Can anyone tell me about the bus system on Oahu? Could you go to Waimanolo beach or Waimea Falls this way? Can you get to the Bishop Museum easily? What is the cost for this? How can we get a bus schedule and are the buses packed like sardines? We might just rent a car for a day to go to different places. We have rented a car before but with all the one way streets and traffic congestion we found it to be rather nightmareish. Any help would be appreciated. We are going in September.

Not all the buses are packed and it also depends on the time of day. Rush hour & after school is always crowded. The fare for adults is $1.50........and you can get all the information you want and more at http://www.thebus.org/

If you are pretty good at driving around, though, I would rent a car. The stops and the fact that routes are not as direct can make the ride twice as long as you would want.

If I were you, I would take the bus once in awhile, but not for everything. Like Melissa said, the ride can be twice as long as it should be. My husband and I took the bus to Pearl Harbor and getting there burned up about 2 and a half hours of our precious time in Hawaii. We took a cab back.

I've been all around Oahu by bus. Hiking at the Hawaiian Nature Center and Manoa Falls, Waimanalo beach, the Byodo-In temple, Hanauma bay, Kahala mall, Waimea Bay, Contemporary Museum (loved the surrounding neighborhood here) etc. etc. You can print bus schedules off their web site or pick them up at McDonalds in Waikiki. Bus fare is $1.50. Buses to Pearl Harbour are packed in the morning. Same for buses to Hanauma bay. The rest were OK. The web site will also tell you which bus to take to the various attractions and travel times.

http://www.thebus.org

The hotels have handouts which give bus instructions to many of the tourist locations. The bus drivers are also very helpful. I took the bus to the Bishop Museum, Waimea Bay, Makapuu, Matsumoto's for shaved ice, Diamond Head, etc. It takes longer than driving, but you get to see a lot.

I would not waste any precious time on Oahu. I do not drive have ridden that bus many times when I lived on the island. It is slow and very very local, stopping everywhere. This pass summer I hoped a cab out to the North Shore for $60 to skip that ordeal. That is a lot for me but well worth it when the alternative is to loose a good part of my day on Oahu. Take it in from the airport you will see what I mean

Can anyone tell me what it would cost to take a taxi from the Airport on Oahu to the Halekulani or should we arrange shuttle service? Thanks

Taxi fare from the airport to downtown Honolulu is about $12. So I would say to get to Waikiki, it is probably close to $20.

I thought it was $30 into Waikiki