Department of Transportation Services

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Department of Transportation Services

Ka ʻOihana Alakau

Title VI non-discrimination policy

The City & County of Honolulu, Department of Transportation Services (DTS), as a recipient of Federal funds, has certified and provided assurances that it, and Oʻahu Transit Services, Inc. (OTS), the non-profit corporation contracted by DTS to provide TheBus and TheHandi-Van services, will fully comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. DTS, and OTS, are committed to ensuring that no person using public transit services is discriminated against on the basis of race, color, or national origin, particularly in the following service areas:

  • Scheduling
  • Quality of service
  • Frequency of service
  • Age and quality of vehicles assigned to routes
  • Quality of stations serving different routes
  • Location of routes

What is Title VI

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination in programs and activities receiving Federal financial assistance on the basis of race, color, or national origin.

The City & County of Honolulu, Department of Transportation Services (DTS), and the non-profit corporation it has contracted to provide fixed route services, “TheBus,” and paratransit services, “TheHandi-Van,” are committed to ensuring that no person is discriminated against while using TheBus or TheHandi-Van as prohibited by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. 

Title VI protections have been extended via two Presidential Executive Orders to Environmental Justice, which also protects persons of low income, and Limited English Proficiency.

Title VI Notice

The City and County of Honolulu operates its programs and services without regard to race, color, and nation origin in accorance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Any person who believes she or he has been aggrieved by an unlawful discriminatory practice under Title VI may file a complaint with the City and County of Honolulu.

TheBus Title VI Notice Downloads:

TheHandi-Van Title VI Notice Downloads:

Who can complain

Anyone who believes that she or he has been discriminated against while using TheBus or TheHandi-Van may file a Title VI complaint with DTS.

How to file a Title VI discrimination complaint

If a person believes she or he has been discriminated against in using TheBus or TheHandi-Van, they may file a signed, written complaint within one hundred eighty (180) days of the date of alleged discrimination. Complaints should provide the following information:

  • Complainant’s name, address, and contact information (telephone number, email address, etc.)
  • How, when, where, and why the complainant believes he or she was discriminated against
  • Location, names, and contact information of any witnesses

File the complaint in writing with DTS, Transportation Mobility Division at:

Bus Service and Operations
Transportation Mobility Division
Department of Transportation Services
City & County of Honolulu
Pacific Park Plaza
711 Kapiolani Boulevard, Suite 1600
Honolulu, Hawai’i 96813

Email: TheBusStop@honolulu.gov
Phone: (808) 768-8371

Paratransit Service and Operations
Transportation Mobility Division
Department of Transportation Services
City & County of Honolulu
Pacific Park Plaza
711 Kapiolani Boulevard, Suite 1600
Honolulu, Hawai’i 96813

Email: handivan@honolulu.gov 
Phone: (808) 768-8300

If the complainant is unable to write a complaint, DTS will provide assistance.

Printable Complaint Form Downloads:

In addition to the Title VI complaint process at DTS, a complainant may also file a Title VI complaint with an external entity, such as:

  • U.S. Department of Transportation
    Federal Transit Administration
    Office of Civil Rights, Region IX
    201 Mission Street, Suite 1650
    San Francisco, California 94105-1839
  • Other agency, Federal or state
  • A court, Federal or state

If a complaint is filed with both DTS and an external entity, the external complaint will supersede the DTS complaint and DTS’ complaint procedures will be suspended until the external entity produces its findings.

How DTS handles complaints

Complaints that allege discrimination while using TheBus or TheHandi-Van services, provided by DTS, through OTS, will be recorded in the Discrimination Complaint Log and immediately assigned a complaint number by DTS, Transportation Mobility Division.

DTS will review the Title VI complaint and will provide appropriate assistance to complainants, including those who have limited English proficiency (LEP).

DTS will investigate a formal Title VI complaint within ten (10) working days of receiving the complaint. Based upon all of the information received, DTS will prepare a draft written response, subject to review by the City & County of Honolulu’s Corporation Counsel.

DTS will contact the complainant in writing within fifteen (15) working days for additional information, if needed, to investigate the complaint. If the complainant fails to provide the requested information by a certain date, the complaint could be administratively closed.

Corporation Counsel will determine if the complaint may be administratively closed after the draft is written, or if a final written response is needed. If a final written response is needed, DTS will send the response to the complainant and advise the complainant of his or her right to file a complaint externally.

The complainant also will be advised of his or her right to appeal the response to Federal and state authorities as appropriate. DTS will diligently attempt to respond to a complaint within sixty (60) working days of its receipt by DTS, unless it was also filed with an outside agency, as noted above.

How DTS notifies a complainant of the outcome

DTS will send a final written response to the complainant and advise the complainant of his or her right to file a complaint externally. DTS will diligently attempt to respond to complaints within sixty (60) workdays of its receipt.

Title VI Program

As a recipient of Federal Transit Administration (FTA) federal financial assistance, the Department of Transportation Services, Transportation Mobility Division (DTS-TMD) is required to submit a Title VI Program report to FTA every three years.

The 2019 Title VI Program report can be found below. Questions and/or comments regarding this report, or special requests for assistance to view this report may be referred to: thebusstop@honolulu.gov or (808) 768-8369. 

 Title VI Program Download:

Service and Fare Equity Analyses

The FTA requires the DTS-TMD to evaluate service and fare changes at the planning and programming stages to determine whether those changes have a disparate impact on minority populations and disproportionate burden on low-income populations. DTS-TMD reports can be found below. Questions and/or comments regarding these reports may be referred to: thebusstop@honolulu.gov or (808) 768-8369. 

Equity Analysis Downloads:

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