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| On the first day of the city bus strike, commuters found other ways to get where they were going, like walking down busy King and River streets in Chinatown. Some skated or biked, and people coming into town from farther out patched together carpools and van rides as well as they could.
Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser |
Vans patch some commute holes
By Beverly Creamer and James Gonser
Advertiser Staff Writers
After a successful first day of providing alternative transportation during the bus strike, the city is refining and expanding its services in hopes of helping many more people who need rides to work or school.
BUSINESSCity Managing Director Ben Lee was a driver for the city's free van program yesterday, which transported about 300 people with reservations to Chinatown. Lee said more trips have been added from Wai'anae, Pearl City and Kane'ohe. The Kalihi route proved so popular, it has become a shuttle with no reservations required.
From Chinatown, passengers can take shuttle vans to Ala Moana, Waikiki and UH.
The city also has contracted with 15 school buses to provide free return trips to Kane'ohe, Mililani, Waikele, 'Ewa Beach, Waipahu, Kapolei, Wahiawa and Wai'anae on a first-come, first-served basis. The buses will be parked on Hotel Street at 5 p.m. and leave when full.
Lee said the reality of the bus strike is sinking in as many people realize they have to find alternative transportation. About 100 people who called the van program for reservations yesterday were turned down because the vans were filled.
"People are coming out of denial a little bit," Lee said. "The mayor is committed to continue the program as long as the strike continues. We hope it doesn't go on too long; it takes a lot of effort and work."
The van service doesn't work for everyone. Kalihi resident William Mabida works nights in Waikiki and can use the service to get to work, but not to go home.
"Why is OTS (which operates TheBus) making my life miserable?" he said.
Hawai'i's colleges and college students used ingenious methods to address the bus strike, from carpooling to dusting off their bicycles and walking shoes. For some, it offered attractive new commute options, and things generally went smoothly on Hawai'i campuses.
"It was like a typical opening week of school, where there are some people tardy and lost, but no more than normal for any first school day," said Jim Manke, spokesman for the University of Hawai'i's Manoa campus, which added 1,900 parking spaces on lawns, plus additional shuttle service and off-campus parking sites.
While classes won't start at Hawai'i Pacific University until next week, a special chartered bus ran to Waikiki every half-hour beginning at 6 a.m., ferrying students to the downtown campus for registration. The shuttle worked well and will continue through the strike, said E. Rick Stepien, vice president for administration.
David Ishii, Lauren Sakai and Alison Higa have a class together in the College of Education at UH-Manoa on Tuesday mornings, and now they hope to carpool every week. They met in the Waipio Gentry Costco lot to ride in together yesterday, and found easy lawn parking by 9:30 a.m.
"We were dreading coming in, but it worked out," Higa said.
Amor DelRosario-Moore, 20, rode her bike from Kalihi Valley to Chaminade University, taking to the sidewalks at times because she was nervous on some streets. But it thrilled her to zip past cars, and she plans to bike to class Tuesdays and Thursdays.
"I have a parking pass, but I didn't want to deal with parking," she said.
Chaminade president Sue Wesselkamper donned a backpack and joined walkers on their way to the campus from the Hawai'i Kai area, two to three miles away. The school offered free coffee, doughnuts and lomi-lomi foot massages to walkers, but only a few staff members had time to take them up on it.
The school created a carpool bulletin board where those needing rides could match up with those able to provide them.
But the plan wasn't working for Reynette Vae, a 19-year-old sophomore from Waipahu who rode in with her sister, but had to find her own way home. She signed up on the bulletin board, but there were no offers by noon. "I'm still looking," said Vae. "Hopefully I'll find something."
Others were thinking about how to fine-tune their new routines. Jeannie Pinpin, a 20-year-old junior in political science and communications at Chaminade, was finishing her homework at school so she could get to bed by 9:30 p.m. and be on the road today by 5:30 a.m., half an hour earlier than yesterday. She planned to shower at night to get a head start.
Lee could not estimate the effectiveness of city programs to help displaced bus riders such as the ride-share program — which asks drivers to pick up passengers in designated spots — and the taxi service, which asks taxi companies to pick up passengers at bus stops and charge $3 per ride on specific routes.
Cheryl Soon, director of city transportation, said yesterday's morning commute went smoothly because many people carpooled and there were few accidents and vehicle stalls.
The afternoon commute stretches over a longer period, she said, and should be more manageable.
"The morning peak hour is very concentrated compared to the afternoon," Soon said. "If they could continue to give themselves an extra 20 to 30 minutes' leeway, they won't regret that.
Reach James Gonser at jgonser@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2431.
