Boat people come to Honolulu

Honolulu has a new class of boat people. Even free rides and free Wi-Fi do not make mass transit on the water any more attractive.

The Boat is Honolulu’s answer to mass transit without the masses. Faster than a sea turtle but slower than the parked cars on H-1 or H-2, The Boat is supposed to carry about 150 passengers from Kapolei to Aloha Tower Marketplace and back again.

Despite a heavily subsidized price tag, even a free ride and free wireless internet access has not attracted a crowd. The first day, 101 people rode The Boat. By the end of the week that number was down to a few dozen.

What’s the problem?

It’s the same problem that will doom mass transit in Honolulu, regardless of the price tag or creature comforts. People value freedom more than The Bus, The Boat, or The Rail.

Any large population of commuters will have an element that will do anything to avoid the morning and afternoon rush hour. The real issues are, 1) how many people will use an alternative? And, 2) what are they willing to pay?

For The Boat, even free is not enough to make up for a long, slow, and bumpy ocean commute– even with free wireless internet access. What’s next? Free breakfast and dinner?
Why should The Rail be any different? A

ir conditioning, comfortable seats, smooth ride, and low monthly ticket prices are mandatory requirements. Toss in free Wi-Fi and a bus pass for getting from and to The Rail might be attractive, but does nothing to overcome the freedom that most drivers in Honolulu cherish.

Freedom to move where and when we want is almost a basic human right. Time and expense mean much less than freedom. Honolulu’s The Boat people are merely a vision of what will come– an overly expensive mass transit system that won’t attract enough riders to pay for itself.