You have decided to go to Maui, Hawaii. How do you get around once you get here?

Here on Maui, you’ll have multiple ways to get to your destination. You can hitchhike. (Cheap!) You can walk. (Slow!) You can ride a bike. (Nice! Scenic and not too fast, just watch out for all the big construction trucks.)

You can take the island’s bus system that is only two years old. Maui has a limited bus system that will take you to the more populated parts of Maui, not everywhere, like Oahu.

You can also rent a car; take a shuttle; rent a taxi From Kahului Airport (OGG), you can take the bus (twice a day, maybe more); take a shuttle (cheap for two or less); rent a car (you still have to pay for gas and parking, plus insurance, which gets expensive).

People rent cars, not realizing that they won’t even need the car most of the time and will still have to pay for it even if they don’t use it. And they will still have to pay to park, either at the hotel or when they come into the city of Lahaina or Wailuku to park and walk.

You can see more of Maui by hiring someone else to drive and allowing yourself to just sit back, relax, and enjoy the scenery, much like taking a tour or renting a cab.

For a shuttle, it usually follows their schedule, not yours, and you have to wait while they drop off and pick up other people on the route. It is definitely not convenient.

The most comfortable, economical, practical and very specific transport to go from the airport to your destination – rent a cab. A taxi is always the best investment for three or more people. When you hire a taxi, you don’t pay per person; as a transportation service, you only pay for the taxi. You only pay for a taxi when you need it. Not like a rental car that you pay for whether you use it or not. A taxi can take up to 7 people and luggage. A taxi takes you from “door to door”.

By hiring a taxi, you can share the fare and significantly reduce your cost per person. On the flight to Maui from anywhere, or at baggage claim, find someone to go your way on Maui and arrange to “share a cab.” You can split the fare and get quite possibly the lowest cost for fast, convenient, and reliable transportation on the island. Literally, from ‘door to door’. Why invest your time and money in a rental car, when a taxi will cover most of your transportation needs? Hotel, tourist areas or county government, free or just a few dollars.

When you first arrive on Maui, you may be exhausted from your long flight. Getting into an unknown rental car and risking your life and that of your family on unfamiliar roads is not the best idea. It is better to share a taxi and let a local professional driver take you to your destination cheaply, quickly and safely; while you sit back and relax. If this is your vacation, you should relax and let someone else do the driving, right?

Come on, you’re on vacation; Why punish yourself trying to get to your hotel, when you can barely stay awake? Leave the initial driving to a professional and rent a car only when you need it, later. Why not start your vacation at the airport now, instead of later, after you arrive at your condo, hotel, or resort?

Paul for now. (“Pau” means “finished, done, completed”)

your friend and mine

steven joshua blue