DENNIS ODA / 2019
Car sharing client Josh Silva sold his BMW because he now relies on Hui Car Share. He is sitting in the bed of this Toyota Tacoma truck he usually uses and picks up at the Hui Car Share location that is located near the South St. entrance to the Keauhou Lane condo which is only a 5 minute walk from his condo in Kakaako.
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The city plans to start reserving the first of 80 on-street and 80 municipal lot spaces next year for a car-sharing business launched a year ago. Currently, Hui Car Share, which does business as Servco Mobility Lab, rents out nearly 100 Toyota vehicles from out of 40 private spaces, such as in parking garages in Kakaako.
Car-sharing — already rolling for years in some mainland metros — holds potential to become popular here with people who would rather avoid costs and hassles tied to vehicle ownership. What’s concerning, though, is that city leaders are embracing a move to privatize public parking, in part, for the benefit of a for-profit business.
Bankruptcy trend worrisome
Hawaii bankruptcies are hitting a five-year peak, rising in five of the past seven months, according to U.S. Bankruptcy Court District. Although bankruptcy offers financial protection, that means more people unable to pay their bills, so also could signal deeper troubles ahead. There’s no local breakdown, but according to national data, medical costs are the No. 1 cause of bankruptcy.
Meanwhile, fewer doctors are accepting patients on Medicaid, so containing those costs is hard — a reason for worry.