Posted on: Tuesday, June 29, 2004
High gas prices haven't deterred Hawai'i drivers
By Mike Leidemann
Advertiser Transportation Writer
Hawai'i residents don't appear to be changing their driving habits to cope with rising gasoline costs.
Gasoline sales for the first four months of this year were about the same compared to the same period last year, even as the average price climbed past $2 a gallon, according to the latest statistics from the state Department of Taxation.
The sales figures put Hawai'i drivers on a pace to buy 453 million gallons of gasoline this year, virtually the same as 2003.
While the figures do not reflect sales in the past two months, when prices jumped another 30 cents per gallon, prompting much discussion about ways to conserve fuel, officials said they doubt there will be a significant downturn in gasoline consumption any time soon.
"I don't think things are so bad that people are ready to make a significant change yet," said state Transportation Director Rod Haraga. "We haven't done a good enough job of offering alternatives or convincing people to change their habits.
"Even if it gets to be $3 per gallon, I think people are still going to continue driving as they do now."
Drivers waiting in line Friday afternoon at Lex Brodie's station in Kaka'ako, where the price for a gallon of regular was $2.19, tended to agree.
"What are you going to do? You've got to get to work," said Paul Johnson of Hawai'i Kai. "There's not a whole lot of flexibility and it's really hard to change."
Brian Custer of Kaimuki said he has cut down on excess trips around town, but admitted the impact is probably more psychological than financial.
"I don't drive out to Wahiawa to visit my sister as much I used to," added Shelly Kashiwabara, a Hawai'i Kai resident.
Cheryl Soon, city transportation services director, said there was no noticeable increase in bus ridership in the past few months as the average gas price climbed as high as $2.35 per gallon. Bus ridership remains about 6 percent to 8 percent below the same time last year, she said.
"Even when the gas prices started to go up sharply in late May, I couldn't find anything in the daily ridership figures that showed an increase," Soon said.
State tax department researchers say many factors contribute to the total amount of gasoline sold in Hawai'i, including a booming construction business, growing population and a record number of tourists, many of whom drive rental cars.
The continued high sales are good news for the state government, which receives 16 cents in taxes for every gallon of gas sold. Most of that money goes to the state Highways Fund, which uses the money to build new roads and repair existing ones.
In 2003, that amounted to $72 million, up from $68.6 million in 2002.
Haraga said the continued revenue will help the state Transportation Department maintain its road improvement programs, despite the fact that state lawmakers earlier this year voted to divert $12 million from the Highways Fund to other programs.
Even so, he hopes some people will turn to alternative transit.
"We've got to think up something that will get people out of their cars and into the bus and van pools," he said. "Otherwise traffic is just going to continue to get worse."
Reach Mike Leidemann at 525-5460 or mleidemann@honoluluadvertiser.com. Correction: Gasoline sales in Hawai'i in 2004 are expected to total about 453.2 million gallons. Another figure was used in a previous version of the chart.
Statewide gasoline sales — measured by the number of gallons delivered to local retailers — totaled about 151.2 million gallons from January through April. That's down about 1.3 percent from the same period in 2003, well within normal fluctuations that occur in similar periods, tax officials said. The department keeps tabs on gasoline sales because it collects the gas tax.
