Bus fare hike fails to hit revenue goal
By Johnny Brannon
Advertiser Staff Writer
A controversial city bus fare hike has yet to generate all the money that officials anticipated, and service cuts or another increase could be required to make up the difference.
Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser
The city expected to collect an additional $5.6 million by raising fares in July 2001, but took in only $3.6 million during the past fiscal year. The adult fare rose from $1 to $1.50.
An increase in bus fares for adults in July 2001 was expected to bring in an additional $5.6 million, but only $3.6 million was realized during the past fiscal year.
Ridership also declined by more than 1.3 million trips but is now increasing, according to bus service figures.
City Transportation Director Cheryl Soon said ridership dropped because the economy suffered after the Sept. 11 attacks, not because of the fare hike.
Lower-paid workers are among the riders who depend most on public transportation, and many have been laid off since then, she said.
"There's a direct relationship between the number of jobs and the number of trips taken on transit," Soon said. "Ridership is down because the total number of jobs is down."
She said it is too early to say what changes could be required to balance the bus system's budget but that another fare hike should not be ruled out.
"The mayor's policy has consistently been that we want to increase ridership and minimize any increase in fares," she said. "We've made a constant effort to keep a top-line bus system, to keep it clean, keep it safe, and keep it moving, because it's essential to dealing with our traffic issues to convince people to take the bus on a regular basis."
Operating the bus system cost nearly $142 million last year, and about $32 million in fares was collected, according to an annual financial statement. Money from the city and federal governments made up the difference.
