Big Island Mayor Harry Kim yesterday said his plan to permanently suspend public bus fares would improve traffic and help residents who pay up to $120 to commute on the bus each month.

Kim, who will eliminate all bus fares for three months starting Oct. 1, said he also plans to introduce a bill to make the change permanent.

The move is an extension of the county's decision to offer free bus rides on two rural routes last year.

Bus fares were canceled for a line taking residents from the Ocean View residential area near the south end of the island to resort jobs in South Kohala, and for a 17-mile route connecting Pahoa and Hilo.

Kim said ridership for those two routes doubled after fares were dropped.

More than 300,000 people ride the island's 26 Hele On buses every year. Ridership grew 15 percent in the 12 months that ended in July, compared with the previous 12-month period, county transit chief Tom Brown said.

Current one-way bus fares on the Big Island range from 75 cents to $6, and some individual commuters pay as much as $120 a month, Brown said.