Day Passes Can Be a Rip off!

 I have wasted so much money on single or multi-day passes.  On the pro side, they save you from having to have coins or exact change to get on the bus.  You don't have to fish out your wallet and risk getting pick pocketed.  On the con side, for many cities they don't make financial sense for most trips.  Unless you're bopping constantly from one destination to another trying every restaurant or shopping extensively, they may not make sense if you are visiting a few destinations that will eat up your day.

Here is my running list of the cities in which I've made substantial "donations" to their transit program because I paid way too much $ for day passes when it would've made more sense to pay for individual rides:

• Osaka 

The problem was that I had researched and planned on a Kansai area pass, but April 2024 they changed both the price and the rules.  No longer would the Kansai area pass cover buses.  Instead it would only cover non-JR local trains, with some other exclusions.  Secondly, the price increased a lot.  Thirdly, the website had said to go to Osaka Station tourist office to buy the pass, but the tourist office staff told me that was no longer the case and to go to Umeda Station commuter office.  In my panic of what to do, I stupidly stood in an insanely long line at the Umeda Station commuter office which was crowded with local denizens.  Even the staff in the line were confused as to whether this station sold the new Kansai area pass.  Once I saw the price of the new pass, I quickly and stupidly pivoted to buying the Osaka day pass.  I only used the metro at most 4 times in a day and once I used it only one time in the whole day.  It's not a 24 hour pass.  It's by calendar day.  Thus buying a ticket in the afternoon and activating it late in the day is a total money sink.

• Tokyo

Depending on which station you are at, different tickets are sold.  I had researched the multi-day pass covering both metro companies (Toei and Tokyo metro) and had wanted to get that pass for convenience.  However, I learned that where I was at, Daimon Station, they did not sell this pass in paper form.  The pass could only be loaded into the Pasmo visitor card which I did not have.  Pasmo cards expire in 1 month unlike Suica, Toica, Icoca, and other IC cards that last for 10 years.  

Secondly, the paper day pass I purchased that Daimon Station was only good for that calendar day regardless if you activate it or not although there is a process to obtain a partial refund for unused passes.  Thus do not buy multiple passes in advance if this is the type you are purchasing!!!

Thirdly, I ended up mostly using the local JR trains and the Yamanote line which were closer to my Hamamatsucho hotel.  Neither of these companies are covered by the Tokyo/Toei metro pass.  Thus even if I had gotten that multi-day pass that I originally researched, it still would've been a waste of money.

• Brugge (Bruges)

Brugge is totally walkable.  The buses don't run very often compared to how fast you can just walk from point A to point B.  The bus also doesn't go into all the narrow alleys and paths where some shops and destinations are tucked.  The main use of the bus was for getting to and from the train station with my heavy luggage.  For that limited use, I could've just paid a la carte.

• Ostend

Ostend is pretty walkable, too.  The distance is farther than in Brugge, but I totally was able to walk from the train station to the tourist office near the casino and airport and all the way back to the Mu.Zee near the train station.  I felt obligated to hop on a bus just for a few blocks back to the train station so that I could make myself feel better that I used the day pass that I had already paid for for some purpose.

Carless in Hawaii- Oahu, Big Island, Kauai Part 2- tourist destinations

 Now that I covered how to get to and from the airport in part 1, I will cover some tourist destinations reachable by public transit in part 2.  I apologize this is a late post based on my trip in 2022, so please check transit websites for the latest updates.

Oahu

Like most tourists, I stayed in Honolulu.  The bus was convenient for traveling around that area.  Per Google Maps I could've gone to the North Shore or much further south via bus to see some waterfall(s) and gardens, but those would've been very time-consuming trips.  Thus I did not try to venture much beyond Honolulu.

With the bus you can get to:

Pearl Harbor

Remember to reserve admission tickets in advance from the national park service website!

