COURTESY CITY AND COUNTY OF HONOLULU The Oahu commuter ferry Melissa Ann was docked at Aloha Tower Pier 9 last Friday.

Commuter ferry underway next month

Oahu's intraisland commuter ferry from Kalaeloa to downtown Honolulu is set to begin next month, with the second of the two boats arriving next week.

The city pushed back the start date of Sept. 4 to sometime in the middle of next month to launch the long-awaited one-year demonstration project that will give Oahu's motorists a transportation alternative with hopes to alleviate traffic.

The two vessels, Rachel Marie and Melissa Ann, can carry up to 149 passengers. Mayor Mufi Hannemann has said the success of the ferry service depends on the ridership. However, the city has not set any goals yet.

"Obviously, we'd like to max out the ridership if we could," said city Transportation Services Director Mel Kaku. "But again, it's going to depend on the commuters. It's going to come down to them making those personal choices."

Taking the ferry will be like riding TheBus -- it will cost $2 each way, including two transfers, or riders can use their bus pass. With the creation of several bus routes to shuttle riders to Kalaeloa Pier and Aloha Tower, Kaku estimates that the total travel time one way will take about an hour and a half.

"That's a long time," said Patty Teruya, a Nanakuli resident and chairwoman of the Waianae Neighborhood Board. "Driving takes me about an hour and 10 minutes. For me, I do a lot of errands, and I need my car. I don't think I'll be commuting on the ferry."

City Councilman Todd Apo, whose district includes the Leeward Coast, said many people were hesitant about the ferry because of the travel time, which could take longer than sitting in traffic.

"If their time on the ferry is productive, like doing work, it may be more valuable than the extra commute time," Apo said.

Downtown Neighborhood Board Chairman Tom Smyth said he hopes the ferry helps free up some parking spaces downtown.

"The main value to us downtown is that hopefully some of the people will not come in their cars, and it will reduce the pressure on street parking and in garages," he said.

Riders can also go in the opposite direction of the intended ferry ride -- downtown residents can catch the morning boat to Kalaeloa and take the afternoon trip back.

The ferry service -- called TheBoat -- will cost the city $5 million to operate; the federal government has provided another $5 million. The creation of the new bus stops cost $1 million.