U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg toured the rail transit facility behind Leeward Community College and was welcomed to campus’ Hālaulani station for a ride on the Skyline metro to Halawa, during his February visit to �鶹��ý. The station is located alongside Ala ʻIke Street and can be accessed from a building on the campus.

The station opened in June 2023 and is the only one in the system not built on elevated tracks. Officials from the State Department of Transportation and the City and County of Honolulu, including Mayor Rick Blangiardi, discussed the project with Buttigieg.

“It was a pleasure joining our city, state and federal officials in welcoming Secretary Buttigieg for his first ride on Skyline, and learning about how local culture and history are tied to the naming and art at the station, and its connection to Leeward Community College,” said Chancellor Carlos Peñaloza.

Prior to his Leeward CC visit, Buttigieg had been on Maui to see the devastation in Lahaina from the wildfires and meet with officials there about transportation projects. How climate change will impact shoreline roadways and more throughout the island state was another topic of discussion during his trip.

The launch of the first phase of Honolulu’s new mass transit system Skyline on June 30 will link two University of �鶹��ý campuses.

has the rail station named Hālaulani (heavenly hālau) adjacent to the campus as well as the rail operations center. The Keoneʻae (fine, soft, powdery sand; also name of a previous village in the area) station near includes access to a new TheBus Transit Center. (.)

The first phase of the project will include nine rail stations along 10.75 miles from East Kapolei to the Aloha Stadium. Trains are scheduled to arrive at the stations every 10 minutes. Passengers will be able to ride the trains 5 a.m.–7 p.m. on weekdays, and 8 a.m.–7 p.m. on weekends and holidays.

Leeward CC has worked with the HART rail team to develop an that provided a pathway for students to work on the Skyline project. (Read more about the program.)

The transit system is expected to be a source of alternative transportation for students and employees.

“Skyline will be a connector of people and communities linking families, schools, and businesses. We at UH West Oʻahu know that the networks this transit will create will support our region’s prosperity, as well as the sharing of rich cultural and historical stories!” UH West Oʻahu Chancellor Maenette Benham said.

“Getting the opportunity to ride the rail yesterday was amazing! It’s been a while since I’ve taken public transportation, but I know of a lot of my fellow classmates that do and benefit from TheBus, and are excited that the Skyline is opening up,“ said Associated Students of UH West Oʻahu Vice President Mikaela Briones. “Since one of the stations is so close to our campus, I’m excited to see more and more students coming in person because of the convenience and the affordability of the Skyline!“

“We here at Leeward are looking forward to the rail serv­ice beginning,” said Leeward CC Chancellor Carlos Peñaloza. “It will provide another transportation option for many of our students, making higher education even more accessible to them, strengthening cross-campus collaboration and efforts.”

“Riding the rail was really smooth, I enjoyed watching the buildings turn into rolling hills. This is a huge opportunity for Leeward to enhance the on-campus experience and connect our community. I can’t wait to ride with friends after class for a quick bite or visit new areas on the west side!” Associated Students of University of �鶹��ý at Leeward CC Vice President Asiah Chaleunheuang said.

Updated June 18, 2023: The start of the campus shuttle service announced on June 15 has been temporarily delayed. The new start date will be announced soon.

Original story:

A pilot project between the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� and the (HDOT) will launch the State of �鶹��ý’s first autonomous electric “Min-E Bus” on the ����ԴDz� campus starting June 2023. This HDOT test project is the first under �鶹��ý’s Autonomous Vehicle Testing law passed in 2020 and will help the state meet its goal of achieving 100% clean energy by 2045 as HDOT transitions to electric vehicles.

UH ����ԴDz�’s College of Engineering is a partner in the project, responsible for collecting and analyzing data for HDOT as it begins to add autonomous and electric vehicles to its fleet.

“This is a milestone for the Department of Transportation and the state,” said HDOT Director Ed Sniffen. “We are doing our part to meet the state’s sustainability goals and make our roads safer. As autonomous vehicles become more widely used, the rate and severity of car accidents is expected to drop, and that will save lives.”

