Post by ferryfast admin on Sept 28, 2007 11:17:27 GMT -5
Posted on: Friday, September 28, 2007
Honolulu ferry’s pau hana cruise popular
By Johnny Brannon
Honolulu Advertiser Staff Writer
www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070928/NEWS09/709280358/1019/NEWS09
A pau hana cruise from Aloha Tower to Kalaeloa has quickly become the most popular daily trip on TheBoat, the city's new commuter ferry system.
The 4:20 p.m. voyage has consistently attracted the most passengers since TheBoat was launched two weeks ago, and was filled to capacity on Wednesday for the first time.
In fact, 15 would-be passengers were turned away after the ferry reached its legal limit of 149, city transportation director Melvin Kaku said.
The city has a policy of leaving no ferry riders marooned, so the 15 were offered rides on a special express bus, he said.
Free wireless Internet service will be available on TheBoat starting today, city spokesman Bill Brennan said.
TheBoat offered free trips all week in a promotional effort meant to attract customers, but it remains to be seen whether the numbers will remain high when fares are required next week. The regular cost of a one-way trip is $2 for adults. Bus passes are also honored.
The 4:20 p.m. trip has been popular since the beginning, carrying 101 passengers on the first day of service, and from 66 to 149 on every other weekday, Kaku said.
All other trips have carried 72 passengers or fewer, and have generally averaged 40 to 50.
Ridership and passenger preferences are being monitored during the one-year ferry demonstration project so officials will know whether changes are needed for the service to continue, he said.
But no specific ridership benchmark has been set to determine whether the program is successful, he said.
Federal grants totaling $5 million are paying for the ferries, and the city is spending an additional $1 million to operate five new bus routes linked to the piers.
The two ferries in the system are now running well — after one, the Rachel Marie, suffered a mechanical problem that scuttled her maiden voyage Monday morning.
That vessel has older, weaker engines and travels a few knots slower than her sister vessel, the Melissa Ann, which began service a week earlier, said Kaku.
The Melissa Ann makes the Kalaeloa-Aloha Tower run in about 45 minutes, while the Rachel Marie averages 10 minutes longer, he said.
Reach Johnny Brannon at jbrannon@honoluluadvertiser.com.
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City Council Questions Commuter Ferry Service Issues
Project Manager Says 2% Of Riders Suffer Seasickness
POSTED: 9:54 pm HST September 27, 2007
UPDATED: 9:57 pm HST September 27, 2007
HONOLULU -- Honolulu City Council members on Thursday grilled city officials on concerns about seasickness and questions of success involving the new commuter ferries.
The city's new commuter ferry service has been operating for almost two weeks.
Council members asked about the ferries, which came to the island from smooth sailing in protected waters in Seattle and are now operating on Hawaii's open ocean.
"Have you been tracking the comfort level? What I mean by that is: how many people are getting sick on this?" Councilman Charles Djou asked
"We have been informally tracking that information, and so far we have been seeing roughly a 2 percent rate of people might be getting sick on the boat," ferry project manager Darin Mar said. "It is not a big concern."
The city said on some days, 3- to 5-foot swells were a definite challenge.
Since the original voyages, the city said it has learned to have the ferry slow down in 3- to 5-foot swells to give passengers a smoother ride.
Councilman Nestor Garcia asked if the city could get a bigger, more comfortable ferry.
"A larger boat would be more expensive, and it is not some thing we would entertain at this time," Mar said.
In the second week of service, the city said total passenger numbers have increased from about 250 to 375 per day. The largest single voyage was Wednesday's 4:20 p.m. ride from town to Kalaeloa. It had a full capacity of 149, city officials said.
City officials also said larger numbers could because fares this week are free.
When council members asked, the transportation director was unable to give passenger numbers that would show the ferry project is a success.
Honolulu ferry’s pau hana cruise popular
By Johnny Brannon
Honolulu Advertiser Staff Writer
www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070928/NEWS09/709280358/1019/NEWS09
A pau hana cruise from Aloha Tower to Kalaeloa has quickly become the most popular daily trip on TheBoat, the city's new commuter ferry system.
The 4:20 p.m. voyage has consistently attracted the most passengers since TheBoat was launched two weeks ago, and was filled to capacity on Wednesday for the first time.
In fact, 15 would-be passengers were turned away after the ferry reached its legal limit of 149, city transportation director Melvin Kaku said.
The city has a policy of leaving no ferry riders marooned, so the 15 were offered rides on a special express bus, he said.
Free wireless Internet service will be available on TheBoat starting today, city spokesman Bill Brennan said.
TheBoat offered free trips all week in a promotional effort meant to attract customers, but it remains to be seen whether the numbers will remain high when fares are required next week. The regular cost of a one-way trip is $2 for adults. Bus passes are also honored.
The 4:20 p.m. trip has been popular since the beginning, carrying 101 passengers on the first day of service, and from 66 to 149 on every other weekday, Kaku said.
All other trips have carried 72 passengers or fewer, and have generally averaged 40 to 50.
Ridership and passenger preferences are being monitored during the one-year ferry demonstration project so officials will know whether changes are needed for the service to continue, he said.
But no specific ridership benchmark has been set to determine whether the program is successful, he said.
Federal grants totaling $5 million are paying for the ferries, and the city is spending an additional $1 million to operate five new bus routes linked to the piers.
The two ferries in the system are now running well — after one, the Rachel Marie, suffered a mechanical problem that scuttled her maiden voyage Monday morning.
That vessel has older, weaker engines and travels a few knots slower than her sister vessel, the Melissa Ann, which began service a week earlier, said Kaku.
The Melissa Ann makes the Kalaeloa-Aloha Tower run in about 45 minutes, while the Rachel Marie averages 10 minutes longer, he said.
Reach Johnny Brannon at jbrannon@honoluluadvertiser.com.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
City Council Questions Commuter Ferry Service Issues
Project Manager Says 2% Of Riders Suffer Seasickness
POSTED: 9:54 pm HST September 27, 2007
UPDATED: 9:57 pm HST September 27, 2007
HONOLULU -- Honolulu City Council members on Thursday grilled city officials on concerns about seasickness and questions of success involving the new commuter ferries.
The city's new commuter ferry service has been operating for almost two weeks.
Council members asked about the ferries, which came to the island from smooth sailing in protected waters in Seattle and are now operating on Hawaii's open ocean.
"Have you been tracking the comfort level? What I mean by that is: how many people are getting sick on this?" Councilman Charles Djou asked
"We have been informally tracking that information, and so far we have been seeing roughly a 2 percent rate of people might be getting sick on the boat," ferry project manager Darin Mar said. "It is not a big concern."
The city said on some days, 3- to 5-foot swells were a definite challenge.
Since the original voyages, the city said it has learned to have the ferry slow down in 3- to 5-foot swells to give passengers a smoother ride.
Councilman Nestor Garcia asked if the city could get a bigger, more comfortable ferry.
"A larger boat would be more expensive, and it is not some thing we would entertain at this time," Mar said.
In the second week of service, the city said total passenger numbers have increased from about 250 to 375 per day. The largest single voyage was Wednesday's 4:20 p.m. ride from town to Kalaeloa. It had a full capacity of 149, city officials said.
City officials also said larger numbers could because fares this week are free.
When council members asked, the transportation director was unable to give passenger numbers that would show the ferry project is a success.