Cruise Hawaiʻi community carpooling platform statewide expansion

Fund the Cruise Hawaiʻi community-based carpooling platform, which connects local drivers with neighbors who need a ride on trips the drivers are already making, with riders sharing the cost directly with drivers so residents save money on both sides of the ride, and the money stays in local communities. A two-month pilot on Kauaʻi brought in 530 sign-ups, and the platform relaunches in November 2026 with a rebuilt app. Visitors can also ride with local drivers as a secondary audience that brings extra income to drivers and keeps rental cars off crowded rural roads.

With Green Fee support in FY28–29, the project will:

1. Secure the insurance and liability coverage needed to operate safely at scale.

2. Expand to Maui, Hawaiʻi Island and Oʻahu with locally hired island ambassadors.

3. Launch specialty programs:

   • kūpuna and ʻōpio rides with specially verified and trained drivers

   • designated-driver rides

   • “Grey Skies Blue Skies,” a driver network that becomes an emergency evacuation and supply network when disasters strike

1. Run community outreach at farmers markets, community events, and commuter corridors.

2. Track vehicle miles traveled (VMT) reduced and resident savings, and report them publicly.

The project makes getting around more affordable and accessible for residents, cuts traffic and emissions, and adds to Hawaiʻi’s disaster-response capacity. It supports the state’s goal of net-zero transportation by 2045 through a model grounded in aloha and kōkua.

Estimated budget: $165,000