(p.s. .. if you decide you want to rent a car for a day or two, read my page on how to get the best car rental price in hawaii or look into the go oahu card - they sometimes have a bonus, free one-day car rental with 3 or 5 or 7 day card purchase.)

      If you are planning a trip to Oahu and can't quite make the budget stretch far enough, consider bypassing the rental car. The reason is Oahu has a fantastic public transportation system called TheBus. TheBus was named America's Best Transit System in 2000-2001 by the American Public Transit System, and I believe this is the fourth time it has received that award. It really is a marvel of transportation. You can tour the entire island for only a few dollars, or you could buy a monthly pass or a 4 day pass.

TheBus stops at practically every tourist attraction on the island, and another comes along every 10 minutes. Basically, it's a good deal for budget-minded travellers. It will work best for people staying in Waikiki or Honolulu since these are the central hubs - but a visitor staying practically anywhere on Oahu can take advantage of TheBus.

You can't bring any luggage on TheBus so you wouldn't be able to take it from the airport to your hotel but you could take a honolulu airport shuttle to any hotel in Waikiki, if your hotel doesn't provide its own shuttle, for only $8. You also could take a taxi. Don't worry about checking these links now. When you get to the airport, just pick up a courtesy phone at baggage claim for a shuttle or go out to the taxi flagger for a taxi

Another good strategy if you didn't want to rent a car for your entire stay would be to utilize the above services, and then rent the car for a day or two for a specific trip, say to the north shore.

On one of my first trips to Oahu, when I was about 22 and had never used any sort of public transportation before, I made a very easy trip from Schofield Barracks to Waikiki just by walking to a bus stop and getting on, grabbing a route map from the stop. I switched busses once in Wahiawa and just stayed on till it stopped. It felt quite comfortable and safe, and if a farm girl from Illinois can do it, anyone can.