Molokai ferry during its final days of operation, 2016. Photo by Catherine Cluett Pactol.
The lack of reliable transportation to and from Molokai in recent years has prompted residents and Maui County officials to reopen talks about reinstating the Molokai ferry. County officials and consultants traveled to Molokai to conduct a preliminary feasibility study on the prospects of reinstating the ferry under Maui County’s management.
The ferry would operate “similarly to our bus system,” said District Councilor Keani Rawlins Fernandez at the August 1 meeting at the Kualapu’u Rec Center.
Molokai residents expressed their opinions on the feasibility of resuming the ferry service and offered suggestions on which wharf on Maui the ferry should go to and how to improve infrastructure. Many participants recalled using the ferry to commute to work or for a day trip to Maui.
David Jung, who operated the Molokai Ferry for 30 years until its closure in 2016, provided insight into the ferry business. Jung explained that as a private company, the ferry would eventually no longer be able to compete with the airlines.
“There is no way an unsubsidised and regulated (ferry) passenger service can compete with a subsidised and unregulated (air) service,” he said.
During his 30-year tenure, Jung operated two round-trip trips per day on the Molokai Princess for $50 each way.
Molokai residents in attendance seemed excited for a return to this kind of normal travel operation. More than 70 community members attended the meeting in person, along with State Rep. Mahina Poepoe and County Councilmember Keani Rawlins-Fernandez, whose live stream of the meeting hosted another dozen attendees.
“When you look at the intersection between the three islands, even with air service, there isn’t too much connection between Lahaina, Kaunakakai and Lanai. The airports are spread out,” explained Molokai resident Gordon Albino. “A ferry in that area would reduce the need for airplanes in that area.”
Local residents also expressed their opinions on how a ferry could best meet Molokai’s needs.
“We need to prioritize our local, essential travel,” Molokai resident Zhan Lindo said at the meeting. “It won’t do us any good if it’s overwhelmed by non-essential travelers.”
Maui County officials said this is just the first step toward potentially resuming the ferry. Feedback from the Molokai meeting, as well as the Maui and Lanai meetings, will be turned into a draft proposal. The draft should be available for residents to review in the fall.
Even if the Molokai ferry is restored to service, it won’t be there in time for this year’s back-to-school shopping. Rawlins-Fernandez estimates it could realistically take three to five years for a county-operated ferry to be operational.
In the meantime, residents continue to rely on air travel and Mokulele Airlines. Recently, Molokai residents have been dealing with an acute shortage of available flights to and from Molokai. In August, it was very difficult to book flights, causing delays to important meetings, doctor’s appointments, etc.
While Molokai has had problems with inter-island transportation for years, recent irregularities are causing concern among residents.
“It’s getting worse,” said Karen Holt, executive director of the Molokai Community Service Council. Holt said health insurers like Kaiser Permanente are also having trouble booking flights for patients through the end of August.
Louis Saint-Cyr, President of Mokulele Operations for Hawaii, said, “The current August schedule currently has limited availability and we are working hard to add additional flights in August… We recognize that this situation is particularly challenging for the Molokai community.”
Mokulele prioritizes medical travel, and residents should contact the call center at 808-495-4188 with any medical travel needs, Saint-Cyr explained.
Residents have recently noticed that third-party companies such as Priceline and Kayak are selling flights to Mokulele – at a much higher price. But Mokulele officials say Mokulele’s relationship with third-party companies has not changed, and the current problems are due to limited aircraft availability.