The air-conditioned, 14-passenger, AV Star All-Electric Autonomous Min-E Bus features state-of-art technology Perrone Robotics TONY (To Navigate to You) autonomous system and meets all Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. It is also able to serve passengers in wheelchairs and as a precautionary measure, human drivers will be seated at the wheel and able to take control, if needed.

The HDOT Min-E Bus will provide autonomous shuttle service to UH ����ԴDz�’s upper and lower campus over the summer in the first phase of the project. Phase 2, expected to begin in the fall, will expand the service to the Kauʻiokahaloa Nui Apartments faculty housing complex near the ����ԴDz� Marketplace.

“This pilot autonomous shuttle bus project will provide first-hand experience right here in �鶹��ý and help us collect invaluable data that will help in our understanding of what the future of transportation and mobility will look like,” said College of Engineering Dean Brennon Morioka. “It will help the state better prepare for the necessary changes in infrastructure as well as policies to accommodate large-scale autonomous vehicle deployments in �鶹��ý. We are very proud of the role that UH’s College of Engineering is playing in this initiative that HDOT is leading.”

Professor Guohui Zhang added, “This project will provide our students with an invaluable research opportunity to use what they have learned in the classroom to serve our state and community. In addition to better understanding the innovative, state-of-the-art autonomous driving technologies, we will emphasize vehicle-infrastructure interoperability and community-wide travel connectivity in this project. Our students will use this autonomous bus platform to advance their research horizons in Artificial Intelligence (AI)-empowered traffic mobility and safety enhancement, as well as traffic digital twin modeling and formulation.”

The project is a natural fit with UH, which has set a goal for the 10-campus system of zero carbon emissions by 2035. Compared to a comparable gas-powered passenger vehicle, the HDOT Min-E Bus is estimated to save more than 660 gallons of gas per year ($3,133 savings/year if cost of fuel is $4.60/gallon) and decrease carbon dioxide by 13,021 pounds/year.

Autonomous shuttle information

The autonomous shuttle is for UH ����ԴDz� students, faculty, staff and affiliates. The Phase 1 route for the HDOT Min-E Bus will run every 30 minutes from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. starting from the Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies. The route with 11 stops will take it through student housing, down East West Road and Maile Way, to the Queen Liliʻuokalani Center for Student Services (QLC), and back to the Kamakakūokalani Center.

There are 11 stops along the route in the following order:

• Kamakakūokalani Center
• Frear Hall
• Hale Noelani
• Hale Wainani
• Burns Hall
• Jefferson Hall
• St. John
• Varney Circle
• Paradise Palms
• Kennedy Theatre
• Gateway House on Dole Street

The route for a second phase is planned to run from the UH ����ԴDz� campus to the Kauʻiokahaloa Nui Apartments faculty housing located near the ����ԴDz� Marketplace.

Other UH ����ԴDz� units involved in the UH phases of the project include Commuter Services, Student Housing Services and Campus Operations and Facilities and the Office of Risk Management.

National labor leader Sara Nelson discussed the safety and health of workers through the example of �鶹��ý’s transportation workers during a virtual event hosted by the University of �鶹��ý–West Oʻahu’s (CLEAR) in September.

Named by the New York Times, Nelson is the international president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO, which represents nearly 50,000 flight attendants at 20 airlines.

“As the great labor organizer Mother Jones (Mary G. Harris Jones) said, ‘Mourn the dead and fight like hell for the living,’ and we are doing that right now,” Nelson said at the beginning of her presentation, following a moment of silence for workers who lost their lives during the course of the pandemic. “We’re doing that by coming together today, honoring the people who have come before us, honoring the people who gave up their lives to give us the rights that we have.”

CLEAR, LaborFest �鶹��ý, and the �鶹��ý State AFL-CIO collaborated to co-sponsor the event, which drew 170 participants to the live Zoom meeting and more than 900 views to the recorded presentation on .

On the , the event description stated, “Awareness and respect for workers’ rights and responsibilities combined with action by individuals is needed because the resilience and soundness of the community is directly connected to our well-being as workers.”

