To increase TheBus ridership, the Honolulu City Council is considering suspending public transportation fares for HOLO card users from Aug. 22 to 26.

The five-day suspension of fares is meant to capitalize on the severe traffic that accompanies the beginning of the University of Hawaii academic school year, which begins Aug. 22.

“We need to build back our public transportation ridership,” said city Transportation Director Roger Morton at the Council Committee on Transportation, Sustainability and Health meeting Tuesday.

“During the COVID period our ridership dropped substantially. Although we are on a growing and returning trend right now, the trend is slower than what we really have intended.”

The fare suspension is expected to result in a $120,000 loss in fares, which DTS hopes will more than pay for itself by increasing ridership in the future.

TheBus ridership is still only about 60% of pre-­pandemic levels. Morton hopes that this incentive and a public campaign to promote the benefits of using public transportation will be effective at increasing ridership.

This comes after the rates for TheBus increased July 1 for the first time since 2018.

For adults the single-ride fare went up to $3 from $2.75. The daily cost increased to $7.50 from $5.50. And the monthly price is now $80, $10 more than before.

For seniors 65 and older, the single fare increased to $1.25 from $1. The daily cost went up to $3 from $2. The monthly cost soared to $20 from $6. The yearly pass jumped to $45 from $35.

For youth, students 6 to 19 years old, the single fare increased to $1.50 from $1.25. The daily cost jumped to $3.75 from $2.50. And the monthly fare went to $40 from $35. The yearly fare also rose, to $440 from $385.

However, the increase also came with “ride capping” for those who use the city’s electronic HOLO card. That means that for those who use the HOLO card, they will not be charged more than those amounts when scanning their cards to use the bus without needing to buy a special pass.

DTS also wants to promote use of the HOLO card instead of cash. It will suspend the $2 fee to purchase a HOLO card from Aug. 15 to 26.

HOLO cards can be purchased at any satellite city hall, Foodland, 7-Eleven or ABC Store.

Morton added that people should register their HOLO card, which can be done online at www.holocard.net, in person at a satellite city hall, except for the Ala Moana location, or over the phone at 808-768-4656.

“There’s so many benefits to registering the card,” he said.

“If you lose your card and it’s registered, it can be replaced and the balances can be transferred. So I encourage everybody to get a hold of a card.”

TheBus services also will expand routes, restoring 39 express bus trips that were suspended at the height of COVID-19. These routes are meant to connect all 25 islandwide express buses and 20 other routes to school campuses mauka of the H-1 freeway. That includes schools such as the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Chaminade University and Kapiolani Community College.

“We’ve all got used to this very light traffic during the summer and even during the COVID period. But we know that’s not going to last forever,” Morton said.

“We’re going to start this new service to try to improve our service.”

DTS is also working with the state Department of Education and private schools to get more children to ride the bus.

The Committee on Transportation, Sustainability and Health unanimously passed the resolution to suspend fares. The resolution will now need a vote by the full Council to pass.