The HOLO card is a contactless smart card used to pay for

public transit Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typic ...

fares on the island of Oʻahu in

Hawaiʻi Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

. The card is used to hold cash value or passes for use on TheBus, and will also be valid on Honolulu's rail system when it opens to the public. The card is used by tapping it on a reader terminal when boarding TheBus, and can be loaded online at the HOLO card's website, over the phone, or in-person at various retail locations. "Holo" is a Hawaiian word that means to "ride", "go", or "flow." Reduplicated, "holoholo" means "to go out for pleasure."

Background

The HOLO card was created by the

City and County of Honolulu Honolulu County (officially known as the City and County of Honolulu, formerly Oahu County) is a consolidated city–county in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The city–county includes both the city of Honolulu (the state's capital and largest cit ...

as a way to allow seamless transfers between TheBus and the future rail system. Prior to the introduction of the card, TheBus users either paid cash fares or purchased paper passes. INIT was contracted in 2016 to develop, manage, and operate the HOLO card system. The card was initially released to the public on a pilot basis in December 2018. Paper day, monthly, and yearly passes were phased out beginning in April 2021, and were completely discontinued by July 1, 2021. All cards were issued for free prior to March 1, 2022. There is a $2 fee for new and replacement cards to encourage cards to be reused, with selected discounted fare categories exempted from the fee for new cards or for both new and replacement cards.

Usage

The HOLO card uses a fare-capping system, similar to the

Hop Fastpass Hop Fastpass is a contactless smart card for public transit fare payment on most transit modes in the Portland, Oregon, metropolitan area including MAX Light Rail, WES commuter rail, Portland Streetcar, The Vine, and all TriMet and C-TRAN bu ...

card used in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...

, where users are not charged for additional fares after paying an amount equal to the cost of a day pass over the course of a single day, or after paying an amount equal to the cost of a monthly pass over a single month. The card also includes a transfer function where users who board multiple buses or trains within a hour window are not charged an additional fare regardless of whether or not they have reached a daily or monthly cap amount. Paying a cash fares does not allow for transfers. The card is used by first being loaded with cash value or a pass, then by tapping the card on a card reader when boarding a bus. The card will also be used to pass through faregates at rail stations when the rail system opens. Users have the option of creating an account to allow the card to be registered to an individual and reloaded via the HOLO card's website. Registering a card also allows any cash value or passes loaded on the card to be replaced if the card is lost or stolen, and for the card to be remotely disabled at any time. Use of the card may be extended in the future to include Biki, Honolulu's bikeshare system, paying for admission to City-operated facilities such as the

Honolulu Zoo The Honolulu Zoo is a zoo in Queen Kapiʻolani Park in Honolulu, Hawaii. It is the only zoo in the United States to be established by grants made by a sovereign monarch and is built on part of the royal Queen Kapiʻolani Park. The Honolulu Z ...

and

Hanauma Bay Hanauma (; ) is a marine embayment formed within a tuff ring and located along the southeast coast of the Island of Oahu in the Hawaii Kai neighborhood of East Honolulu, in the Hawaiian Islands. Hanauma is one of the most popular tourist destin ...

, and municipal parking.

Notes

References

External links

Official websiteTheBus fare information
{{American smartcards Honolulu Rail Transit TheBus (Honolulu) Fare collection systems in the United States Contactless smart cards 2021 establishments in Hawaii