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Reporter Dan Nakaso seemed to suggest that the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii’s comparison of Skyline’s operating costs per passenger to other U.S. light-rail systems was flawed because “COVID-era 2020” data was used (“Now running, Honolulu Skyline’s operating costs in doubt,” Star-Advertiser, July 16).
But using 2019 data makes the comparison even more stark. In 2019, the next-highest per passenger cost — compared to Honolulu’s fiscal 2024 cost of $54 — was $15 in San Jose, versus $19 for 2020.
Long story short: The Skyline still has the highest per-passenger cost of any light-rail system in the U.S. — by far — and Hawaii taxpayers should still question why it is being operated when it is only half completed and so few people are using it.
Joe Kent
Executive vice president, Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
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