We used The Bus to get to Diamond Head, Pearl Harbour and Waikele Outlets from Waikiki over 2 days. The Bus did not let us down, ran on time, really well set out, with ID nos on the stops, announcements of each stop etc. The drivers were so polite and very helpful, cannot rate them highly enough.

The Bus is a good deal. We rode several different routes - the longest being the Number 42 east west route from Diamond Head to Ewa Beach. Buy a HOLO pass at any ABC store. You can reload the pass online, and we left our passes behind for our room attendant since we didn't use them up. This pass is a good way to get to Pearl Harbor and the Arizona Memorial. It avoids paying for parking! Allow about an hour to get to Pearl on a busy day, so you can make your reservation time. Be sure to go back out to the highway bus stop at top of hill to get back to Waikiki (east). If you board at the westbound stop where you get off for Pearl Harbor/Arizona, you will be riding all the way west to Ewa Beach. We went that way on purpose, but if you have kids with you, it might make for a long day. As with many locals, I would recommend wearing a face mask if bus is crowded. Also, A/C on bus is quite chilly.

Get a HOLO card from Kalihi Transit Centre (M-F)office hrs. or 7-11/Foodland, pay cash load it up and explore the whole island. Waikiki(Kuhio Ave) and Ala Moana Centre have lots of bus routes towards N/W/E parts. Leave your driving behind and expensive gas & parking, enjoy and relax on the bus. Bus #52(Ala Moana)transfer to #60(Haleiwa town)to North Shore and Turtle Bay. #52 bus will pass by Dole Plantation arrive at town Haleiwa. Then take #60 towards North Shore(you might see Green Turtle lying on the beach). Either you can have lunch at Haleiwa or go to Turtle Bay Resort by bus #60. After exploring the North, you can either take the same routine(bus#60 to #52)the fastest way(2 hrs. less stops,mostly highway)back to Ala Moana Centre. “Or” take bus#60 from Turtle Bay Resort towards the East Coast and back to Ala Moana(3 1/2 hrs because more stops). Make sure ask the bus driver see which bus#60 go to Haleiwa and which #60 go to Ala Moana Centre. If you go to Makaha Beach, take the “C”Express, less stops. If you go to Ewa Beach, take “E”Express, less stops.

TheBus system is one of the best system in the U.S. It is very convenient to go around with TheBus. The drivers are very friendly to tourists and answer questions clearly and patiently. However, both Google map and Dabus2 cannot provide 100% correct information. Actually, the route names and stops on Dabus2 are not intuitive or even misleading to visitors and must be improved. I found a few paper maps in Ala Moana Center. The paper maps are very clear about the direction and arrival time. I will suggest TheBus put paper maps in the hotels so that visitors can get the maps easily.

As senior citizens, the Bus system is an absolute bargain to get around Waikiki, Honolulu, and Oahu. At rush hour, the buses can be jam packed. We purchased the Holo card with auto reload since we visit every year or two. The Holo card is efficient instead of fumbling for dollars in paying for your rides. The Google app is pretty good to use in catching and knowing the times and where to catch a bus. Look at the various bus options especially the before and after walking distance, since it might make sense to catch another bus number.

The Bus was cheap & easy transportation during our 1 week stay. Busses were on schedule & clean. Plenty of bus stops. Holo pass worked great. Follow advice and use Google maps.

My partner and I used TheBus during our recent visit to Honolulu. We are seniors but purchased an adult weekly ticket for $32. It was a Holo card that can only be purchased at 7/11 stores. There are other outlets but not for weekly tickets A single ride costs $3 fur adults or $1.25 for seniors. A single ride is just that: no transfers. TheBus covers must if Oahu island and there are some wonderfully scenic routes to explore. We observed few tourists outside the Waikiki/Aka Moana/Downtown/Airport/Pearl Harbor corridor. The new automated Skykine rail line is a fascinating and scenic ride but its location is out of the way and not convenient to tourists and visitors. Information is hard to come by and we observed many tourists struggling. Some drivers were helpful; others decidedly not. But it must be remembered they are driving in heavy traffic much of the time. There is a telephone timetable inquiry number but I found the operators had trouble understanding people who spoke English but with a foreign accent. There is an information office but it is remotely located well away from tourist areas. My experience was the staff were hostile to anyone speaking English with a foreign accent and most reluctant to offer information.