Free bus pass program for eligible riders

A. A fare-free bus pass program is established. A fare-free bus pass must be issued upon application to anyone who is fifty-five years of age or older; is paratransit eligible; has a physician-certified disability fixed route card; has a medicare card; has a valid student identification card and is twenty-four years old or younger; or is demonstrating financial need. B. The department may contract with a private party to be the director's designee and administer the fare-free bus pass program, including the creation and distribution of application forms, processing of applications, determining qualifications for a fare-free bus pass, and communicating to applicants about the status of their applications. C. A person is demonstrating financial need under subsection A if they are a Maui County resident whose household income during the past calendar month or year was equal to or less than 200 percent of the poverty threshold in the most recent poverty guidelines for Hawaiʻi published by the United States Department of Housing and Human Services. The director or the director's designee must determine an applicant's income and residency by reviewing any reasonably reliable documentation submitted with the application, such as a household income verification; certification of financial need from a social service agency; or proof of the receipt of temporary assistance for needy families, supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits, or supplemental security income benefits. D. The director or the director's designee must publish and make available to the public an application form that describes the fare-free bus pass program and qualification standards. The director or the director's designee must determine whether an applicant qualifies for a fare-free bus pass within twenty-one days after receiving a completed application and within seven days, issue a fare-free bus pass or provide written notice of denial and the reasons for denial. After receiving a denial notice, an applicant may submit additional information for the director to consider as to whether or not the qualifications set forth in subsection A have been satisfied. The director or the director's designee must determine whether an applicant is qualified for a fare-free bus pass within twenty-one days after receiving additional information to consider. E. Anyone who receives a fare-free bus pass will remain qualified for the pass, without a new application, for twelve months. ( Ord. No. 5559 , § 2, 2023)