Bus strike could hurt recovering economy

By Dan Nakaso
Advertiser Staff Writer

The potential economic fallout from a bus strike could be seen yesterday in the frustrations of Stella and Peter Bazios of Toronto, who waited for the No. 8 bus along Kuhio Avenue on their way to pump money into Hawai'i's economy.

Like other tourists, the Bazios don't plan to rent a car if bus workers strike. Instead, they'll simply spend less money and hang out on the beaches of Waikiki. Then they'll go back home to Canada, talking about how the strike affected their first visit to Hawai'i, Stella said.

"It will screw it up completely," she said. "It would devastate our vacation."

It's impossible to predict how a bus strike would affect tourism spending and Honolulu's economy overall, said economist Leroy Laney, a Hawai'i Pacific University professor. But a strike that could hit as early as Tuesday would come just as Hawai'i has witnessed subtle signs of economic recovery.

"It's not something O'ahu needs," Laney said. "They are the tourist economy that is doing the worst. And Waikiki is hurt most of all."

No talks are scheduled until tomorrow between the O'ahu Transit Service and Hawai'i Teamsters and Allied Workers 996. Union officials gave a 72-hour strike notice Friday morning and could go on strike as early as 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.

A strike would severely affect people who depend on TheBus, including Waikiki hotel workers, students, the elderly and disabled riders. And tourists who came to Honolulu planning to use TheBus because of its reputation for cheap, convenient transportation, represent money that won't be spreading throughout the economy if there is a strike.

They carry the potential to tarnish Hawai'i's tourism reputation by telling others back home about the inconvenience of getting around on O'ahu because of a strike.

"There is an intangible negative effect but it's very hard to quantify," Laney said. "I don't think anybody will ever know what the real economic impact is. But it's not going to be good if it lasts a long time."

At Waikiki bus stops yesterday, visitors from Maui, the Mainland, Canada, Australia and Japan said a strike would change their visits — including the amount of money they plan to spend.

Five sailors from the Japanese diesel submarine Isoshiu berthed at Pearl Harbor looked at one another and considered how they would get around Honolulu.

"Taxi, I think," said Petty Officer 1 Hiroki Okanemasa.

But the sailors know that a taxi would cost more than bus fare, they said, just before climbing aboard a bus headed for Ala Moana Center.

Ellen Garrison of Lahaina, Maui, waited for the No. 20 bus to take her back to Honolulu International Airport and worried about a strike hampering her next visit to see her son, who attends Kapi'olani Community College.

"It would be a major pain," she said. "It would be a crisis."

Ross and Jenny Gramm of Port MacQuarrie, Australia, expect to be back in New South Wales by the time any strike hits. They didn't rent a car because "we were told how effective TheBus system is," Ross said.

If bus workers strike, Jenny said, "we'd have to walk and there's no doubt it would be an inconvenience. How could we even get around to spend money?"

Frank Haas, marketing director for the Hawai'i Tourism Authority, said he hopes hotel workers direct visitors to the Waikiki Trolley, special $3 taxi routes and other transportation alternatives set up for a strike.

"A bus strike is not something that contributes to the heath of tourism," Haas said, "so we hope that it gets settled quickly."

For now, Stella and Peter Bazios hope TheBus will be running to take them to the Arizona Memorial, Ala Moana Center and Dole Plantation in the week they have left on their first Hawai'i visit.

If not, they'll save money by spending their remaining days on the beach. Then they'll fly back to Toronto where Peter owns a Greek restaurant — and where they've lived through their own transportation strikes.

"We've had our share," Peter said. "Everything slowed down quite a bit. It was devastating."