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Honolulu Rapid Transit and Land Company

This article is about the defunct streetcar and trolleybus system of Honolulu. For the modern light metro system, see Skyline (Honolulu). For the modern bus system, see TheBus (Honolulu).
Honolulu Rapid Transit and Land Company
Overview
LocaleHonolulu, Hawaiʻi
Dates of operation1901–1941
(bus service until 1971)
SuccessorMass Transit Lines (TheBus)
Technical
Track gauge4 ft (1,219 mm)[1][2]
Electrification575 V DC[1]
Length30 mi (48 km)

The Honolulu Rapid Transit and Land Company (HRT) was a private transportation provider and land development company in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. At its height, it operated over 30 miles (48 km) of streetcar tracks which had annual ridership of 20 million passengers.[3][4]

HRT was incorporated on June 6, 1898 during the United States' annexation of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi, when territorial lawmakers approved a franchise for an electric streetcar system.[5] The system aimed to provide a modern alternative to Hawaiian Tramways, the existing horse-drawn tram company on Oʻahu.[4] HRT's first streetcar ran on August 31, 1901; a single-ride fare cost five cents.[6][4] Hawaiian Tramways was acquired two years later in 1903.[7]

Lines were quickly built around central Honolulu, along with lines to the then-undeveloped neighborhoods of Kaimukī and Mānoa, which drew in businesses and residents to the areas.[4] Branches of the system were also extended into Waikīkī, Fort Shafter, and Nuʻuanu Valley.[3] HRT continued to develop several neighborhoods around the city, and also established the Honolulu Aquarium in 1904 as an attraction at the end of a line across from Kapiʻolani Park.[8][9][5]

By 1910, the system transported 8.9 million passengers annually, equivalent to 110 rides per person per year for every person living on the island at the time. By 1923, HRT's streetcars had a ridership of 20 million per year.[4]

Ridership declined through the late 1920s and 1930s due to the rising popularity of automobiles and buses. HRT had begun introducing motor buses into their fleet in 1915,[10] along with trolleybuses (which used existing overhead electrical wiring) in 1937, both of which aimed to eliminate track and paving maintenance costs.[3][11] With an increased focus on buses, the Nuʻuanu, Punahou, and Mānoa streetcar lines were demolished in 1934; some of the rail, only a few years old, was used to refurbish the King Street line.[12] By 1935, HRT's system was nearly evenly split between the two modes of transport, with 45 trolleybuses and 50 streetcars in regular service.[4]

Honolulu trolleybus at the corner of King and Bishop Streets, on October 24, 1944.

The final streetcar ran shortly after midnight on July 1, 1941, with service converted to trolleybus later the same day.[13][5] The company promoted the switch to "trackless trolleys" as the "greatest mass transportation improvement Honolulu has seen since the electric street cars of Rapid Transit replaced the mule drawn trams.[14]

HRT's trolleybus service ceased on June 22, 1957, with a fleet of diesel buses fully replacing the 115 electric trolleybus coaches. By 1970, HRT saw 30 million annual passengers riding its fleet of 141 buses.[5][6]

On January 1, 1971, 350 employees went on strike against HRT, which had been subject to a hostile takeover by billionaire businessman Harry Weinberg between the mid-1950s and 1960.[10][15] The labor dispute was resolved on February 25, 1971 when HRT was purchased from Weinberg by the city-owned Mass Transit Lines Inc., which in turn was renamed TheBus the following month.[15][16][17]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b McGraw Electric Railway Directory. McGraw-Hill Company. August 1920. p. 28 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ "On The Way". Pacific Commercial Advertiser. Honolulu, Hawaii. April 16, 1900. p. 14. Retrieved August 13, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b c Castro, Alex H. F.; Yost, Harold H. (1972). "Oahu's 'Toonerville Trolley'". The Hawaii almost nobody knows. Hawaii, USA. p. 55.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ^ a b c d e f Terrell, Jessica (December 25, 2023). "Electric Streetcars Transformed Honolulu Before They Disappeared". Honolulu Civil Beat. Archived from the original on March 17, 2025. Retrieved September 21, 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d "Kapi'olani Regional Park". City and County of Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation. Retrieved September 21, 2025.
  6. ^ a b "The State of Hawaii Data Book" (PDF). hawaii.gov. November 1978. Retrieved September 21, 2025.
  7. ^ Oyama, Kazuo (April 8, 1981). "Kazu's Corner". No Hou Dala Paa. Vol. 1, no. 1. The Hawaii State Numismatic Association and The Honolulu Coin Club. p. 3. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
  8. ^ Joseph R., Morgan (1996). Hawaiʻi A Unique Geography. Honolulu, HI: Bess Press. p. 150. ISBN 1573060216.
  9. ^ Budnick, Rich (2005). Hawaii's Forgotten History: the good... the bad... the embarrassing. Honolulu, HI: Aloha Press. p. 21. ISBN 0944081045.
  10. ^ a b Young, Peter T (January 14, 2020). "Honolulu Rapid Transit (HRT)". Images of Old Hawaiʻi. Retrieved September 21, 2025.
  11. ^ "Engineers Praise New HRT Trolley Coaches". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Honolulu, Hawaii. December 30, 1937. p. 10. Retrieved August 13, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Old Order Is Giving Way To New in Hawaii". Honolulu Advertiser. Honolulu, Hawaii. July 2, 1934. p. 3. Retrieved August 13, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Last Trolley To Quit At Midnight Monday". Honolulu Sunday Advertiser. Honolulu, Hawaii. June 29, 1941. pp. 1, 6. Retrieved August 13, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Kaimuki and Kalihi Patrons Your New Trolley Coach Service Begins Tomorrow!". The Honolulu Advertiser. June 30, 1941. p. 5.
  15. ^ a b Adamski, Mary (August 24, 2003). "1971 strike prompted city to create public fleet". Honolulu Staar-Bulletin. Retrieved September 21, 2025.
  16. ^ "Hawaii Teamsters & A. Wkrs., L. 996 v. Honolulu Rapid Tr. Co., 343 F. Supp. 419 (D. Haw. 1972)". Justia Law. June 7, 1972. Retrieved September 21, 2025.
  17. ^ Stern, Bernard W. (1986). Rutledge Unionism: Labor Relations in the Honolulu Transit Industry. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i, Center for Labor Education & Research.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Simpson, MacKinnon; Brizdle, John (2000). Streetcar Days in Honolulu: Breezing Through Paradise. JLB Press.


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