Question: To get a driver learner’s permit, you can take the written test online. But you can’t do it on a cell phone. Why? We do everything on our phones. The IRS even lets you file your taxes on your phone.
Answer: Mobile devices, such as cell phones and tablets, don’t meet the online examination system’s require- ments for identity verification, which deters cheating on the test, according to the state Department of Transportation, which announced that the online option is now available to eligible prospective drivers statewide.
Honolulu’s Department of Customer Services posted information about the Home Driving Knowledge Test on its website, at 808ne.ws/41tMvio. Here are key points:
>> To take the written test online, “you must have an internet-connected desktop or laptop computer with a mouse (or mouse-pad controlled cursor), keyboard and a functioning webcam. No cell phone, tablet or touchscreen device may be used.”
>> Using a web browser, go to knowtodrive.com/hawaii.
>> It costs more to take the test online that it does in person (which remains an option). The cost is the county fee plus $10. On Oahu that makes the total cost $12, payable online by credit card. Respective county fees are higher on the neighbor islands.
>> The applicant must provide identity registration information that includes first name, last name, street address, city, state, zip code, date of birth and last five digits of their Social Security number. They won’t be able to take the written test online if the system can’t verify their identity.
>> If an applicant is younger than 18, an adult older than 18 who has a valid driver’s license must participate in the registration. The adult must provide their first name, last name, date of birth, last five digits of their Social Security number and their driver’s license number.
>> While taking the test, the applicant may not look to the side or click away from the test screen. Only the applicant may appear in the webcam’s view.
>> Upon passing the test, the applicant must go to the DMV within 30 days to present documents to complete the application and receive the permit. Make an appointment at AlohaQ.org.
>> The online process is only for the written test. At a later date, the applicant would drive the road test in person to convert their learner’s permit to a full driver’s license.
For details about other Hawaii counties, go to 808ne.ws/41wmsr6, on the DOT website.
As for the the Internal Revenue Service, yes, the agency does promote the versatility of its official app, irs.gov/help/irs2goapp, for handling federal income tax returns.
Q: Please update us on the prohibition on bringing luggage on TheBus with the opening of Skyline to the airport next year. How does the city expect rail to serve travelers if bus feeders prohibit luggage?
A: “With the opening of Skyline’s Segment 2 through the Daniel K. Inouye Honolulu International Airport, DTS is considering revisions to city ordinances allowing passengers to bring luggage on TheBus. If approved by the Honolulu City Council, these changes will enhance multimodal access to the airport,” Travis Ota, a spokesperson for Honolulu’s Department of Transportation Services, said in an email Tuesday.
As it stands now, TheBus doesn’t prohibit luggage outright, but does require that any bag fit fully under the passenger’s seat or completely in the passenger’s lap, which eliminates full-size suitcases. Skyline’s train cars, by contrast, have luggage racks; baggage must be placed there, and not stored on seats or in the aisle.
The elevated rail transit system, which now runs from East Kapolei to Aloha Stadium, is scheduled to extend operations late next year from Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam to the Middle Street Transit Center (Segment 2), stopping at the airport along the way.
Making it easier for travelers to take the bus and the train to or from the Honolulu airport is among several policy changes planned before Segment 2 welcomes passengers. Another is the adoption of “open payment” so that travelers can use their own credit or debit card for mass transit, without needing a HOLO card to pay the fare.
The “open payment” option would be good only for full fares (no discounts) and would eliminate the need for the city to supply 500,000 HOLO cards a year to tourists, according to a DTS presentation.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 2-200, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
