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In Wednesday’s Star-Advertiser, the director of the city Department of Transportation Services was quoted as saying in November 2024 that the annual operating cost of Skyline was $76 million (“Honolulu’s transit fare box policy under Council scrutiny,” Star-Advertiser, Oct. 22). The city also publishes ridership figures, which have been fairly steady at about 100,000 rides per month, or 1.2 million rides per year. Divide one by the other and you see that the average cost of a single ride is about $63. The passenger pays less than $3 of this — sometimes quite a lot less, depending on the type of ticket. So we taxpayers are subsidizing Skyline riders at the rate of at least $60 for each ride. Food for thought. Edward Conklin >> Contact: 529-4831 (phone), letters@staradvertiser.com, staradvertiser.com/editorial/submit-letter
