Smelly Bus Riders May Take a Bath in Fines

(AP)  Stinky city bus riders soon could get soaked.

The Honolulu City Council is considering a bill that would impose up to a $500 fine and/or up to six months in jail for public transit passengers convicted of being too smelly.

The bill will be heard Thursday in committee. It would make it illegal to have "odors that unreasonably disturb others or interfere with their use of the transit system."

It doesn't matter if it's body odor or offensive fumes that emanates from clothes, personal belongings or animals.

Councilmen Rod Tam and Nestor Garcia co-sponsored the anti-odor bill.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii says it is concerned with laws that are inherently vague, which opens the door to discriminatory enforcement based on an officer's individual prejudices.

[sheridangoodlife]

This is the most ridiculously discriminatory thing that I have ever heard. If the council go ahead with it, they should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law for discrimination and be made to pay damages.

Then maybe, the homeless and poor people that they are trying to shun off of the public transport system might have enough money to buy a car.

This is absolutely disgraceful, and the council should be ashamed of themselves.

[pinpoint1999]

I THINK IT'S ABOUT TIME SOMETHING IS GOING TO BE DONE TO PROTECT US FROM TOXIC SMELLING PEOPLE. I DEAL WITH THE TRANSPORTING OF PERHAPS 15,000 PEOPLE A DAY. BODY ODOR IS A EXTREMELY SMALL ISSUE. THE BIG PROBLEM IS THE STRONG FUMES FROM FRAGRANCES, FABRIC SOFTENERS AND UNDER ARM DEODORANTS.
THESE FUMES ARE A CAUSE OF MAJOR HEALTH ISSUES, FOR A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF PEOPLE. FOR SOME, THESE TOXIC FUMES ARE DEADLY.
I THINK THAT EVERYONE HAS A RIGHT TO WEAR FRAGRANCE, BUT WHEN OTHERS HAVE TO SMELL IT, THEN IS IS ASSAULT.

[oldcatman]

What about the dear old ladies of my generation, who quite frankly
where perfumes, etc. that gag me!

Will you get busted for passing gas 1 time?

Maroons!

[jechaucer]

Define "smelly". How about gas station attendants? Does smelling like gasoline qualify? What about sanitation workers? I could go on. This is the most absurd law I ever heard of. I guess it is true, some people really don't have any brains.

[bobnjersey]

[The Honolulu City Council is considering a bill that would impose up to a $500 fine and/or up to six months in jail for public transit passengers convicted of being too smelly. ]

nonsense. there's no way to qualify what 'too smelly' is. there's barely a reliable way to measuure olfactory characteristics at all ... much less pass laws that assess fines for going beyond a specific (or arbitrary) threshold (one that you can't identify).

[PostalOneToo]

Maybe they are trying to keep the homeless off the buses. Which would be wrong.

[mav547166]

The tourist dollars are starting to dry up here they need money, and the poor filipino workers that do the hard honest days hard work here cant defend themselves so its easy pickings.

[jackp32]

They should bar people who have eaten beans within the past 12 hours. They could check each person with a bean-o-meter before they get on the bus or simply have someone get close to the patron and take a few deep breaths, which would also work for those with BO. Preventing them from getting on the bus is the best approach. Once on the bus, it's too late to help the other patrons.

[docpeter1953]

I couldn't agree with anyone more than with you on eating beans. Beans are fun food. The best place to go for a walk after eating beans is the fresh produce isle at the local grocery store. Have fun.

[docpeter1953]

I apologize, that should have read:

"I couldn't disagree with anyone more than with you on eating beans. Beans are fun food. The best place to go for a walk after eating beans is the fresh produce isle at the local grocery store. Have fun."

[PVperson2]

Why stop there, make the law based on how people look, if a cop doesn't like how someone looks he can throw them in jail.

[docpeter1953]

YEAH!

Sir I am arresting you because of those close set beady eyes, you must be doing something illegal, if not today then yesterday or maybe tomorrow.

You have a point here.

[jtdev1]

That already happens...

[endurorob]

$500 fine? 6 months in jail? How absurd. If they smell that bad and it is not job related then just don't allow them to ride.

[scottyusa]

Great point and a good idea. Now why can't the leadership in Honolulu think of that? Oh, it doesn't make money. Riding busses is super cheap in Hawaii. Maybe they should allow some outside showers for the homeless there. Yepper there are plenty of them. If I ever go broke I would love to be homless in Hawaii. Of course a little dip in the warm ocean once in a while couldn't hurt. 6 months in jail is a novelty for being stinky. Makes Honolulu into a worldwide joke. These guys must be democrats.