LIHUE, Hawaiʻi — Officials on Kauaʻi have created a website to help tourists find transportation options as the island experiences a shortage of rental cars.
Kauaʻi's Office of Economic Development partnered with the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority to launch a website to help visitors find ways to get around without a car.
“Our goal is that this new website will serve as a resource to connect travelers with transportation alternatives, such as airport shuttles, ride-shares and bike rentals,” said Nalani Brun, Kauai's Office of Economic Development director. "This rental-car crisis can become an opportunity for us to shift away from the mindset that the only way to get around Kauai is with a personal vehicle."
Officials hope the website, GetAroundKauai.com, will create a more sustainable long-term transportation structure. They also want the resource to help reduce traffic congestion created by tourists who are flocking to Hawaiʻi as pandemic restrictions ease.
“During the pandemic, our residents were given a glimpse of what life is like without the influx of cars on our roads, and there’s no denying how much traffic had improved,” Kauaʻi Mayor Derek Kawakami said in a release. “As we continue to recover, we see the opportunity to do better in managing visitor impact, and that includes implementing transportation-mode change on our island.”
With rental cars in high demand and no centralized way to search for other transportation options, county officials said the site will be a place people can find the best alternatives to rental cars.
The county said the website will be regularly updated as new transportation options become available. The website also will have a map with Kauai bus stops and routes, regional walking guides and weekly blog posts to help visitors understand airport shuttles, parking permits for state parks and details about accessing remote places.