“Our rights that we have as labor do not exist because they were just bestowed upon us…,” Nelson said. “They were won because people thought it was important enough to stand up for each other and to fight against all odds for a better day for ourselves, and for our families, and for our fellow co-workers.”

—By Zenaida Serrano Arvman

Fujio Matsuda, president of the University of �鶹��ý from 1974 to 1984, passed away in the early hours of August 23, surrounded by his wife of 71 years and six children. He was 95.

“He taught that we must walk with humility in others’ shoes, because all are valued equally. We all strive universally to fulfill the same needs: being a part of a family, cherished, and with the opportunity to do good in the world. This was the groundwork of every decision he made throughout the many challenges and joys of his long life,” Matsuda’s family said in a statement.

“Dr. Matsuda is the reason I am in �鶹��ý,” said UH President David Lassner. “Even in the 1970s, before the Internet or the PC, he intuitively understood that computers would change the way we teach and learn. I came to UH to help in the startup of his statewide Computer Based Education Pilot Project in 1977, and I never left. Fuj led UH and then RCUH () balancing vision and pragmatism, and always with integrity. I am proud to have known him.”

Matsuda was born in Honolulu and grew up in Kakaʻako. A graduate of McKinley High School in 1942, he volunteered to become a member of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team’s 232nd Combat Engineer Company in World War II. After his military service, he studied at UH, then transferred to and graduated from Rose Polytechnic Institute in Indiana in 1949. He earned a doctorate from MIT in 1952, and remained there as a researcher for two years. He moved to the University of Illinois for a year as a researcher.

In 1955, Matsuda came home to �鶹��ý, where he taught in the UH engineering department until 1962. In that year, he was picked by Gov. John Burns to lead the state Department of Transportation. He served in that role until 1973, when then UH President Harlan Cleveland asked Matsuda to return to UH as vice president of business affairs.

Cleveland resigned as UH president in December 1973, effective the summer of 1974. In July 1974, the Board of Regents appointed Matsuda the ninth president of UH. He was the first and only UH president of Asian descent. He was also the first Asian-American president of a major university in the country. Under his leadership, the first systemwide strategic plan was developed, and the East-West Center was separated from the university. Built under his presidency were the UH law school and its library, Korean Studies Center, Marine Sciences building, athletic complex and swimming pool, Institute for Astronomy, Gilmore Hall and art building.

Fondly nicknamed “Fudge,” Matsuda served as president until May 1984. He served as executive director of the Research Corporation of the University of Hawai‘i (RCUH) from 1984 to 1994. He remained active in the community, helping to form the Pacific International Center for High Technology Research and served as its chairman. He was a member of other boards, including RCUH and the Japan-American Institute of Management Science. In 2003, he led a fundraising drive to raise $9 million to save the Japanese Cultural Center from having to sell its building and possibly disband. In 2004, he was honored as a “Living Treasure” by the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of �鶹��ý.

’s is named after the late president.

His family is planning to hold a public memorial service in the future when the risks of COVID-19 have subsided.

The family plans to establish the Fujio and Amy Matsuda Scholarship in his honor. In lieu of flowers or gifts, the family requests consideration of support for this fund.

A University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� (DURP) graduate student was honored as Advocate of the Year by the (HBL) at their annual dinner held at the Waikīkī Aquarium in February.

Anthony Chang lost his sister in March 2013. Emelia Hung died tragically at the age of 24 after being struck by a car while crossing the street.

“[Anthony’s] passion for creating safer streets and willingness to pour [his] energy into showing up to hearings, contributing to solution meetings and always speaking up for safe streets projects and policy has contributed tremendously to HBL‘s advocacy efforts and the push to create safer streets for people who walk and bike and everyone,” said Daniel Alexander, DURP alumni and co-executive director of HBL.

About Chang

Since Hung’s death, Chang has been deeply motivated to continue his study and contributions to transportation safety.

“This award, like laws and infrastructure I try to help pass, is an extension of her memory, Emelia’s epitaph,” said Chang. “Besides being my only sister, she was my closest friend, and continues to be my greatest inspiration. The award is deeply personal, and a good beginning to my advocacy.”

