Handi-Van still needs the human touch

One of the best things about "mom-and-pop" operations is that they provide the human touch. That’s what seems to be missing from new highly computerized reservations and route-mapping systems for TheHandi-Van, Oahu’s public transit service for disabled people.

Since new software was implemented a month ago, riders have complained that it is harder to make reservations and that they wait much longer to be picked up. The president of Oahu Transit Service, which runs TheHandi-Van, promises improvements and says the old system was "mom-and-pop … and we are no longer a mom-and-pop operator." The upshot: OTS plans to hire about 40 new drivers and three more reservation agents to shorten wait times.

The lesson: Technology is not always the answer.

Today’s a good day to quit smoking

If this is the third Thursday in November, it must be time for the Great American Smokeout.

This annual American Cancer Society event/day encourages smokers to quit smoking today, or at least make a plan to quit, and move toward a healthier life with lowered cancer risk. It’s estimated that some 42 million Americans are cigarette smokers, nearly 1 in 5 adults.

Kicking the habit can be tough, but there are many cessation programs out there to help. One is the Hawaii Tobacco Quitline, a free service, which will aid in creating a personalized quit plan, offers free nicotine patches or gum as well as quit coaches. Starting — er, quitting — is as simple as calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW or going online to www.hawaiiquitline.org.