The average price of a gallon of regular gas in Honolulu dropped below $4 today for the first time since May, giving O'ahu drivers an average price of $3.99.

"Pretty good for a change, huh?" said Catherine Lilly of Kahala.

Lilly remembers the days just three years ago when it cost her only $18 to fill up her 1999 Buick Century.

Like other Honolulu drivers, Lilly saw her fuel prices soar to $53 for a tank of gas, then drop this week to only $43 at Lex Brodie's in Kaka'ako.

Gas prices fell from an average of $4.022 per gallon Tuesday in Honolulu to $3.995 today — the first sub-$4 price since May 30.

But the U.S. average dropped from $3.480 to $3.447 today, according to AAA's fuel gauge report.

"Too expensive for gas still," said Lynn Victorino, who put $10 of regular into her 1990 Nissan truck.

"We still pay too much," said Rio Tafai, who shelled out $84 for 21.1 gallons of regular for his 2002 Doge Ram truck.

The fall below the $4 average is unlikely to affect the increased ridership for TheBus that coincided with the increase in fuel prices, said Ken Hong, senior vice president/assistant general manager for Oahu Transit Services, which operates TheBus.

"It won't make a dent in our ridership," Hong said. "TheBus, at $40 per month, is still way cheaper compared to the monthly cost of gasoline, plus parking."

The bigger factor that could cut bus ridership would be a larger, overall improvement in the economy, which would improve individual affluence, Hong said.

"If the economy is really robust," he said, "that would have an impact on our ridership."

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