HCC Public Bus Service Coming Soon

By Alex Dadamu 

The Honiara City Council (HCC) is currently developing a policy to operate its public bus service in Honiara City.

Deputy Honiara City Clerk, Jefferson Patovaki, confirmed to SIBC on Monday that the council is only waiting for the policy to be finalized before the bus service can commence.

“We don’t want to take long. Give or take, the buses should be operational in two months, depending on the policy,” Mr. Patovaki said.

He added that a business arm of the council has already been established to manage the operation of the bus service.

Mr. Patovaki explained that the council aims to address multiple issues with the municipal bus service.

“The top reason is to address the short bus route. The second reason is to provide the public with a reliable bus service in Honiara City. We know that sometimes the bus service in the city is not reliable,” he said.

He pointed out that the decision to operate a public bus service in the city is in response to calls from the public to address issues surrounding the short bus route and unreliable public bus service, which often causes lateness for working people and students.

Mr. Patovaki also confirmed that HCC will procure more buses to join its fleet.

In the meantime, he adds that the council recognizes the need to develop an overarching policy to guide public transportation in the city.

“We want to regulate public transportation in Honiara City. That will be covered in the overarching policy,” he stated.

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