This new approach shortened the work time from a projected eight days to three days and had no adverse effect on traffic. The Transportation Demand Management Office continued its efforts to reduce traffic congestion through alternatives to single occupant vehicles. It provides a matching service for people interested in finding one or more partners, either passengers or drivers, to share the commute to and from work. The office also oversees the state's vanpool program, Vanpool Hawaii. Vanpool Hawaii provides comfortable nine or 15-passenger vans to groups that wish to ride together to and from work.
Riders pay a monthly fee.
Drivers, who are responsible for picking other passengers and maintenance, get to use the van during non-work hours. Transportation Demand Management provides the only possibility of reducing traffic congestion without incurring huge costs, and at the same time extending the functional life of our existing system of roads and highways. If every person who drives a single occupant vehicle decided to either drive another person or ride with one tomorrow, traffic congestion would be a thing of the past. From that vantage point at the back of Haiku Valley, they could enjoy the view down to Kaneohe Bay, see the dramatic Koolau Mountains up close and learn about the building of Oahu's last freeway and its high-tech tunnel. It also won an award from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials as the Best Public Affairs Project in 1996.