THE SENATE                           S.C.R. NO.            33
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                    SENATE  CONCURRENT
                        RESOLUTION


  REQUESTING THE AUDITOR TO CONDUCT A STUDY OF THE OPEN ACCESS
    TAXI SYSTEM AND THE OPEN ACCESS TAXI MANAGEMENT
    CONCESSIONAIRE AT HONOLULU INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
 
 1        WHEREAS, Honolulu International Airport is the gateway for
 2   millions of tourists to the Hawaiian Islands each year; and
 3   
 4        WHEREAS, many of these visitors utilize taxi services as a
 5   means of ground transportation; taxi trips from Honolulu
 6   International Airport averaged 34,293 per month in 1999; and
 7   
 8        WHEREAS, for many years Honolulu International Airport had
 9   a closed-taxi system which allowed only one company to
10   transport passengers from the facility and therefore, under
11   such system, visitors were not afforded a choice in taxi
12   services; and
13   
14        WHEREAS, to better facilitate visitor's needs, an open
15   access taxi system was implemented at Honolulu International
16   Airport on December 16, 1993 and is overseen by a taxi
17   management concessionaire; and 
18   
19        WHEREAS, the intent of an open-access taxi system is to
20   allow all qualifying taxi drivers and vehicles to provide taxi
21   service at public airports; and 
22   
23        WHEREAS, because of significant impact on the airport
24   activity and positive influence on the visitor industry, it is
25   imperative that the taxi service provided is of consistently
26   high quality; and
27   
28        WHEREAS, the purpose of the taxi management concessionaire
29   is to ensure safe, orderly and reliable taxi service for the
30   travelling public and to make certain the services meet all
31   requirements as provided in the Department of Transportation
32   Administrative Rule 19-38.1; and
33   
34        WHEREAS, the current four-year taxi management
35   concessionaire contract, awarded to SIDA of Hawaii, commenced
36   on February 1, 1999 and will generate an estimated $1,524,000
37   in revenues for the State during the contractual period; and

 
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                                  S.C.R. NO.            33
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1        WHEREAS, eighty to ninety percent of the taxis operating
 2   at Honolulu International Airport are affiliated with the
 3   current taxi management concessionaire and therefore, there is
 4   little representation of other major taxi companies at the
 5   airport facility; and
 6   
 7        WHEREAS, the value of competition cannot be underrated in
 8   determining quality of service; and
 9   
10        WHEREAS, it must be determined that the taxi management
11   concessionaire functions in strict compliance  of the
12   administrative rules, as well as acts in a fair and equitable
13   manner; now, therefore,
14   
15        BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twentieth Legislature
16   of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2000, the House of
17   Representatives concurring, that the Auditor is requested to
18   conduct a thorough study of the open-taxi management system and
19   taxi management  concessionaire at Honolulu International
20   Airport; and
21   
22         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Auditor shall submit its
23   findings and recommendations to the Legislature twenty days
24   before the convening of the Regular Session of 2001; and
25   
26        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
27   concurrent resolution be transmitted to the Auditor and the
28   Department of Transportation, Airports Division.
29 
30 
31                         
32                          OFFERED BY:_____________________________