Honolulu EMS officials say if they had a designated mechanic, ambulances would be back on the road sooner.
While it has 47 ambulances to cover the 21 units islandwide, as many as 20 are waiting at the city's shop for repairs, KHON2 reported.
Also in the same line are the city's cars, trash and other utility vehicles.
City officials, however, say they give ambulance repairs priority if it's something they can do immediately.
But EMS said it can still take months to get ambulances back on the road, reporters noted.
“We are getting the priority, but we are amongst the other vehicles that the city needs to fix. And rubbish trucks are a priority too, not the same way ambulances are, you know, people need the rubbish taken out,” Dr. James Ireland, director of the Emergency Services Department told the station.
