Question: The city said its proposed transit fare hike doesn’t include any increases for HOLO card riders in the adult category, but it also said the monthly pass rate for adults would go up. My adult monthly pass is a HOLO card! Would it go up or not? I only ride TheBus.
Answer: Yes, a HOLO card monthly pass for a full-fare adult would cost $10 more, increasing to $90 a month from $80, under the proposal by Honolulu’s Department of Transportation Services. If approved, the new fares would take effect July 1. The Honolulu Rate Commission will accept public testimony about the proposal at its meeting today; see below for information about how to testify.
You are one of several readers who expressed confusion about the city’s announcement, mentioning that your monthly or annual passes are HOLO cards. Although we couldn’t reach a DTS spokesperson to confirm on Monday, which was a holiday, we took the announcement to mean that daily HOLO card fares in the full-fare adult category are not slated to rise — a single ride would remain $3, and the daily cap would remain $7.50, according to a PowerPoint presentation from DTS.
Other readers wanted specifics about proposed fare changes in their categories, for monthly and annual passes good on TheBus and the Skyline rail system. Here are details from the PowerPoint about some categories:
>> Adult full fare: Monthly pass would rise to $90 from $80; annual pass would rise to $990 from $880.
>> Youth (age 6 through high school): Monthly pass would rise to $45 from $40; annual pass would rise to $495 from $440.
>> Senior (Hawaii resident): Monthly pass would fall to $10 from $20; annual pass would rise to $50 from $45.
>> Medicare HOLO card (Hawaii resident): Monthly pass would fall to $10 from $20; annual pass would rise to $50 from $45.
>> Low-income fixed route fare (Hawaii resident): Monthly pass would fall to $10 from $20; annual pass would remain $50.
Proposed changes also would apply in other categories; deep discounts for nonresident senior citizens would be eliminated; and a 25-cent surcharge would apply to a single- ride cash fare, making it $3.25 for full-fare adults and $1.75 for all other fare categories, according to the PowerPoint. Although the full presentation was not posted on the DTS or Rate Commission website as of Monday that we could find, we’ll keep checking www8.honolulu.gov/dts.
A news release Saturday from DTS said the Honolulu Rate Commission would accept public testimony on the proposal at its meeting today, which starts at 2:30 p.m. at the Manoa Falls Conference Room, 711 Kapiolani Blvd., Suite 1600. The meeting also will be accessible via Zoom. Find the Zoom link in the meeting agenda posted at 808ne.ws/4fH5cmJ.
DTS said written testimony can be submitted via:
>> Email: ratecomm@honolulu.gov.
>> Fax: 808-768-4730.
>> Mail: 711 Kapiolani Blvd., 16th Floor, Honolulu, HI, 96813; Attention: Rate Commission.
The Rate Commission will consider the public testimony as it prepares its recommendations on the proposal for DTS and the Honolulu City Council, the news release said.
Mahalo
On Friday we went to Chaya Kotetsu on South King Street for lunch. We sat next to a couple of local guys close enough to hear each other talk. They left before us, and as our food was placed on our table, the server told us that our tab was paid for by one of the gentleman sitting next to us. He saw my Vietnam veteran ball cap and wanted to pay our tab as his way to thank me for my service. Wow, we were so surprised by his awesome gesture and generosity! I’d like to thank him for being very thoughtful and generous. I wish I could shake his hand and thank him personally! — Mahalo, Earl K.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
