Question: I have some questions about the use of transfers on Skyline, TheBus and interchangeably. I know that the usage period is within 2-1/2 hours. Does it matter what direction I am going? In other words, must the passenger continue in the same direction to use the transfer?
Answer: No. Passengers “can go anywhere they want within the 2.5 hour transfer period, as long as they use the same HOLO card the entire time,” said Travis Ota, spokesperson for Honolulu’s Department of Transportation Services.
You are one of several readers who have submitted similar questions, asking, for example, whether they can use their HOLO card to ride the Skyline east, then catch TheBus west using the transfer. The answer is yes, as long as the transfer is used within 2-1/2 hours of being issued.
The Skyline and TheBus websites have information about this as well, and neither indicates that the transfer must be used in the same direction the passenger initially traveled.
“A single tap at the fare gate will allow riders to enter the station to board the next available train. Riders will be charged based on their HOLO card type, and will be given a transfer, good for 2.5 hours after the first tap. These transfers can be used to board a bus, or another train without being charged, if used within the 2.5 hours,” the Skyline website says.
Q: I’m going to miss Assaggio’s in the Koko Marina Shopping Center. Our family celebrated many milestones there. It seems like it’s been there forever, but now it’s yet another restaurant that is closing down. Auwe for that, but mahalo for all the great memories.
A: Assaggio Hawaii Kai is scheduled to close permanently on July 30, after more than 25 years in East Oahu, according to a notice posted on the front door of the Italian restaurant that also thanks customers for their support over the years. The notice blames “the current economic environment and employee shortage” for the impending closure and encourages customers to “visit our closest locations” in Kahala and at Ala Moana Center.
Q: I thought the state was going to do something about feral chickens, since the city won’t trap them unless they’re on city property. What happened?
A: You may be referring to House Bill 1140, which would have required the state Department of Health to establish a hotline for reporting feral chickens and paid a third-party contractor to remove nuisance fowl. That billed died early in the 2023 legislative session, without getting a hearing.
As the city says on its Department of Customer Services website, feral chickens living on government property should be reported to the government agency that oversees that property. On private property, feral chickens are the responsibility of the property owner, who can hire a wildlife removal service, it says.
Auwe
Auwe to the driver of a light-colored sedan who nearly rear-ended or sideswiped cars because she kept looking down at her phone. She stopped just short of rear-ending me when a driver alongside her honked, but then she nearly sideswiped that other car! Drivers, put down your phones! — Careful motorist
Mahalo
On July 1, while stand-up paddling at Magic Island, I paddled over a fishing line that several young boys had cast into the ocean. When they saw what had happened, they tried to retrieve their line, but unfortunately, the hook set in my hand pretty deeply. I was able to sever the line and paddle in to shore. To my surprise when I got there, the young men had run around to the lifeguard stand, and they were all on the shore waiting for me, asking if I was OK and how could they help. Mahalo to these fine young boys and alert lifeguard who were so attentive to my misfortune. — L.L.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
