Happy Labor Day! I hope all of you are enjoying a great three-day weekend! Anyway, here’s some updates from Hawaii: Biki Bikeshare raises prices, while there are some updates regarding Oahu’s Pali Highway.
Biki Bikeshare Raises Prices
Hawaii’s first bikeshare service, Biki, launched over two years ago. And, apparently, the service is proving to be popular with locals and visitors alike. But that popularity, that popularity is proving to be costly.
According to the non-profit Bikeshare Hawaii’s director, Todd Boulanger, in the beginning, you’d see one person taking one trip at a time. Today, though, you see three to five people Biki-ing at the same time between the same stations and an average of almost 4,500 riders per day. Plus, the entire system now includes 1,300 bikes across 130 stations, which is 300 more bikes and 30 more stops than at opening. Of course, the huge increase in usage, bikes, and stops results in increased wear and an increased need to rebalance stations.
As a result, the following pricing changes are taking place:
- Walk-up fares go from $3.50 to $4 for a single 30-minute ride
- Overage fees for rides exceeding the 30-minute limit, age going to $4.50 from $3.50 for every 30-minute addition
- Multi-trip packs of up to 300 minutes is increasing from $20 to $25
- Base commuter plan offering unlimited 30-minute rides remains at $15 per month
- Voyager plan offering unlimited 60-minute rides remains at $25 per month
- Prices for those that receive public assistance are available too now, with an unlimited 30-minute plan at $10 per month and an unlimited 60-minute plan at $15 per month
And, in case you’re wondering, the most popular stops are those in downtown, Kakaako, and Waikiki. The stop near the Duke Kahanamoku Statue is the most popular in the system.
Pali Highway Updates
As you’ll recall, back in February a large landslide triggered the closure of the Pali Highway. Originally, state officials estimated that the major thoroughfare would reopen in August of this year. I, however, predicted that it would take longer than that. And, of course, my prediction came true.
But, yesterday, things took their first step towards the way they were before. That because, yesterday, both the town-bound and Kaneohe-bound lanes of the Pali opened at 1 pm. And, going forward, this will continue to be the case every day between 5 a.m. and 7 p.m. State officials anticipate the complete reopening the highway in November.
Biki Bikeshare Raises Prices + Pali Highway Updates, Final Thoughts
Honesty, the Biki changes do nothing from me. As you’ll recall from a previous post, I can’t ride bikes. Is that pathetic? Perhaps. But, oh well! For those of you that do use the service, though, beware of the changes.
As for Pali Highway, it’s certainly good news to hear that things are getting ever-so-closer to normal conditions again. Honestly, I haven’t gone to Kaneohe much since the incident, as traffic is worse now. But, the current setup is a major improvement, and hopefully, work will stay on-schedule to get the road opened fully in November.
The post Biki Bikeshare Raises Prices + Pali Highway Updates appeared first on Jeffsetter Travel.
Written by Jeffsetter Travel @ http://www.jeffsetter.com
Written by Jeffsetter Travel @ http://www.jeffsetter.com