Oahu on a budget! Where to buy HOLO card in Waikiki + how to use! Honolulu Hawaii bus travel tips

ALOHA!

You don’t NEED a HOLO card to ride the Oahu bus.

But if you plan on taking the bus on Oahu a few times, the HOLO card makes it worth it for the convenience!

I’ve used a HOLO card for the bus many times and here’s what you need to know!

You can pay for the bus in Oahu using a HOLO card, and it makes it easy to travel around Oahu by bus!

In order to use the HOLO card, all you need to do is TAP when you get on the card and that’s it!

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You can still ride the bus without a HOLO card.

But without a HOLO card, you will need to make sure that you have exact change when you get on the bus.

So your options for riding the Oahu bus are to pay for the bus fare with the HOLO card or with cash.

The HOLO card doesn’t necessarily save you money.

And in fact the HOLO card will cost you $2 or so for the initial buy.

But it’s worth it for the convenience if you plan on taking the Oahu bus a bunch of times!

You will put money on it ahead of time, and it will charge you when you use the HOLO card.

If you take the bus a lot in one day, then you will never pay more than $7.50 if you use the HOLO card. If you pay by cash, you will need to pay $3 each time.

In this case, the HOLO card will save you money!

You can go to a lot of places by bus on Oahu!

Whether you want to take the bus to go down the road in Waikiki instead of walking 20 minutes (no shame! I totally took the bus to go see the Waikiki fireworks since I was staying on the other end of Waikiki!), or you want to go by bus to venture out further from Waikiki for a day trip around Oahu, the HOLO card makes it easy!

• Things to do in Waikiki without a car (for VIEWS!)
• Things to do on Oahu by bus from Waikiki

How much does it cost to ride the bus with a HOLO card?

Each Oahu bus ride costs $3.

If you use a HOLO card, you also get free transfers for 2.5 hours. You still do need to swipe your HOLO card every time.

If you use a HOLO card to take the bus, you will also never have to pay more than $7.50 in one day. Basically, if you use a HOLO card, your Oahu bus day pass is $7.50.

Again, you need to swipe your HOLO card every time you ride the bus.

The bus fares will automatically be calculated, so there’s nothing to do on your end except swipe!

See current bus fares with a HOLO card.

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How do you get a HOLO card?

You cannot get a HOLO card on the bus. You need to get this before you get on the bus.

But, it’s easy to get a HOLO card in Waikiki!

The easiest way to get a HOLO card is by going to any ABC Store in Waikiki!

If you don’t get a HOLO card before you get on the bus, that’s okay, but you will just need to pay in cash and make sure you have exact change (aka several dollar bills).

See more places to get a HOLO card.

How do you add money to a HOLO card?

It’s also easy to add money to a HOLO card! Once you have your HOLO card, you can simply go online to the official HOLO card website and put more money on your card!

Each HOLO card has a unique card number so you’ll use that number to put money onto your individual card.

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How do you use the HOLO card on the bus?

It is also easy to use a HOLO card!

When you get on the bus, you will tap your card on the HOLO card machine, and that’s it! You don’t need to do anything else. There is also nothing to do at the end of the bus ride. You don’t need to tap the card at the end or anything like that. You will just get off the bus when your bus stop arrives, and that’s that!

As soon as you get on the bus, you will see the HOLO card machine. You will also see the bus fare box which is where you will insert your dollar bills if you’re paying in cash.

How to take the bus using the HOLO card

• Buy a HOLO card at ABC Store in Waikiki
• Arrive at your nearest bus stop according to google maps
• Get on the bus and immediately tap your HOLO card on the machine! Wait for it to approve your card.
• Go and find a seat on the bus and enjoy the ride!
• Follow along on google maps to know when your bus stop is next, and when it is, pull any yellow cord on the bus!
• Arrive at your bus stop and get off the bus! You might have to TOUCH the door for it to open. (It might not open automatically – look for a TOUCH sign)

So if you are staying in Waikiki, first you will go to an ABC Store in Waikiki.

This won’t be difficult to find.

The closest ABC Store is never too far away because there are SO many ABC Stores in Waikiki! (See more: ABC Store food)

Then you can simply go to the cashier and tell them you want to buy a HOLO card!

When I bought a HOLO card from ABC Store in September 2022, you needed cash in order to buy the HOLO card.

The ABC Store cashier will ask you how much you want to put on it to start. I did the minimum required to start, which was $5: $2 for the card and $3 for one bus ride.

Then, I went online to add more cash to the card.

If you want to load it up when you buy it, then you can consider for example how many days you will be using the Oahu bus, keeping in mind that the most you will pay in one day is $7.50.

So once you have your HOLO card, you are now really ready to take the bus!

Google maps is VERY helpful for figuring out how to get around Oahu by bus!

It will tell you where to go to get on the bus, and when you’re on the bus, you can continue to refer to google maps as it will list the upcoming stops before your bus stop too.

👇 Outside of Waikiki, your nearest Oahu bus stop might be a sheltered seating area or it might be a bench… or no sitting area at all!

Once the bus arrives, you’ll get on the bus from the front of the bus.

Get your HOLO card ready!

As you get on, look out for the HOLO card machine!

Place your HOLO card on it, and wait for it to approve!

Then, you can go and have a seat!

Once you are on the bus, you can follow along on google maps!

The name of the next bus stop will also be announced, and it will be on display as well.

Once your bus stop is next, then you will pull the yellow cord. This signifies to the bus driver to stop at the next bus stop.

Once the bus has stopped, you don’t need to do anything special in regards to the HOLO card or bus fare before getting off the bus.

The bus door may not automatically open. If it doesn’t, you’ll look for the spot to touch to open the door.

👆 How to get off the bus: The green light indicates that the door can be opened. In order to open this door, you’ll touch the handles on the door.

Then, you’ll get off the bus and head to your destination!

👇 In this case, I got off the bus to go to Waimanalo Beach! It was a few minutes of walking from the bus stop.

And that’s a bit about getting a HOLO card in Waikiki!

Be sure to see things to do in Waikiki without a car!

HAPPY USING YOUR HOLO CARD FOR THE FIRST TIME!