In 1990 the city created regulations to prevent tour companies from dropping people off at Hanauma Bay.

At that time, TheBus (the city’s public transportation) tripled its service to the popular snorkeling spot.

Twelve years later in 2002, the city completed the Education Center at Hanauma, including a controlled-access entrance gate.

This means that, entirely exclusive of how people arrive at the location, the city now has complete control over how many people actually enter the bay at any given time.

It is fully equipped to manage the amount of people going in an out of the park and may simply close the entrance if the park reaches maximum capacity.

According to information included with the Sunday article (“Companies bend rules governing Hanauma Bay taxi rides,” Star-Advertiser, April 3), there does not exist a concerning increase in visitorship due to transportation access, simply a concern about who is profiting from it.

Interestingly, of every method of transportation into Hanauma Bay, taxis are the most regulated — regardless of alleged loopholes.

In order to retain their license, taxi companies must follow taxi law, which, among other things, limits them to transporting eight people.

Every company that currently runs a ride-share/taxi service to Hanauma Bay also has a set return time limiting customers to 2 to 3½ hours maximum on the beach. This means there are never more than two groups per vehicle on the beach at any given time throughout the day.

Any variation from that is too costly for these small businesses, and the rare infractions highlighted in the article are really between the company and taxi control and do not greatly affect the bay.

Therefore, these taxi companies are not creating nearly as great an impact on the bay’s resources — and possibly quite a bit less — as other transportation methods.

A person arriving on TheBus, in a standard taxi or by personal/rental car does not have any time restriction, meaning essentially they can stay at the bay all day.

Additionally, there is an implied correlation between taxi companies’ overcrowding and visitor jeopardy. But of all of the methods of getting into Hanauma Bay, taxi/ride-share companies are the only ones that provide any sort of pre-arrival information such as where to go or not go, what to expect with regard to wave action, places to avoid and warnings not to venture beyond ability.

This may not be true of all companies, but is certainly no worse than those arriving by bus or private/rental cars with their own store- purchased equipment and no idea of what they are getting into. As mentioned in the article, the education center’s “safety” video is mainly a crowd-control measure and does not truly prevent visitor accidents.

Also, as the health and efficacy of the Nature Preserve are crucial to the livelihood of such companies, it is in their interest and often the case that they promote conservation and stewardship of the preserve.

Whether motivated by self-interest or actual care of the bay itself, the result is the same. This service is, therefore, beneficial rather than detrimental to the overall health of Hanauma Bay.

As a business owner, I behave responsibly and follow the rules.

There is, of course, the potential for corruption any time money is involved; however, there seems to be a specific villainizing of these small businesses simply trying to provide a service and make a living.

There always exists a moral/ethical dilemma in the tourism industry about whether or not to share our beautiful places with visitors for profit; however, the focus of the current campaign is not on whether we should, but on who should be allowed to profit from it.

Rachel Lenander, a resident of East Oahu, is the small-business owner of Snorkelfest.