TheBus - Oahu

[zentraveler]

2021 seems like a good time to post some information about TheBus . I have ridden buses all over the world but TheBus on Oahu is the best. The system is well run and has routes to everywhere locals and tourists need. The buses are clean, user friendly, air conditioned and each bus stop is numbered with a sign, has a covered area for waiting, and has a sign posting which bus routes stop there. The Moovit app is a good phone app for this. For Waikiki and major tourist destinations they are a really good alternative to renting a car, especially in the post-covid rental fiasco.

Cash fares for adults are $2.75; children (17 and under) are $2.50. Seniors (65+) are a real bargain $1.00 -- just show ID and put in $1 (medicare card or drivers license). There are no more paper transfers for any cash fare, so each ride will cost whatever the fare if you are paying cash.

Holo cards are the new way of paying for TheBus. They are plastic refillable cards. Info here. They can be purchased at ABC stores (except seniors) and other outlets. They have a 2.5 hour cap on fees so, in essence, contain the transfer.

Senior Holo cards are more complicated to purchase; they can only be purchased at the main transit center and require a photo, which is taken right there. It is a small, simple bus pass office which only sells bus passes. (The satellite Ala Moana office requires an appointment and is not a good option; they are also the DMV if that helps explain it!) . There is no charge for the card itself and once purchased they can be reloaded at ABC etc. or online. $35/year or $6 for each month needed. Note: all cards are cash purchase only. They do not take credit cards for these.

 

[DaveNV]

Sounds like an excellent system. With traffic and parking such a hassle at times, this sounds like a great alternative.

But I had to chuckle: When I lived on Oahu as a teenager in the late 1960s, the bus fare was 25 cents, and transfers were free. The #2 bus to Waikiki stopped literally right in front of our house, (the bus stop was across the narrow street), and I'd often jump on board at the spur of the moment, and ride to the beach. I spent a lot of time on the Waikiki beaches back then. Good times.

Dave

 

[zentraveler]

Sounds like an excellent system. With traffic and parking such a hassle at times, this sounds like a great alternative.

But I had to chuckle: When I lived on Oahu as a teenager in the late 1960s, the bus fare was 25 cents, and transfers were free. The #2 bus to Waikiki stopped literally right in front of our house, (the bus stop was across the narrow street), and I'd often jump on board at the spur of the moment, and ride to the beach. I spent a lot of time on the Waikiki beaches back then. Good times.

Dave

Those were the days indeed.

But you are correct; it is an amazing system. San Francisco is a world class city also, but the bus/transit system is nowhere near as functional or easy for locals and visitors. Staying in Waikiki, with the exception of a day long car rental to drive around the island, I would never rent a car here. When we stay in Ko Olina we rent a car because it is much more remote.

 

[Tamaradarann]

Those were the days indeed.

But you are correct; it is an amazing system. San Francisco is a world class city also, but the bus/transit system is nowhere near as functional or easy for locals and visitors. Staying in Waikiki, with the exception of a day long car rental to drive around the island, I would never rent a car here. When we stay in Ko Olina we rent a car because it is much more remote.

These are all excellent posts about THE BUS, we have been coming to Honolulu for 3-4 months every year from 2009-2020 and used the bus all the time. Early on we would walk from the HHV to as far away as the Zoo in the Diamond Head direction and Chinatown on the Eva direction and only take THE BUS occasionally. Before we were 65 we would pay the $2.50 fare and get the free transfer which was good for at least 2 hours and sometimes as many as 4 hours depending on how the bus driver tore the paper transfer so many times we could return on the transfer without an addtional fare. Once we were 65 we used our Medicare Card to ride for a $1 but when we started going to all the live shows, concerts, museums and events paticularly at night all over Honolulu we decided to opt for the $6 month pass for seniors and take the bus sometimes 4 or 5 round trips a week.

 

[zentraveler]

As an update to this thread, at least for the senior Holo card they can now be "loaded" online. I was able to set up an account using the account number and code on the back of the card, and load $6 for the month before I left home (although only here a week it is still an incredible bargain). I don't know about the regular cards but someone can report back; the system won't let me check non-senior cards.

 

[alwysonvac]

It looks like that site can be used by non-senior cards as well

From https://www.holocard.net/help/

HOLO Account Management-

1. Should I register my HOLO Card?
One of the best features of HOLO card is that your money is protected in case your card is lost or stolen. But if you want this protection, you need to register your card first at www.holocard.net
Registering your card has many advantages:

• Card and account protection – If your card is lost or stolen, you can easily deactivate the card, set-up a new card with access to your existing pass and or stored value.
• Reload and purchase passes online.
• Set-up autoload for monthly passes or stored value.
• Easily manage multiple cards for your family or group

6. Can I pay for more than one riders’ fare with my card?
No. Everyone age 6 and up in your group or family needs their own HOLO card to pay a fare. However, you can easily manage multiple cards through one HOLO account on the HOLO website (www.holocard.net).

