The cost of riding TheBus and TheHandi-­Van will increase significantly July 1, anywhere from 9% to 233%, depending on the type of fare.

The Honolulu City Council approved the rate increases in March 2021 based on recommendations from the Honolulu Rate Commission to address the changing cost of labor, fuel and general upkeep expenses for the city’s transportation fleet.

The last time fares were raised was in 2018, by 25 cents across the board, said Department of Transportation Serv­ices Director Roger Morton.

“This year, of course, we have been particularly impacted by the increase in fuel,” he said. “As a department, we are going to offer the best service we can, both on the bus and rail.”

TheBus fare will be the same as the rail, which is expected to begin serv­ice by the end of the year, Morton said.

For adults the single-ride fare will increase to $3 from $2.75, up 9%. The daily cost climbs to $7.50 from $5.50, or 36%, while the monthly price goes to $80 from $70, or 14%. The annual fare will change to $880 from $770, up 14%.

For youth, students 6 to 19 years old, the single fare increases to $1.50 from $1.25, or 20%. The daily cost jumps to $3.75 from $2.50, or 50%, while the monthly fare goes to $40 from $35, or 14%. The yearly fare also rises 14%, to $440 from $385.

For seniors 65 and older, the single fare will increase to $1.25 from $1, up 25%. The daily cost rises 50% to $3 from $2, while the monthly cost soars 233% to $20 from $6. The yearly pass jumps to $45 from $35, a 29% increase.

Drastic increases also will apply to the monthly rate for those with disabilities and Medicaid cardholders, with those fares also climbing 233% to $20 from the current $6.

TheHandi-Van rate will increase 12.5% to $2.25 from $2 for a single ride.

TheBus stopped selling paper passes last summer, and instead had riders use the HOLO card, which allows them to load funds online. The HOLO card also introduced the daily, monthly and yearly price capping that automatically stops charging riders until the next pay period begins.

Samantha Causey rides the bus every day to and from work, and was unaware about the impending fare increases.

“I will still be taking the bus, not fully by choice. It is really disappointing to hear that their rates are going up,” she said. “I don’t really have an option at the moment, since I have to live in town, especially for work. It’s kind of really hard to get a car, mainly because of parking.”

Morton said that although the major increases to transportation fares can have an impact on ridership, it will be difficult to tell whether these increases are causing the changes in the amount of people riding TheBus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused fewer people to go to work and in turn use public transportation.

While the rates are increasing, Morton added that the city is getting ready to accept applications for discounted rates for households at or below 30% of the annual median income, which is $27,450 a year for a single person and $39,200 for a family of four.

The Department of Community Services will go through the applications.

“It is a pilot program,” Morton said. “We are budgeting $1.5 million for the program.”

In the meantime, Morton said that TheBus is still recovering from a drop in ridership due to COVID-19. As of now it is at about 60% of the ridership pre-pandemic.

“We are building back,” he said.

“Many people are telecommuting now and working from home … but during the summer, normally, our ridership declines a little bit, because most university kids and then high school kids aren’t going to school. People take vacations.”