(BVIN) – It didn’t take long for a mishap to befall the beleaguered Mass Transit department’s new buses, which were just donated to the Big Island from the City and County of Honolulu.

Just a few days before Saturday’s bus theft, the administration secured the official approval to receive the donation from the Hawaii County Council.

Resolution 247-17 authorized the acceptance of a donation of seven buses to be used by the Mass Transit Agency for island-wide transportation, and to increase the County’s spare bus ratio.

The measure was followed by Res. 248-17, authorizing the acceptance of a donation of transportation service from Young Brothers, Inc. “With an estimated value of $12,748,” the council agenda read, “this donation will provide 48 percent of the total costs to ship seven buses being donated to the Mass Transit Agency by the City and County of Honolulu.”

Retired U.S. Marine and Mass Transit consultant Curtis Sharp answered questions from the council regarding the donation. Sharp has taken command of the department after the previous administrator, Tiffany Kai, stepped down. At the time, the agency was struggling to meet the needs of riders as half the buses in the Hele-On fleet were out of commission.