Honolulu - is a car required? (rent, living in, groceries)

[califantastic]

Is owning a car necessary when living in Honolulu? Can you get around town by foot and public transportation alone? Or do you really need a car? I don't mind paying more in rent for a location where I don't need a car. Any information you can share is appreciated!

[Brav989]

mod cut: quote orphaned. Post responding to has been deleted.

It's www.thebus.org

[MsHell]

The Bus system is very good here. You don't need a car, although it's nice to transport bigger items (groceries, xmas shopping, furniture).

[Norhjerseygirl]

Many do not have a car in Honolulu. Be careful crossing streets alot of pedestrian accidents because of this. Biking can take you far although there are restrictions regarding biking in some areas; Waikiki has rules of the road. People ride mopeds alot (annoyingly noisy). You can load your bike on the front of the Bus. Some bikes look like cars (tweaked out with baskets and such). Much of the island is separated geographically (Ridges and such). The freeway is car/truck only. No subways, trains, light rail or cabs readily available (you have to call). The Bus schedule will be your bible. Parking is a hassle in town anyway.

[kani-lehua]

Originally Posted by Norhjerseygirl

Many do not have a car in Honolulu. Be careful crossing streets alot of pedestrian accidents because of this. Biking can take you far although there are restrictions regarding biking in some areas; Waikiki has rules of the road. People ride mopeds alot (annoyingly noisy). You can load your bike on the front of the Bus. Some bikes look like cars (tweaked out with baskets and such). Much of the island is separated geographically (Ridges and such). The freeway is car/truck only. No subways, trains, light rail or cabs readily available (you have to call). The Bus schedule will be your bible. Parking is a hassle in town anyway.

the other day, there were three pedestrian accidents on o'ahu in a matter of a 1 hour period. yesterday, there were three vehicle accidents/incidents. one on the pali highway. i think they said it was at castle junction. one one likelike and one on the h-3 freeway. it took us app. 1 1/2 hours to get from pearlridge to kailua. this was about 330pm. ugh!

[califantastic]

So are the drivers just terrible or are there just too many people and cars in the road?

[kani-lehua]

Originally Posted by califantastic

So are the drivers just terrible or are there just too many people and cars in the road?

i don't drive but there sure were a lot of cars on the road. well, it is the holiday season and just the start of the peak traffic hour. maybe that explains it. plus it was raining.