TheBus Reports 20,000 More Rides During Honolulu’s Free-Fare Promotion 0 It’s not yet clear how many of those added riders kept using TheBus after the weeklong deal ended.
Bus transit use across Oahu, similar to virtually every other U.S. region, has slumped ever since the coronavirus pandemic hit. But the island’s ridership had a modest boost during last month’s promotion offering free rides to Holo card users.
TheBus saw a 12% ridership increase from Aug. 22 to Aug. 26 compared to the week prior to the promotion, according to a preliminary report from the city’s Department of Transportation Services. The city’s paratransit service, the Handi-Van, saw about an 18% boost.
DTS Director Roger Morton said Friday that he went into last week’s promotion hoping for a ridership increase of around 10% or so. “You always go into these things (wondering), what if you had a party and nobody came?” Morton said. “Looks like it was working.”