8. How do I load money or a pass on my card?
There are four ways to load money on your HOLO card:

• At www.holocard.net
• By calling 1-808-768-HOLO (4656)
• At any of the stores in our retail network
• At TheBus Pass Office at Kalihi Transit Center
• At future rail station ticket vending machines

With your HOLO card you can buy a monthly pass at participating retailers, and TheBus Pass Office at Kalihi Transit Center. You can also sign up on your account for autoload to automatically load your monthly pass for you and charge your credit or debit card. Autoload will occur 1 or 2 days before the 1st of the month. You can also use autoload to add stored value to your card.

9. Is there a minimum load amount?
There is a $2.75 minimum when loading money on your HOLO card.

10. How do I check my card balance or the time remaining on my pass?
You can check your HOLO card balance or pass on at www.holocard.net, or by phone at 1-808-768-HOLO (4656).

11. Can I set up HOLO to automatically add money to my card when my balance is low?
When you register your card online, you can set up autoload, which puts money on your HOLO card whenever your balance dips below a threshold amount that you set up which can be as low as $2.75. You can set up the amount to load to your card with an amount starting at $5.00 when it hits that threshold; that way you’re never stuck without fare.

12. Can I transfer balance between cards?
Yes! You can transfer funds between cards within your account or just give us a call at 1-808-768-HOLO (4656).

 

[easyrider]

We were able to go online and add bus fare to our Holo cards we bought at the ABC store.

Bill

 

[mjm1]

Does anyone here take TheBus from the airport to HHV or from there to the airport? We will staying at HHV for the first time in June and wondering if that’s a good way to get there or just take a cab or Uber. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Best regards.

Mike

 

[zentraveler]

Does anyone here take TheBus from the airport to HHV or from there to the airport? We will staying at HHV for the first time in June and wondering if that’s a good way to get there or just take a cab or Uber. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Best regards.

Mike

TheBus has rules on luggage and packages on the bus which makes HNL---> HHV tricky for most people. Charley's Taxi is great and reasonable.

 

[alwysonvac]

Charley's Taxi has a flat rate fare of $29 - https://charleystaxi.com/services/airport/
TheBus also connects to the airport but as @zentraveler stated they have luggage limits.

BUS ROUTES
Bus Route No. 20
Eastbound route goes from the airport, then to Kalihi (via Nimitz Highway), downtown Honolulu, the Honolulu Civic Center, Ala Moana Shopping Center and ends in Waikiki.

BAGGAGE RULES
All bags must be able to be placed under the feet or on the lap without protruding into the aisle way. No bag may be larger than 22″x14″x9″

 

[Tamaradarann]

Charley's Taxi has a flat rate fare of $29 - https://charleystaxi.com/services/airport/
TheBus also connects to the airport but as @zentraveler stated they have luggage limits.

BUS ROUTES
Bus Route No. 20
Eastbound route goes from the airport, then to Kalihi (via Nimitz Highway), downtown Honolulu, the Honolulu Civic Center, Ala Moana Shopping Center and ends in Waikiki.

BAGGAGE RULES
All bags must be able to be placed under the feet or on the lap without protruding into the aisle way. No bag may be larger than 22″x14″x9″

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I agree with you that the BUS has rules on baggage that are very restricting. We food shop every week with a roller carry on bag and a few years ago after using the bag on the bus many times we were refused entrance on a bus by a driver because it was too large a roller bag. Since then we have gone to 2 smaller roller carry on bags to avoid a problem. However, we have seen many people getting on the BUS in the last 6 months with full size luggage bags going and coming from the airport and no one has been refused entrance. At first I thought that was because during the Covid peak no one was riding the BUS so refusing people with luggage was ridiculous, however, now the buses are pretty full at times.

 

[frank808]

Does anyone here take TheBus from the airport to HHV or from there to the airport? We will staying at HHV for the first time in June and wondering if that’s a good way to get there or just take a cab or Uber. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Best regards.

Mike

If you have lugguage, I would not do it. If you have a young child with you, it would be no fun. Better to get a Charley's taxi ride. Much more comfortable and would get you there a lot quicker.

If you are paying for 3 people on the bus, it ould cost $8.25 saving you $20.75 over a taxi. If you have to transfer, you are only saving $12.50 total over a taxi.

Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk

 

[zentraveler]

Charley's is great and there is a flat $29 fee from the airport but just FYI there are some fees and taxes and my ride from HNL to HHV was ~$34. Still reasonable.