Homeless People Impact Bus Stops

HONOLULU - KITV.com

The rainy season is forcing more and more homeless people to set up camp at the city's bus stops, but attempts to make it illegal to sleep at bus shelters have been unsuccessful.

KITV spotted several homeless camps at various bus stops around town Wednesday that have grown so much some bus stops are barely recognizable.

At other stops, bus riders are being squeezed out and the city said there's not much it can do.

Bus riders at a bus stop on Kaheka Street near Don Quijote are forced to stand several feet away from two homeless people who currently occupy the bus stop.

"It just makes for a very uncomfortable feeling for most bus riders," said Lou Majchrzak.

But riders said they're also keeping their distance because of the stench.

"When you go into a public restroom that hasn't been cleaned for a couple of weeks, that's what it smells like," Majchrzak said.

Over on Piikoi Street, Mai Abe regularly catches the bus to school.

"I feel uncomfortable because there's always a homeless man sleeping there. So I wait a little far away from him," said Abe.

And when it rains?

"When it rains I just go to another bus stop," Abe said.

It has been a recurring problem for bus riders, but the city said the bus stop squatters are doing nothing illegal.

The city is working to serve its bus customers while having compassion for the homeless.

The campers periodically receive counseling and are given options for alternative housing.

"The majority decline and say, 'Just leave me alone,'" said city transportation director Wayne Yoshioka.

The city then notifies them the bus stop is scheduled for cleaning.

"We give them time to move their belongings away from the stop," Yoshioka said. "Then we come in and we usually pressure wash and disinfect the stop and make it usable again."

The city has a $10,000 maintenance contract to upkeep bus stops, but the homeless keep coming back.

"We go every month and we repeat this over and over again," Yoshioka said.

The city has tried replacing bus stop benches with concrete stools to discourage the homeless from sleeping there and it continues to search for a balance.

"We continue to strive to find some solution that is humane for everyone," Yoshioka said.

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