alternatives to the bus/a cab

[shaveice]

1stwahine's comment (mardi gras) about not drinking and driving reminded me of this question i had:

remember a couple of years ago, during the christmas season, some creative young men (2 friends, i think) created a business where they'd pick you up, and drive you and your car home for a fee. off hand, i think their business was just a short-term thing; that is, a christmas season thing.

anyway, besides taking the bus or catching a cab, do you guys know if there's another alternative? (and don't say "walking, jogging, crawling, riding a buggy, etc!)

(this question came to mind some weeks ago when i was going to a party in pearl city; i knew i'd drink too much to drive and wondered if there was an alternative but i just ended up taking a cab.)

thanks

[pzarquon]

Re: alternatives to the bus/a cab

remember a couple of years ago, during the christmas season, some creative young men (2 friends, i think) created a business where they'd pick you up, and drive you and your car home for a fee. off hand, i think their business was just a short-term thing; that is, a christmas season thing.

Ah, good memory. "Safe Ride," announced in December 2004, at SafeRideHawaii.com, the brainchild of Justin Dilg and Toma Podorean. Covered Hawaii Kai to Aloha Stadium. Mentions in The Waikiki News and the Star-Bulletin.

The site, and I guess the business, is no longer there (actually, according to the DCCA, they filed their Articles of Termination only a few weeks ago -- Jan. 23, 2006), but you can see the Internet Archive cache of the website (sans images) here.

Between a bus and a cab, something like this seems a great option, but I guess it's not sustainable in the long term. It should definitely be something offered seasonally, perhaps even subsidized by responsible businesses (it looks like the Safe Ride model did seek partnerships with business and event planners).

[1stwahine]

Re: alternatives to the bus/a cab

Shaveice, Anytime you find yourself in that situation again ~ call me! My car is getting fixed this Saturday. I not going charge you. All I ask is a honi honi from your little girl Relm! hehehe

The offer stands 24/7.

Don't Drink and Drive!

Auntie Lynn

[adrian]

Re: alternatives to the bus/a cab

Shaveice, Anytime you find yourself in that situation again ~ call me! My car is getting fixed this Saturday. I not going charge you.

Yeah, that'd be a great offer. (asking people predetermined rides).

Hotels should have something like this, so that if you're drunk in Waikiki, then they'll take you in and take care of you until you feel better (aka not hungover, staggering all over, etc)

[shaveice]

Re: alternatives to the bus/a cab

thanks for the feedback. as i thought, there's no other alternative right now, though i was hoping that there'd be something i wasn't aware of....

it's too bad cuz without a convenient and reasonably priced alternative, you know for a fact that a lot of people are going to drink and take a chance of driving and not getting caught.

auntie, i no like bodda you! but tanks fo da offa!

[mel]

Re: alternatives to the bus/a cab

Alternatives to the bus or car? Here is one alternative that city government shut down years ago.

From Cliff Slater's second opinion:

But consider this alternative: A bus or van (van pool or private operators) picks you up in the morning at your front door and takes you (guaranteed seat) into town via the new uncongested busway (see “Traffic congestion is curable” 4/21) and drops you off at work. Which of these two alternatives might attract you out of your car?

Next problem: You say you need your car, not to get to town but to move around town once you are there. Here’s one solution: Along Atlantic City’s Pacific Avenue during the day, jitney buses run at 40-second intervals; you step onto the sidewalk and here’s the jitney bus coming to take you where you want to go.(2) These 13-passenger air-conditioned vehicles could provide a valuable service between, say, Downtown and Waikiki out along King Street and back on Beretania.

You think that would not work here? Check your history: We had smart uniformed jitney drivers doing precisely that until 1940 when the courts enforced the Honolulu Rapid Transit Co.’s (then the city bus operator) government-granted monopoly and forced the jitney buses out of business.

(emphasis added)

How about that? Privately funded door to door service by a small van that ran on a regular interval? It can be done, but government says "no". Gotta keep taxpayer subsidized TheBus going... gotta spend more tax money for big rail.

Van service came back for a very short time during the 2003 bus strike. Why not start that up again?

Read the complete article at this link:
http://www.lava.net/cslater/Curable2.htm

[shaveice]

Re: alternatives to the bus/a cab

hi mel. thanks for reminding me of the bus strike and how some awesome people stepped up. in particular, there were a number of retired people who just wanted to help (i think all they asked for was a small reimbursement for gas).

yeah, it's discouraging when good ideas _aren't allowed_ to work!