The proposal advanced by the Honolulu Charter Commission to reform operations and maintenance of our public transportation system would not move the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) into a city department.
HART would remain an independent agency; however, its responsibilities would be limited to construction of the rail project and any future extensions.
Operations and maintenance would be placed with the city Department of Transportation Services (DTS).
The Charter Commission concluded that the preferred alternative for operations and maintenance of the rail system would be to change from a special purpose transit authority — HART — and replace it with a municipal transit agency.
A municipal agency is a common governance model in mid-sized urban areas like Honolulu.
Other governance models of transit agencies are not a good fit for Honolulu. These are more appropriate for the mainland, where transit agencies cross multiple jurisdictional lines.
HART would continue to be responsible for rail construction, while the operations and maintenance of rail, bus and Handi-Van would be placed within DTS. The reasons for the change: service coordination and funding challenges. The routing and service coordination of the multi-modal system needs to be as seamless as possible. DTS could do that since it establishes service levels and routing for TheBus and Handi-Van.
A major issue is establishing a coordinated fare structure. Since operations and maintenance require a public subsidy, authority to set fares must be with the mayor and City Council so this balancing can take place. The authority for setting rail fares, then, must be removed from the public transit authority.
DTS would be able to coordinate bus, rail and Handi-Van services to the public.
DTS, like the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, is responsible for the city’s transit network and city streets. San Francisco is a joint city-county government like Honolulu.
The SFMTA director oversees transit, parking, traffic engineering, pedestrian planning and taxi regulation. It plans, designs, builds, operates, regulates and maintains a very diverse transportation network.
For Hawaii, the advantages of a similar consolidated organizational structure would be:
>> Ability to focus on and understand how broad regional goals are affected by all transportation decisions.
>> Ability to balance the use of limited street space by different forms of transportation — public and private.
>> Access to multiple revenue streams (fares, lease rents, concessions, parking fees, city general fund and federal grant sources) not typically available to traditional transit agencies.
The loss of public confidence in the rail project is a major concern.
The problems at HART are in part structural and can be addressed through City Charter changes.
The current HART governance structure is ineffective because its board is limited to policy and prohibited from involvement with the administrative responsibilities of its executive director.
This leads to inadequate oversight and lack of transparency, even for HART board members.
It separates HART from accountability expected from elected officials until a crisis emerges, such as major cost overruns.
Decisions that affect funding and financial responsibilities are far removed from elected decision-makers and taxpayers.
The status quo, which has real and negative consequences for the almost 1 million people who live and work on Oahu cannot continue.
The rail project requires additional oversight, along with a commitment to openness, new ideas and real accountability.
Under the proposed Charter amendment, that oversight would come through the mayor, DTS and the City Council who are the elected officials accountable to the taxpayers.
An effective public transit system is fundamental to the civic and economic well-being of Honolulu. This plan of action will be difficult, but the alternative is far worse: an increasingly unaffordable and ineffective transit system. Nothing short of bold and urgent action is required or we will lose the opportunity to achieve a cost-effective, integrated public transportation system.
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This piece was co-signed by Honolulu Charter Commission members Cheryl Soon, Kevin Mulligan and Nathan Okubo.