Networking proved beneficial to Chang as a commuter advocate. Chang, who began his advocacy in late 2016, was introduced to Alexander in 2017 and found that HBL worked on creating safer street infrastructure and legislation, including protecting pedestrians from vehicular accidents. He officially became an HBL member in January 2018.

“I did not know what to make of HBL at first, but we’ve had a great working relationship,” Chang stated. “They’re authentic, enthusiastic, passionate. Daniel has been steadfast about making streets safer.”

Chang was also introduced to DURP professors Peter Flachsbart and Makena Coffman in late 2016, and after looking into the program for a year and being encouraged by Alexander, he decided to apply and started his DURP journey in fall 2018. Coffman helped Chang secure a scholarship during his first year which solidified his decision to attend UH ����ԴDz�.

Now anticipating graduation in December 2020, Chang will be taking PLAN 642 taught by Professor Suwan Shen where he and his classmates will participate in the Commute Challenge that works toward transitioning to environmentally friendly forms of transportation. He is also writing an exit paper on transportation safety inequity on Oʻahu. Flachsbart, Coffman and Shen sit on the DURP capstone committee, and Chang credits them for his involvement, evolution and growth at DURP.

“[My paper] deals with traffic collisions and how they disproportionately affect historically disenfranchised groups on Oʻahu—women, the poor, Native Hawaiians—spatially and per capita population wise,” said Chang. “Traffic deaths annually outnumber murders in �鶹��ý by a ratio of 3:1. All traffic deaths are preventable, we need only the will to act.”

—By Janica Marie Pascua

With the fall 2019 rush coming up, the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� wants to remind students, faculty and staff of available commuter options to campus. would also like to remind everyone about the importance of showing respect and consideration to our campus and community ʻohana.

UH is committed to reducing its carbon footprint and supporting sustainable modes of transportation. Commuters who live within three miles of campus are encouraged to consider alternative means of transportation, including walking, as a healthy and sustainable option.

Rainbow Shuttle

The Rainbow Shuttle is another sustainable option that UH ����ԴDz� makes available at no charge with valid UH ID.

• Some of the routes, stops and times for the Rainbow Shuttle have changed for Fall 2019. or visit the .
• Shuttle routes travel into ����ԴDz� Valley, Mōʻiliʻili, Kaimukī and Makiki.
• All shuttles are air-conditioned, ADA-compliant and equipped with bike racks.
• Shuttle arrivals may be monitored in real time by downloading the UHM Shuttle Tracker app or visiting the .
• To ride the Rainbow Shuttle, you are required to show a valid UH ID.

For people who bike

• More than 50 free bike racks on campus.
• A in the parking structure.
• (PDF) and dockless bike share options.

For those who ride mopeds and motorcycles

• Parking permits are still available for zones on both upper and lower campus.
• Permits are $40 per semester and .

For students who drive

• There are 400 carpool permits available for students.
• Carpool permit holders will have access to preferred parking stalls.
• It’s a great way to get to campus—make a friend, reduce your carbon imprint and split costs.

Off-campus parking

When parking off campus, please show your respect for the surrounding community by:

• Parking in legally designated areas.
• Following all state and city laws and ordinances.
• Not blocking driveways and roads.
• Carpooling whenever possible to reduce the number of parked cars in the area.
• Arriving and departing quietly.
• Not littering.

More resources

• If you drive, please understand that up to 26,000 people access our campus daily, filling parking lots and structures to capacity by mid-morning. or social media accounts ( or ) to receive campus traffic updates.
• To learn more about parking permits for UH students, faculty and staff, at the end of each semester or contact your parking coordinator for more info.
• are available with special rates for users with a valid UH ID.
• If you need a car for just an hour or two, rentals are available through .

However you get to campus, we ask that you !

Editor’s note: Effective February 19, 2019, the Parking Express route will now make the following stops: Hawaiian Studies, St. John, Varney Circle, and Dole Street (in front of the Law School Library). To view Rainbow Shuttle real-time locations and arrival times, .

Editor’s note: Effective Jan. 24, 2019, the Parking Express route has changed and will make the following stops: Hawaiian Studies to St. Johns and then to Varney Circle. To view Rainbow Shuttle real-time locations and arrival times, .

