Honolulu not spared by Rideshare driver shortage, residents getting creative

By TJ Horgan

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    HONOLULU, Hawaii (KITV) — Wednesday at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, some arriving passengers reported waiting more than an hour for their Lyft or Uber to arrive.

“We finally found [a ride] with Uber after a good 45 minutes, we’re paying $120 just to get to Waikiki,” Cody Johnson told KITV4. Johnson and his wife are visiting from Reno, Nevada.

Marvin Moses and his family, Houston, Texas residents, were waiting for more than an hour with no signs of hope for a ride home, saying their shuttle left before their luggage arrived and buses wouldn’t let them on with luggage.

“Get your stuff together before you come here because if not you’re going to be stuck,” Moses told KITV4.

According to Ecommerce company Rakuten, Uber and Lyft prices are up nearly 40 percent in some areas across the country due to a driver shortage.

A Lyft spokesperson acknowledged this to KITV4 in an email, saying “We’re seeing big increases in demand for rides, as vaccines roll out and people start moving again. We’re working to meet demand, including providing incentives to drivers, who are busier and earning more than they were even before the pandemic.”

Hawaii’s Senate Transportation Committee Chairperson Chris Lee told KITV4 he sees this as a solid “side hustle” for residents looking to earn extra cash.

“It is an opportunity for local residents to get out there behind the wheel some of these companies are offering incentives paying $30 or more per hour to go out and drive,” Sen. Lee told KITV4.

Another way Hawaii residents are earning money on the side is utilizing the peer-to-peer car-sharing app “Turo.” On Turo, people can rent their personal cars, and with large rental car companies having supply chain issues, it’s often a cheaper alternative for folks searching for a rental car.

“What we’ve been hearing from our hosts is they cannot keep up [with the demand],” explained Turo’s Senior Government Affairs Manager Tami Bui.

Bui said in her time with Turo, this is as busy as the Hawaii market has been.

“We can fill a need right now on the islands and at the same time empower local residents to make extra money,” Bui told KITV4.

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