Diamond Head

Reserve admission tickets in advance.  Punctuality was of the essence.  When I went, they turned away tourists that were slightly late no matter how much they begged or cried that this was their only opportunity to visit.  They didn't let folks in super early, either.  Thus you need to plan ahead for how long it'll take you to walk from the bus stop.  When I went, the bus stopped outside what looked to be a grassy hill.  It took some figuring out sans Google Maps to decide whether to turn left or right along this hill.  Once we figured out the right direction, it was quite a hike inwards, including through a tunnel, to even get to the official entrance where they have a little kiosk that sells some food and souvenirs as well as some benches for sitting.  I am recalling at least 30-60 minutes or more for this hike from the bus stop depending on how slow you walk.  

Then once I got to the official entrance, the staff would not let super early people in, nor folks who were too late.  I sat on the benches until I gauged they would let folks in my time group in.  After passing this entrance booth, it was a long hike all the way to the top of the crater.  It was very crowded, and some points it was a single file line of people all trudging up this crater.  I was worried about having a time limit to finish this hike due to the crowding and time slot on the ticket, but that turned out not to be any problem.  If you finish and get to the top, there is a photo opportunity at the very tippy top.  Then you can choose to go the same way down or a different path down.

Iolani Palace

The bus goes here, too!  I didn't get to go inside because tickets were sold out for the times I was available.  Get tickets online in advance if you really want to go inside and are traveling during a busy time.

Honolulu Art Museum

The bus goes near here, too!  It's closed certain days of the week, so I didn't get to go inside when I was there.  

Walking distance to the museum is Daiso, known as a 100 Yen or "dollar" store in Japan.  It's found in the US, too.  Items are typically above $1, but they are pretty cheap compared to mainstream stores.

Per Google Maps, Hanauma Bay was reachable via bus plus some walking.  However, it is closed several days of the week for the coral reef to rest and recover, so I didn't get to visit when I was there.

Big Island

The bus goes travels much less often than in Oahu.  I stayed in Hilo.

Richardson Ocean Park

This was my favorite snorkeling experience!  

Volcano National Park

Per the bus website, you could take it between Kona and Hilo.  I stayed in Hilo and paid for a private tour to Volcano National Park.  However, per the bus website I could've saved a lot of money and used public transit to visit this national park.  

Pro of taking the bus to the volcano park: save $.  From where the bus drops you off you could plan some hikes if time permits.  

Con: infrequent bus service, and it drops you off at a particular spot in the park.  With the private tour I was able to be driven to multiple stops within the national park; however, I was unable to do any hikes on my own.

As mentioned in my other post, across from the bus depot is the Farmers' Market.  

Kauai

Poipu Beach

The bus stop takes you near Poipu Beach.  From there, I was able to do a very long walk to the resort area from which you can do a long hike to the Makauwahi cave.

This hike was *long* and *hot*.  I had brought one water bottle, but that was not enough!  Thankfully some good Samaritan had set up a large dispenser of water near the cave.  Otherwise others in my party would've been accusing me of trying to kill them via dehydration and heat stroke.

There were so many smashed dead toads or frogs along the red dirt road.  So sad!

The red Kauai dirt gets all over your shoes and socks.  I ended up throwing away my sneakers after the hike as I wasn't interested in trying to wash away all the dirt.

The views are stunning, though!

On the way back to the bus stop, I detoured along the residential neighborhood to get to Poipu beach.  There was a tortoise and a seal at the beach that day.  

I had researched a very long public transit journey to the north to visit the botanical garden and do a famed hike there; however, due to time limits I spent my time on the south part of Kauai.  Unfortunately, the bus didn't go to the east side nor to the park used to film Jurassic Park.  You can take private tours there if you wish.

Happy island bus hopping!

Carless in Hawaii- Oahu, Big Island, Kauai- Part 1, Airport

With Hawaiian rental car prices being sky high and so in demand that one may not be even able to secure a last-minute reservation, one may wonder if it's possible to survive without a car during a Hawaiian vacation.

I scoured the web looking for information before my carless trip.  Now that it's over, I'm happy to report that yes, if you are used to public transit in other cities, it's entirely possible to build a carless Hawaiian vacation.  

Part 1 goes over the trip to and from the airport.

Oahu: 

The Bus comes pretty often compared to the other islands; however, it does not run 24 hours a day.  It pales in comparison to WMATA in D.C., but it's the best of the island buses and has even won an award.  