The University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� expanded its service in spring 2019 by adding the Parking Express route. The new route started Jan. 7, 2019, and makes the following stops: Zone 20 (lower parking structure) to Hawaiian Studies to St. Johns and then to Varney Circle.

• (PDF)

“We’re excited to provide this expanded service for our UH community, especially those who may need to utilize shuttle transportation to conveniently get from lower campus to upper campus,” Commuter Services Manager Cate Matsushima said. “In addition, we want to promote more sustainable modes of transportation.”

Each Rainbow Shuttle seats 28 passengers at a time and offers air-conditioning, ADA access and bike racks for commuters. The shuttles operates Monday through Friday during the day throughout the fall and spring academic terms, and select routes are in service during evening hours and summer sessions.

Routes may be tracked in real-time with the , which is also available for download.

Editor’s note: Effective February 19, 2019, Commuter Services has made additional changes to the Parking Express route, which will now make the following stops: Hawaiian Studies, St. John, Varney Circle, and Dole Street (in front of the Law School Library). To view Rainbow Shuttle real-time locations and arrival times, download the UHM Shuttle App.

“We want to thank the UH Rainbow Shuttle riders for their patience as we adjust and improve the Parking Express route to make it more efficient,” Commuter Services Manager Cate Matsushima said.

Operated by , the Rainbow Shuttle is a free service for UH ����ԴDz� students, faculty, staff and visitors. For more information about the Rainbow Shuttle, visit the . If you have any questions or comments about the Rainbow Shuttle, email parking@hawaii.edu.

, a renowned engineering professor at and award-winning author, will discuss the history and future of transportation in America on November 2 at the . Petroski will help audiences imagine the future of cities like Honolulu and will cast fresh light on mass transit projects like rail, as well as national infrastructure development as proposed by the Trump administration.

Petroski will also explain how the U.S. became a nation of roads, built around the automobile. He will outline how the country will be transformed by the development of autonomous vehicles—imagine urban cores without parking garages.

• November 2, 1:30 p.m., UH ����ԴDz�’s Kuykendall 101 Auditorium.
• Petroski’s lecture is free and open to the public.
• Sponsored by the College of Engineering, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Better Tomorrow Series, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, School of Architecture and Parc Waikīkī.

More about Henry Petroski

Petroski is the Aleksandar S. Vesic Professor of Civil Engineering at Duke University. A specialist in innovation, infrastructure and design analysis, Petroski is the author of 75 refereed articles and 19 books, including To Engineer Is Human and The Evolution of Useful Things. His most recent book, The Road Taken, is a history (and future) of American infrastructure.

students like Scott Yago are now getting valuable on-the-job training through a new aircraft mechanic apprenticeship program in partnership with and the .

“This apprenticeship actually puts all the pieces together that you learn at HCC,” Yago said.

The hands-on program for up to eight candidates was designed to meet the growing needs of the state’s tourism industry and Hawaiian Airlines, one of the state’s largest employers, with more than 6,000 employees and over 250 aircraft mechanics.

Hawaiian Airlines Vice President Jim Landers said, “We see this as an important opportunity to keep local students fully engaged in an industry that’s very important to the �鶹��ý community.”

Honolulu Community College is home to the only fully certified in the Pacific Basin. From spring 2011 to spring 2016, the college awarded 95 Federal Aviation Administration certificates. Starting salaries after graduation from the two-year program run about $55,000.

Keala Chock, Honolulu Community College’s dean for transportation and trades, said the college’s program is a transformative opportunity. “Spending two years here, getting really critical training that they need to become technicians in our airline industry—you can’t find those type of opportunities elsewhere.”

There’s also a huge reward built into the new apprenticeship program. Students who earn their airframes and powerplant license and demonstrate strong performance are guaranteed positions with Hawaiian Airlines as full-time aircraft mechanics upon graduation.

“The sky is the limit with this,” said Yago. “But my end goal actually is I want to become either a lead or a chief, someone that has a lot of responsibility.”

—By Kelli Trifonovitch