Getting
Around Maui
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Most visitors to Maui rent a
car for the duration of their stay. Rates
 are
reasonable, less so in tourist season, and the convenience is
well worth it. If you prefer something different, many
companies rent Harley Davidsons, Exotic Cars, and mopeds or
scooters. There is now a public bus system on Maui, so if
you're planning on staying around town, and prefer to sunbathe
at the hotel and shop at the malls to touring the island and
seeing the sights, then the bus is probably an economical way to
go. Click on the links in the table below to read more
about the various ways to get around Maui. |
Car Rentals
By far the
best way to see Maui is to rent a car. There is no public
transportation to speak of, except a few private shuttles, and taxis
are expensive. All the major car rental companies are
represented here, and about
two dozen others compete for the lucrative business. It is
recommended that you reserve your rental in advance, especially at
high season. The links below will help you to do so.
Make sure you shop around for rates, as they can vary dramatically,
especially at peak season.
We
rented a Jeep from Alamo, which seemed like a good idea at the time.
However, unless you have somewhere in mind where you think you'll
need 4-wheel drive, or you just love Jeeps, I would advise against
it. The roads on
Muai
are well-kept (except for a small portion of the rarely-visited
southeast and south coasts, and the backside of West Maui), and we
drove the entire island and never used 4-wheel drive. The
limited space in a Jeep is a
hinderance to luggage packing
and unpacking, and it's not particularly economical (fuel on Maui
when we were there was about $2/gallon at a time when gas in
Washington State was running under $1/gallon.). The Jeeps are
also zip-tops, which was a pain, and our zipper was broken, so once
we got the top off, we couldn't get it back on! Add to those
inconveniences the fact that they cost twice as much as a car, and
it doesn't seem like a very good deal. However, the ride on
the rough roads of the backside of West Maui and the roads past
Oheo
Gulch was probably more comfortable in the Jeep than they would have
been in a car, though some people were driving the roads in their
rental cars. Make sure you ask the rental agency for
restrictions on where you can drive.
Taxis
There are about two dozen taxi
companies on Maui offering tours as well as shuttle service.
The fares are expensive and metered by distance traveled (currently
$3.50 per mile) and a ride from Kahului to Kaanapali is $85, and a
fare to Kapalua from the airport is $100. Suddenly $40 for a
rental car doesn't seem like a bad deal! Around town, expect
fares in the $5-$10 range. Limo rides from the airport are
usually over $200 one way to or from Kaanapali. Classy Taxi
offers rides in renovated old cars from the 1920s and 1930s.
The links below will give you some information on some of the major
taxi and limo companies, as well as rates, schedules, and vehicle
information. For a complete listing of taxi companies on
Maui, check out Taxi
Services on Maui.
Motorcycle Rentals
Harley Davidson rentals are
available from several vendors on Maui for around $100 for a half
day and $140-$160 for a 24 hours. You must be at least 21
years old, have a valid motorcycle license, and a major credit card
to rent one of these babies. FYI, there is no helmet law in
Hawaii, though helmets are available.
Moped and Scooter Rentals
For running around town or down to
the beach, mopeds are perfect. They run about $15 for two
hours, $25 for eight hours, or $125/week. If you plan on any
long rides or day trips, don't take a moped. The drives are
long enough in a car, and can be downright brutal on a moped,
especially if the sky opens up. For rates and information,
check out the websites listed below. Click
here for a complete list of moped rentals on Maui.
Bus Service and Public Transportation
There is a new
public bus
service on Maui, run by Roberts Hawaii, along with numerous shuttle
services operating from the Kahului Airport to South Maui and West
Maui, between South Maui and West Maui, and within the resort
developments of Kaanapali and Wailea. The Kapalua Resort
Association also runs the
Kapalua Resort Shuttle from the West Maui airport.
 The
free
Whalers Village Shuttle runs along the Kaanapali strip about every
half hour 9am-6pm, stopping at all major resorts, the golf course,
and the Whaler's Village shopping complex. Ask at your hotel
desk for schedules. The Lahaina Express shuttle runs from
9am-10pm, connecting various stops in Lahaina to Kaanapali.
The major pickup point in Lahaina is at the rear of the Wharf Cinema
Center along Front Street.
The Lahaina Express is also free.
The Wailea Shuttle is a complimentary jitney that stops at all major
hotels and condos, the Wailea Shopping Village, and golf and tennis
courts in Wailea about every 20-30 minutes from 6:30am-8:30pm.
The
West Maui Shopping Express runs two routes, both from Lahaina, one
to Kaanapali and the other to Kapalua. Stops include the
hotels in Kapalua and Kaanapali, the Whalers Village shopping mall
in Kaanapali, and the Wharf shopping center, Hilo Hattie, and the
Lahaina Cannery Mall in Lahaina. Buses run every hour or so
from mid-morning until mid-evening for a fee of $1 each way.
The
South Maui Shopping Express makes three shopping runs each day
from hotels and condos in Makena, Wailea, and Kihei to the Whaler's
Village shopping mall in Kaanapali. The fee is $15 one-way for
adults, $5 one-way for kids, but the return is free with a receipt
from one of the shops or restaurants.
The old-style trolley-like bus, "Da
Mall" Trolley, connects Wailea and Kihei to Kaahumanu Center, the
Maui Mall, and Maui Marketplace in Kahului for your shopping
pleasure. This trolley operates every day except Tuesday and
Wednesday, and makes three runs each way each day. The fare is
$6pp each way, but the return trip is free with a receipt from one
of the mall stores. Call (808) 873-7108 for information.
For those riding the Sugar Cane
Train, free transportation aboard the Sugar Cane Trolley is
available from Front Street and the Lahaina Harbor to the Lahaina
Station. Another trolley connects the Whalers Village shopping
mall to the Kaanapali platform.
To get to and from the Maui Ocean
Center from either Whalers Village in Kaanapali or a number of the
hotels and condos in the Kihei/Wailea area, ride the center shuttle,
$7 round-trip. Starting at the Maui Prince Hotel, this shuttle
runs to the center three times a day each way, once in mid-morning,
the second in late morning and the last at mid-afternoon. Call
(808) 270-7000 or talk to your hotel concierge for the exact
schedule.
The South and West Maui Shuttle, run
by Akina Aloha Tours used to run from Makena to Kapalua, with stops
at many places in between, but now the Maui Bus service has taken
over that route.
Maui Maps
The maps in the table below will
give you a good idea what you're looking at. Maps are readily
available in all the free tourist publications everywhere you look
in Maui, including the airport and your hotel desk.
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