Half of Oʻahu residents say transportation costs hurt their access to daily life
Nearly 1 in 4 Oʻahu residents was unable to leave home due to transportation issues in a past month, according to Hawaiʻi Appleseed’s 2025 Oʻahu Travel Survey.
HONOLULU, Hawaiʻi — When we talk about transportation in Hawaiʻi, we usually talk about the commute to work. But what about getting to the doctor? The grocery store? Dropping the kids at school?
A new report from Hawaiʻi Appleseed reveals a troubling picture of transportation insecurity across Oʻahu—one that standard commuter data has largely missed. Based on a 2025 Oʻahu Travel Survey of 666 residents, the “Oʻahu Mobility Needs” report finds that personal vehicles dominate not by choice, but by necessity. For many, the alternatives simply don’t exist.
The findings are stark:
Half of all residents report that transportation costs—gas, parking, bus fares—negatively impact their ability to reach essential destinations.
Nearly 1 in 4 Oʻahu residents faced transportation issues so severe in a 30 day period that they were unable to leave their homes.
7 percent of respondents—disproportionately those with disabilities or low incomes—could not leave home for 15 or more days in a 30 day period.
“We’ve built a transportation system that assumes everyone has a car, a stable 9-to-5 job, and a garage to park in,” said Malia Boksanski, Hawaiʻi Appleseed Transportation Equity policy analyst. “But that’s not how many people live. This report shows that when we look beyond the commute, we find a mobility gap that is leaving thousands of Oʻahu residents stranded in their own neighborhoods.”
The U.S. Census tells us that 63.7 percent of Oʻahu’s workforce drives alone to work. But that number captures only a fraction of the island’s total mobility. It ignores the parent walking a kindergartner to school, the senior trying to reach a medical appointment, or the worker with a disability navigating unsafe sidewalks.
The 2025 Oʻahu Travel Survey fills that gap. Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Urban Institute’s Local Data for Equitable Communities grant, and administered in collaboration with Ward Research, the survey reached 666 respondents across all regions of Oʻahu between September and October 2025. Data was weighted to the Oʻahu population using 2023 American Community Survey data.
Transportation challenges vary dramatically depending on where you live. That’s why Hawaiʻi Appleseed is also launching a companion StoryMap resource, featuring an interactive map that allows users to explore mobility needs by region.
The map layers infrastructure perception, transportation insecurity, and zero-vehicle household data across Oʻahu, providing a spatial window into the specific barriers and opportunities within each region. For example:
Urban Honolulu residents report unsafe or nonexistent pedestrian infrastructure as a major barrier.
Central Oʻahu and Windward/North Shore residents are significantly more likely to never walk to destinations—not by choice, but because the infrastructure isn’t there.
ʻEwa/Leeward residents cite traffic congestion and long drive times as their primary concern.
Access the interactive StoryMap at https://hiappleseed.org/shifting-focus-oahu-mobility-barriers.
The report found that transportation insecurity is not evenly distributed. It disproportionately affects:
Residents earning below $75,000 annually (50 percent face transportation insecurity);
People with disabilities (67 percent face transportation insecurity); and
Households with three or more people, especially those with children (38 percent face challenges).
Vehicle ownership tells a similar story. While 85 percent of respondents own at least one car, that number drops sharply among low-income households and people with disabilities. Twenty-eight percent of households earning below $75,000 have zero cars. Thirty percent of respondents with disabilities have zero cars.
The survey also examined how students get to school—and found significant potential for change. Among respondents with school-aged children:
59 percent of students would ride a school bus if pick-up and drop-off locations were more convenient.
50 percent would use TheBus more if they had free or discounted passes or more direct routes.
47 percent would walk to school if sidewalks were safer.
39 percent would bike if safer bike lanes were available.
“These numbers tell us that students aren’t rejecting transit or active transportation—they’re rejecting unsafe, inconvenient, or unaffordable options,” said Boksanski. “Invest in the infrastructure, and they will use it.”
The report urges decision-makers and municipal agencies to shift focus away from vehicle-centered infrastructure and toward transportation that puts people first. Key recommendations include:
Improve pedestrian infrastructure and safety: Prioritize sidewalk continuity, accessible pedestrian signals, and leading pedestrian intervals, particularly for the 12.9 percent of Oʻahu residents living with disabilities.
Expand affordable and reliable transit options: Invest in dedicated bus lanes, unbundle parking from housing costs, and expand electric bike rebate and car-sharing programs.
Expand student transportation options: Implement free transit passes for all youth, improve school bus access, and build safer routes for walking and biking to school.
“We cannot keep building roads for a version of Oʻahu that doesn’t exist anymore,” said Arjuna Heim, Hawaiʻi Appleseed Director of Research. “If we want to reduce traffic, lower the cost of living, and make sure people can actually get where they need to go—whether that’s a job, a doctor’s appointment, or a grocery store—we need to invest in safe, affordable, and reliable options for everyone, not just drivers.”
