s a small group of frequent offenders who damage Skyline rail cars, for example, said Roger Morton, director of the city’s Department of Transportation Services.

While part of the bill addresses homelessness in public transit—a feature of urban life almost everywhere—it lacks the coordination found in some other cities.

Honolulu’s system, on the other hand, is fully under the jurisdiction of the Honolulu Police Department and other city services. That means the transportation agency can afford to take less initiative since other city agencies are available to be deployed by the mayor.

Abbey Seitz, director of transportation equity for Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice, said she understands some of the bill’s public safety concerns. 

But she said the bill’s luggage restriction, which would prohibit riders from carrying more than two bags, might make it more difficult for riders to use transit in everyday life for activities beyond commuting to work, like grocery shopping. This is especially true, she said, for homeless people and other low-income riders who may not have another transportation option to carry all their stuff.

“I am worried that we are creating more barriers to transit for those who most need it,” Seitz said.