Disability ID cards and bus pass rules

A. There is established a person with a disability identification card and a disability bus pass fare. B. A person with a disability shall be deemed to include a person with any incapacity or disability which results in the inability of the person to perform one or more of the following functions necessary for the effective use of the County bus system's facilities without significant difficulty: 1. Negotiating a flight of stairs, escalator or ramp; 2. Boarding or alighting from a County transit bus; 3. Reading informational signs; or 4. Walking more than two hundred feet. C. If the physical or mental disability of a person is not readily observable or discernable and cannot be adequately ascertained without supporting evidence, an applicant for a person with a disability identification card and disability bus pass shall be required to submit proof of such disability by a licensed medical physician or any governmental agency involved in a physical or mental disability program and recognized by the department. D. A person with a disability unable to board, ride, or alight from County transit buses independently shall be accompanied and assisted by an attendant to board, ride, or alight from these buses to prevent injury and harm to the person and other passengers. An attendant who accompanies and physically assists the person with a disability to board, ride, and alight from the County transit bus shall pay no fare. E. A person denied a disability bus pass under this section shall receive a notice in writing from the department stating the reasons for denial. Within thirty days of receipt of such notice, such person may appeal the decision to the director by filing a notice of appeal with the department in a form prescribed by the department. F. Within twenty days of receipt of a notice of appeal, the director or the director's designee shall conduct a hearing at which the appellant shall be entitled to be heard in person or through counsel and may present any facts or other circumstances which may justify the appeal. Within twenty days of the conclusion of the hearing, the director or the director's designee shall, in writing, affirm, reverse, or modify the decision of the department. The decision shall be the final decision of the County, and shall advise the appellant of any applicable appeal rights pursuant to chapter 91, Hawaii Revised Statutes, as amended. (Ord. No. 3628, § 1, 2009)