Mayor's commuter ferry plans delayed

Mayor Mufi Hannemann's planned demonstration intraisland commuter ferry service is being pushed back again.

Hannemann said yesterday that he's now aiming to begin service between Kalaeloa and downtown Honolulu by the end of summer.

"We also made it very clear to the (Federal Transit Administration) that this is a high priority and they've assured us that we're going to get their full cooperation on making this happen," he said. "I'm real serious about getting it started."

When Hannemann came into office, he originally wanted service to begin last year. But when no one bid on a contract to operate the ferry, the city went back to the drawing board.

Hannemann said he still believes the one-year pilot project will be successful because it connects city buses to the ferry.

He said that his administration had appeased recent concerns by the FTA over ridership and parking.

"They're fine now." Hannemann said. "Everything is on track to go forward."