From the baggage claim area, go upstairs.  Cross the street once and look for the brown bus shelter.  There are a couple of them at the airport.  Beware that the same bus number you're looking for may not be heading to Waikiki (if that's your destination), so check the bus destination and/or ask the driver.  

Luggage restrictions: As the Oahu bus website explains, there are size and number restrictions for what you can bring on board.  I saw a couple folks with small roller bags and a personal tote allowed on.  To play it safe, I had brought one backpack that met the exact size specifications give or take an inch.  Others had the backpack plus a purse or tote, so on the return to the airport I relaxed my stuffing to allow for an extra tote.

Fare: I had bought a Holo card in advance online.  It comes deactivated for security reasons.  You'll get an email that says your card(s) are deactivated.  Once it arrived, I activated it online and added more fare.  It's currently $5.50 for a day pass for a regular adult or $2.75 for one trip with the Holo card.  Discount passes are only sold at specific locations (main transit office or at satellite transit office with online appointment).

Big Island- Hilo:

Currently, in Hilo the Hele-On bus comes hourly.  It also has limited hours, so please check their schedule and plan accordingly.  I was able to make my morning flight (9 or 10 AM) without any problem.  My hotel was walking distance to the bus terminal.  Check that your accommodation is near a bus stop.

The best part is it's FREE!  All you have to do is board and let the driver know where you're going.  

From the Hilo airport baggage claim area, look for the Hele-On bus stop.  There's only one.  No street crossing is required.  It's on the same side of the airport and should be a quick walk to the left or right of baggage claim.

Luggage restrictions:  The website describes the limitations.  In general, it must not stick out into the aisle or on another seat and should fit on your lap.  They do not have specific size limits unlike Oahu and Kauai.  They also don't have a number limit, either, so a backpack plus purse/tote is fine.  I rode one of the brand spankin' new buses that seems to have luggage racks that were so new they were still wrapped up and not yet in use, so perhaps they'll debut those in the future.  

Fare: Free!  On the flip side of free is that the Hilo vagrants may be riding it.  On my first ride I wondered if I was on A Clockwork Orange on wheels.  One rider was repetitively convulsing while cursing- did he have torticollis?  Some psychiatric condition?  Other than that one experience, the rest of the bus rides were fine.

Kauai:

Currently, the Kauai bus comes hourly.  It has very limited hours, so check that the times can accommodate your flights.  Also check that your accommodation is near a bus stop.  Mine was about a 15 minute walk away.  Note that a lot of Kauai streets are not paved, so you are walking on the shoulder of traffic.  

From the airport, look for the Kauai bus stop sign.  It's on the same side and level as baggage claim.  This photo is of the Poipu Beach bus stop so that you have an idea:

Luggage restrictions: They don't specify a number limit, but they do specify a size limit that's an inch or so different from Oahu's.  Nobody is measuring, but be reasonable.  I saw one woman board with a very small roller bag and a backpack.  Keep in mind that unlike Oahu and Big Island, the Kauai buses are small.  Think Paratransit buses or university shuttle buses.  

Fare: Daily bus passes are sold at various locations listed on their website.  I got mine in Kapa'a after visiting two Shell stations.  The first one didn't have it, and the second one to the north did.  Too bad the airport doesn't sell it, and it's not available online.  Thus I paid cash fare from the airport, which is $2 per bus ($1 for seniors with government ID).  Thus if it takes you two buses to get to your hotel, that's $4 for the trip.  They don't do transfers.

Note, for directions make sure you know what stop is closest to your hotel.  There are a lot of look alike/sound alike hotels.  I saw one passenger get off at the wrong stop because the driver mixed up the desired hotel with a sound-alike one.   The drivers are great if you have a question about transferring or another line's bus stop, but don't expect them to know where every hotel is.  

Also, if you are transferring buses, let the driver know when you board. I saw them radio each other if they're running behind.  They also let me know several times to get off at a transfer point that was different from Google maps and which saved me time.  Thank you, Kauai bus drivers!

Stay tuned for part 2, more about travel destinations via bus.