Council cool on proposed bus fare hike

Honolulu City Council members advised against a range of proposed rate hikes for city bus fares Wednesday.

Last month, the Council discussed a proposal for across-the-board fare increases for the city’s TheBus program. That proposal would increase adult single cash fares from $3 to $3.25, adult monthly passes from $80 to $90, and annual passes from $880 to $990.

The proposal also consolidates TheBus’ current fare rates for riders on Medicare, elderly and disabled riders into one unified “Reduced Fare” tier, which is also more expensive than each of the existing tiers. That tier is also available to low-income residents, as determined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

These hikes, Department of Transportation Services director Roger Morton previously told Aloha State Daily, are expected to generate roughly $2 million in additional revenue.

But council members said they were reluctant to put an additional cost burden on residents for so little gain.

“As somebody that rides the bus almost each and every day … I don’t think I can get on the bus and sit there and say ‘well, I’m here to raise your fares,’” said Councilmember Tyler Dos Santos-Tam, who represents District 6, which includes Downtown Honolulu, Chinatown and others.

Santos-Tam said the $2 million that the rate hikes are estimated to generate is “literally a drop in the bucket” when held against TheBus’ entire budget, which, during the 2025 fiscal year, was about $325 million.

By comparison, bus fares generated an estimated $42.5 million in revenue for DTS during the 2025 fiscal year.

“TheBus, and our entire public transit system, relies heavily — as does every other system in the country — on fairly large subsidies,” Santos-Tam said.

But while the fare increases will scarcely make a dent in the need for those subsidies, they will be most acutely felt by low-income, elderly and disabled riders, Santos-Tam added.

Council Member Matt Weyer agreed, arguing that public transportation is important enough to be worth subsidizing.

“If you can’t get to your doctor, if you can’t get to meaningful medical care, access to food, you could die,” Weyer said.

Weyer, who represents District 2, including North Shore and Wahiawā, said that the Reduced Fare tier, if implemented, should also be available for more people. As currently written, people making 30% or less of the area median income would be eligible.

“We have to contemplate who’s actually most likely relying on public transportation,” Weyer said. “I think it’d be more appropriate to be maybe around 60% but I think even upwards of 80% or higher.”

Multiple riders also called into Wednesday’s Council meeting to voice their concerns. Kahili Swan told the Council his disability requires that a personal care attendant accompany him on the bus.

As fares exist now, that attendant rides for free on the bus and rail, Swan said. Under the proposed increases, that would change, and the attendant would need to pay $3.25 for a single ride.

Despite skepticism from Council members, the bill passed second reading Wednesday and is scheduled for further discussion at committee.