STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1215

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 1999

                                 RE: S.B. No. 1194
                                     S.D. 1




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Transportation, to which was referred S.B.
No. 1194, S.D. 1, entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SCHOOL BUSES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to allow school buses to use
high occupancy vehicle (HOV) and zipper lanes, regardless of the
number of occupants in the school bus.

     Your Committee finds that this measure would be helpful to
school buses since, oftentimes, empty school buses must go into
Honolulu during rush hour to pick up students.  Because these
buses have only the driver on board, they do not meet the minimum
three or more occupancy requirement for the zipper lane.  As a
result, these buses are not always able to keep up with their
timetables.  School buses already assist in easing traffic
congestion by keeping fewer cars on the road.  This bill will
enable school buses to perform their duties more efficiently
without adding to traffic congestion.

     This bill proposes to amend chapter 291C, Hawaii Revised
Statutes, by allowing school buses to use HOV lanes, including
zipper lanes, regardless of their number of passengers.

     Testimonies in favor of this bill were received from the
Department of Transportation and Gomes School Bus Service, Ltd.


 
 
 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1215
                                 Page 2

 
     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Transportation that is attached to this report, your
Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No.
1194, S.D. 1 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be
placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Transportation,



                                   ______________________________
                                   KENNETH T. HIRAKI, Chair