Rate Commission shooting for December finish

Members of the Honolulu Rate Commission are hoping to provide to the City Council a recommendation on proposed rates for the upcoming rail line, TheBus and other city transit services by the end of the year.

Commission Chairwoman Cheryl Soon said that timetable would give the Council, which makes the final call on transit fares, six months to deliberate and move out a bill leaving the Department of Transportation Services up to six months to prepare for the planned December 2020 opening of the East Kapolei-to-Aloha Stadium segment.

There’s value in coming up with a plan sooner, Soon said Tuesday at the commission meeting. “I think what the Rate Commission would like to do is get out there now, try to get concurrence from the administration, try to get concurrence from the Council so that for months people will know what the fares are going to be,” she said.

It’s still early in the process, and the commission is not even looking at potential rates at this point.

However, there does seem to be consensus on the seven-member commission that the rate structure should be as simple as possible.

Soon asked commissioners to discuss the idea of two rate categories. One would be a base category with a single fare for most adults, while a second discounted rate would apply for youths, seniors, those with accessibility issues and others.

“That would be pretty simple,” Soon told her colleagues. “You’re either in one category or you’re in the other.”

Soon also threw out for consideration the idea of the discounted rate being half that of the base rate.

Commissioner Ann Bouslog noted, however, that youths now pay $1.25 per one-way ride while seniors now pay $1 one way, both of which are lower than half of the standard adult fare of $2.75. Bouslog said she might be more comfortable with the discounted rate being one-third of the standard fare rate.

“We need to think about what the ratio should be,” Bouslog said.

Commissioner James Burke said another goal the panel should take into consideration is what it would take to convince Oahu motorists to give up their cars and hop onto transit.

Commissioners also appear to be indicating a preference for a single rate schedule for both bus and rail. “We’re pretty much evolving toward that,” Soon said after the meeting.

The commission hopes to receive a report from the Department of Transportation Serv­ices on what the Caldwell administration wants to recommend.

Last year the commission submitted one proposal and DTS offered a different plan. After much debate the City Council failed to adopt two different bills last year that would have raised rates.

Soon said after the meeting that a united front this go-around would be more effective.

Letters read off by Soon at Tuesday’s meeting ran the gamut of opinions with people who wanted prices based on distance traveled and those who preferred a flat rate, as well as those who wanted the same and different fares for riding TheBus and rail. One person proposed a discounted rate for riding during peak morning and evening traffic hours as incentive to take cars off the road during the busiest times.

The commission is expected to take more public testimony next month.