From what he can tell, "most of the larger (ridership) increases are coming from commuter trips into town from primarily Central (O'ahu) and the west," Morton said. "Things are going up generally, but let's put it this way: The longer-distance riders are the ones that have had the biggest percentage increase."

A number of those scurrying to catch TheBus at the Kapolei Transit Center on Haumea Street on Thursday morning said they only recently began catching TheBus.

Kapolei resident Raj Prasad, a network manager at Sprint's Downtown office, already bought a monthly bus pass even though he began riding TheBus to work only this week.

"I can be more productive" on the bus, Prasad said, as he fired up his laptop and navigated the Internet with the help of a wireless card. "It's a great use of the public transport system and commute time, especially at this time when fuel prices are skyrocketing."

He said he spent $55-$60 a week filling up his BMW sedan, but he added that the stress of navigating traffic gridlock also helped him convert to TheBus. It often takes less time riding TheBus to work than it did for him to drive himself since TheBus can hop onto the H-1 Zipper Lane into town that he, as a single driver, could not use.

Clarke, the Makakilo resident who is a postal clerk at the Waikiki station, said riding TheBus does not offer her the freedom or convenience of driving her van, which costs $60 every four days to fill up. "But I don't mind it," she said. "I can read, I can relax. I can sleep."

Clarke said she was so convinced that she'll ride TheBus long-term that she bought a monthly pass after the first day.

Wai'anae resident Josephine Ruiz, who said she began riding TheBus to her job as a sales associate at Macy's Downtown a little more than a month ago, is already on her second bus pass.

"It was killing my pocketbook," Ruiz said, of the $25 in gas she was putting into her Toyota truck every other day.

Like Prasad, Ruiz said it takes her less time to get to work on TheBus. And, "I don't have to get up as early," she said.

It's not just West O'ahu residents riding into town who are putting away their car keys.

Kapahulu resident Jerry Stovall, a mason, was on his way to a job at Campbell Industrial Park. Stovall said he began riding TheBus two weeks ago to jobs not just at Campbell, but also in Kalihi and on the Windward side.

"It's an easier commute," Stovall said. "It saves you gas, and you don't have to deal with the traffic and the road rage."

A friend gave him a Nissan Sentra when he moved back to O'ahu from the Mainland seven months ago. Recently, Stovall gave it back.

Passengers and bus drivers at the Kapolei bus stop all reported a noticeable increase in passengers who said that rising gas prices have driven them to public transit, up until the time school let out and ridership dipped again. Some drivers reported an increase in passengers of as much as 50 percent to 70 percent.

NO CHANGES IN STORE

Ridership typically decreases during the summer when most students are out of school and families are on vacation. As a result, TheBus' Morton said, no decisions will be made until the end of summer about whether to alter or add routes as a result of the surge in riders.

Even then, he said, it's not up to his company to decide what, if any, changes are to be made.

"It's not our budget, it's the (city's) Department of Transportation Services' budget," Morton said.

"There are a lot of places where we would love to have additional service," he said. "But it's a balancing act. You can't do much in transit without affecting anybody else."

While trying to cope with increasing ridership, Morton and his lieutenants are also wrestling with increasing diesel prices.

Diesel prices have gone from $1.50 a gallon in April 2004 to about $4.25 this month, according to a chart provided by Morton, and he acknowledged that the increases have significantly affected the company's operations.

"What kind of transportation company wouldn't be reeling in the additional cost of diesel, of course," Morton said.

Morton stressed, however, that only the Honolulu City Council can make decisions about fares, and he declined to discuss whether TheBus is even considering the idea of seeking higher fares or subsidies to offset the increase in diesel costs.

"We don't talk about transit policy, including fares," Morton said. "We're the operating company that operates."

The city requires that fares pay for between 27 percent and 33 percent of operations, with the city subsidizing the balance.

Currently, TheBus fares fund about 27.3 percent of operations, Morton said.

In general, more riders is a positive financial development for TheBus. "The more passengers we get, the better the revenue situation is for us," Morton said. "But if you do add service, you're most likely going to extend your subsidy out a little bit further, so it's a two-edged sword. But we're not making those additions at this point right now."