PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION RIDERSHIP
IS PLUMMETING HERE IN HAWAII AND
IN MANY CITIES NATIONWIDE. IT'S
A TREND ALWAYS INVESTIGATING HAS
BEEN FOLLOWING FOR YEARS,
RELATED TO THE
IMPLICATIONS FOR HONOLULU RAIL.
GINA MANGIERI FOLLOWS UP. GINA?
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION USAGE ON
OAHU IS DOWN MILLIONS OF RIDES A
YEAR, THIS AS THE FEDS TELL ME
HONOLULU HAS TO DELIVER ON
PROJECTED RAIL RIDERSHIP SET A
LONG TIME AGO BEFORE THE PLUNGE.
THE HEAD OF THE BUS SYSTEM SAYS
HE BELIEVES IT WILL TURN UPWARD
WHEN THE TRAIN STARTS,
CRITICS HAVE THEIR DOUBTS.
ANYONE RIDING A CROWDED BUS
ROUTE MIGHT FIND IT HARD TO
BELIEVE BUT BUS RIDERSHIP HAS
HIT A LONG ROUGH PATCH.
JUST OVER FOUR YEARS AGO THE BUS
HAD PEAKS ABOVE 6 MILLION RIDES
A MONTH. TODAY, IT'S SEEN DIPS
DOWN INTO THE 4.8 MILLION RANGE.
00;11;20;50 THIS IS NOT A LOCAL
TREND, THIS IS A NATIONAL TREND
THAT IS HAPPENING IN MANY PLACES
ON THE MAINLAND
THE HEAD OF THE BUS TELLS ME LOW
GAS PRICES HAVE MORE PEOPLE ABLE
TO AFFORD DRIVING ON THEIR OWN.
BIKI HAS TAKEN ABOUT
4,500 RIDERS A DAY ONTO TWO
WHEELS INSTEAD OF 4. PRIVATELY
OPERATED TOUR TROLLEYS ARE
GROWING, AND THERE'S
RIDESHARING.
00;12;05;26 I'M TOLD THERE ARE
ABOUT 3,000 UBER LYFT DRIVEERS
ON OAHU AND OBVIOUSLY THAT
DIDN'T EXIST 5 YEARS AGO
HE SAYS SOME CITIES LIKE SEATTLE
AND L.A. ARE BUCKING THE TREND
AND THINKS HONOLULU CAN PULL
BACK UPWARD TOO.
00;12;49;06 I WANT TO SEE THE
RIDERSHIP GO BACK UP OBVIOUSLY
00;12;51;12 HOW ARE WE GOING TO
DO IT? WE'RE PUTTING A LOT OF
INVESTMENT INTO RAIL AND WE PLAN
THAT RAIL WILL MAKE A BIG
CHANGE FOR US, IT WILL BE A BIG
GAMECHANGER FOR US. WHY BECAUSE
IT WILL TAKE OUR BUSES OUT OF
THAT SLOW TRAFFIC AND
IT WILL GIVE FOLKS AN
OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A FAST RIDE
INTO TOWN FROM THE WEST SIDE AND
THAT'S WHERE MOST OF OUR
RIDERSHIP COMES
FROM IS FROM THE WEST WEST SIDE.
00;13;14;42
WELL THERE WILL BE SOME
RECONFIGURATION OF THE BUS
SYSTEM AND THEBUS SYSTEM WILL
LOOK MORE LIKE A FEEDER BUS
SYSTEM BUT NOT ALL ROUTES.
OVERALL, ROUTES WILL BE
INCREASED AND THERE WILL BE MORE
FREQUENCY.
RAIL CRITICS SAY THE TRAIN WILL
DETRACT FROM THE BUS AND THAT IF
LOWER PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
TRENDS HOLD, THE OPERATIONAL
SUBSIDIES TAXPAYERS ALREADY PAY
FOR BUS AND WILL FOR RAIL WILL
HAVE TO BE EVEN HIGHER.
RANDY ROTH 1.23 ALL THE EXPERTS
THAT I HAVE TALKED TO OR READ
ABOUT WHO LOOKED AT THE
RIDERSHIP PROJECTIONS FOR OUR
RAIL
PROJECT HAVE SAID THEY WERE WAY
OVERLY OPTIMISTIC AT THE
BEGINNING AND WITH THE BENEFIT
OF HINDSIGHT IT'S JUST CRYSTAL
CLEAR
THAT THEY'RE SIMPLY WRONG 1.40
RAIL'S ORIGINAL ENVIRONMENTAL
IMPACT STATEMENT SAID RAIL WOULD
HAVE ABOUT 116,000 RIDERS DAY,
BUT THEN LATER BUMPED UP THAT
PROJECTION TO MORE THAN 121,000
RIDERS, ALL WHILE THEBUS
PROJECTED MORE THAN 330,000
DAILY BOARDINGS WHEREAS TODAY
THEY'RE SEEING WELL UNDER
200,000 REGULARLY.
I ASKED THE FEDERAL TRANSIT
ADMINISTRATION, IS THE CITY
REQUIRED TO READJUST WHEN THINGS
CHANGE SO SUBSTANTIALLY FROM THE
ORIGINAL PLAN?
THE FEDS TOLD ME: "PROJECTS ARE
NOT RE-RATED, INCLUDING
RIDERSHIP PROJECTIONS, AFTER THE
FFGA AWARD."... AND
PARAPHRASE THE 5 YEARS UPON
SUCCESSFUL ACHIEVEMENT OF START
DATE
ROTH 00;02;53 I THINK THE FTA IS
COMPLICIT IN THE PROBLEMS. WHAT
WE HAVE IN HI IS IF NOT FRAUD IS
BORDERLINE FRAUD 2.59 THE WHOLE
THING IS BASED ON A FOUNDATION
OF DECEPTION. 3.04
00;14;49;56 GINA DO THOSE
RIDERSHIP PROJECTIONS STILL HOL,
ARE THEY POSSIBLE TO ACHIEVE? I
THINK THEY'RE VERY POSSIBLE. WE
HAVE THE 5TH HIGHEST RIDERSHIP
PER CAPITA RIGHT NOW IN THE
NATION, AND THAT'S AGAINST
CITIES LIKE NEW YORKL CITY,
WASHINGTON,
BOSTON AND SAN FRANCISCO.
THE HEAD OF THE BUS SAYS THEY
ARE GOING TO BEEF UP CAPACITY ON
CROWDED ROUTES SUCH AS
THE 13, 19 AND 20 -- THOSE SERVE
UH, THE AIRPORT AND
AIEA-TO-WAIKIKI. A BIG EXPANSION
IS ALSO COMING THIS FALL FOR
WINDWARD SERVICE, AND HE POINTS
OUT HONOLULU IS IN THE TOP 5
PUBLIC TRANSIT
RIDERSHIP PER CAPITA JUST BEHIND
CITIES LIKE NEW YORK AND SAN
FRANCISCO. WE'LL KEEP AN EYE ON
WHETHER RIDERSHIP TURNS UPWARD.
BACK TO YOU.