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The Middle Loch leg of the state's Wikiwiki Ferry demonstration project has turned out to be a bigger benefit for sightseersthan for commuters. Ferry proves
more popular
for sightseeing
By Gordon Y. K. Pang
Star-BulletinMarilyn Kali, spokeswoman for the state Department of Transportation, said morning ridership has taken in between 12 and 32 riders since the Waipahu-to-Aloha Tower route began July 10.
Ridership for the afternoon run from Aloha Tower to Waipahu, however, has ranged from a low of 43 to a high of 100 during the past three weeks, Kali said.
Now here's the clincher: The ferry's return trip back to Aloha Tower in the evening has seen between 21 and 81 passengers, proof most evening riders are taking advantage of the free round trip for the scenic sunset, she said.
"I think what we're seeing is a lot of tourists going on round trips in the afternoon," Kali said.
The Middle Loch segment of the demonstration project was slated to end on Friday but may be extended another week, officials said.
The third and final experimental route -- from Iroquois Point to Honolulu and back -- is expected to start later this month and run through September.Reaction to the ridership was mixed.
"I think we're a little disappointed," Kali said. "It seems like the numbers would probably build if we had more time but at the moment they're not quite what we'd like."
But Susan Matsuura, head of operations for ferry contractor Navatek Ships Ltd., said the company was "pleasantly surprised" at the number of passengers and noted that ridership gradually increased during the four weeks.
Matsuura said the ferry even attracted commuters from as far away as Mililani and Wahiawa who drove into Middle Loch and dropped off their vehicles there.
Kali said more advertising would have helped but "we just didn't have enough time." The Navy did not grant approvals allowing for the ferry in Pearl Harbor waters until days before it started, she said.
Up to 200 round-trip passengers took the hydrofoil daily when it began its first run, from Kalaeloa to Honolulu, last October. But those dropped to about 40 or 50 when a $3 round-trip fare was instituted. That leg ended in May.
Kali said a bright spot of the Middle Loch run was that many of those who rode the ferry from Kalaeloa actually drove to Middle Loch to catch it into town.
"They're sold on the ferry," she said.
"Changing your habits takes a little courage and a lot of people just can't get themselves to try something as revolutionary as a ferry," Kali said. "Over a period of time, we might be able to change that behavior, but we just, unfortunately, don't have that much time."
Matsuura agreed that the short period given to the second leg may have affected ridership.
"People aren't going to make permanent changes in their transportation arrangements if it's not a permanent change," she said, noting that some motorists may have had to move to the bottom of waiting lists at their building's parking lot.
But like Kali, she's noticed a number of regulars who have been with the service since Kalaeloa.
"It's great that they would go out of their way to ride," Matsuura said. "It's a lifestyle change, they get to work relaxed."