Kaua‘i Breaks Ground on $6.4 Million Electric Bus Baseyard Expansion

Kaua‘i County officials, project partners and community members gathered on November 14, 2025 in Līhu‘e for a blessing and ceremonial groundbreaking for the Kaua‘i Bus Baseyard Expansion Project. The $6.4 million effort, financed through county capital improvement dollars and an FTA grant, will expand the county transit yard to accommodate the next generation of buses and the charging equipment they require.

The project will add three deeper maintenance bays designed to service new 35 foot electric buses, install two power block chargers with four dispensers, and reconfigure employee parking and bus stalls. Construction is expected to begin later in 2025, with completion anticipated in late 2026. County officials said the expansion supports the county transition to an electric bus fleet and prepares local infrastructure for broader fleet electrification.

For Kaua‘i residents the expansion carries practical implications. Deeper maintenance bays mean mechanics can work more efficiently on electric vehicles that have different service needs than diesel buses. On site chargers will shorten turnaround for fleet charging, and the reconfigured parking and stalls are intended to improve the flow of operations at the baseyard. During construction there will be new jobs and contracting opportunities that could provide short term economic activity across the island.

The blessing element of the ceremony underscored the community dimension of the project, situating infrastructure work within local cultural practice and neighborhood concerns. The federal grant component links Kaua‘i to wider national and global shifts toward lowering transportation emissions, and it signals federal partnership in meeting state and county climate goals.

As the county moves toward an electric fleet, planners will continue to contend with energy supply, maintenance training and long term fleet planning to ensure reliable service for residents and visitors. The baseyard expansion is an early but visible step in that transition, and it aims to make public transit quieter, cleaner and better equipped to serve Kaua‘i in the years ahead.