TheBus Should Be Free - Honolulu Civil Beat TheBus Should Be Free Eliminating bus fare would protect the health of riders and operators, lower Honolulu’s sky-high cost of living and promote a greener future. About the Author Wyatt Gordon is an environmental advocate and journalist with a master’s in urban and regional planning from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He currently covers transportation, land use and housing for the Virginia Mercury. TheBus may be the only public transit system in the United States to be recognized twice by the American Public Transportation Association as the nation’s “Best Transit System,” but one thing could still be done to revolutionize transit on Oahu: Make TheBus free.