LAHAINA, Maui - The new "Lahaina Villager" bus route is up and running, Maui officials said.

On Aug. 1, 16 people were aboard the inaugural one-hour bus run that loops through Lahaina Town and surrounding areas, the County of Maui Department of Transportation announced.

The Lahaina Villager Route #23 circles through Lahainaluna, Wahikuli and Villages of Leialii neighborhoods and continues through Lahaina Town from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.,

connecting with existing county bus service to other areas including Kaanapali, Napili, Maalaea and Wailuku.

To encourage ridership, Lahaina Bypass Now (LBN), with help from West-side senior citizens, distributed more than 2,000 Lahaina Villager bus schedules to Lahaina merchants, senior centers and schools. May Fujiwara, a member of LBN, helped pass out schedules and rode the bus onthe first day.

Last year, a survey of travel patterns conducted by LBN of numerous Lahaina businesses indicated that many Lahaina Town employees live inand around Lahainaluna and Wahikuli neighborhoods. With this information, LBN collected petitions and testified at budget hearings in support of a new Lahaina Villager route. The bus became a reality with the backing of Mayor Charmaine Tavares and County Council members.

Maui Bus is a service of the County of Maui and operated by Roberts Hawaii. Bus schedules can also be found on all County buses, and are available online at www.mauicounty.gov/bus, or by calling Maui Bus operator Roberts Hawaii at 871-4838. For more information, call the County of Maui Department of Transportation at 270-7511.

Lahaina Bypass Now (LBN) is a community-based organization dedicated to

developing transportation solutions for Maui. For more information, call 667-2516, email info@lahainabypassnow.com or visit www.lahainabypassnow.com.