What if we told you that you could travel all around Maui by bus for FREE? Sound too good to be true? Well, it’s not, thanks to the Maui Bus System’s Free Fare program. Anne shares her experience using it, and enjoying all sorts of adventures around Maui.
What if I told you that you could travel all around Maui for FREE? Sound too good to be true?
Well, it’s not, you can travel for free around Maui by bus … provided you are:
- aged 55 or older,
- a medicare cardholder,
- student of 24 years or younger,
- children 5 years and under, accompanied by a paying passenger,
- person with a disability, or
- in financial need (within 200 percent of the poverty level for the county).
Maui Bus System Free Fare Program to Travel Maui by Bus
On a recent wonderful vacation in Maui, my sister Vera and I took full advantage of the great Maui Bus System and went all over Maui by bus … and falling in the 55+ age category paid absolutely nothing! We simply showed the bus driver our Driver’s Licenses as we got on the bus, and off we went on one free ride after another!
Maui only recently instituted this new Free Fare Fixed Route program on March 1, 2024, just a few weeks before our trip, so what great timing that was for us! I had read about it when I did a Google search of Maui bus routes and fares. At the time I thought it would merely come in handy the odd time, but we ended up exploring around Maui by bus every single day.
This Maui by bus Free Fare program applies to seniors, children, students, people with disabilities, and people demonstrating financial need. For some of these, people need to get a special ID card to ride Maui by bus for free, but if you are 55+, you only need to show a piece of picture ID with your birthdate on it. It didn’t matter that we were Canadian either, so seniors from any country can ride the Maui buses for free.
Maui by Bus Adventures
We went on many different bus routes in every conceivable direction from our home base in Kihei at the beautiful Leilani Kai Resort. We simply used Google Maps to plan our route around Maui by bus, had a lovely short walk to the nearest bus stop, and arrived in plenty of time to get on the bus. We also noted the bus times for the return trips, and there were handy schedules posted at many of the bus stops as well.
We went to such a variety of places on Maui by bus – beaches like Charley Young Beach, Kealia Beach Park (Sugar Beach), and the three Kamaole Beaches, as well as farmer’s markets big and small including the huge Saturday market across the island in Kahului. We went to cute charming towns, and to more up-scale resort towns.
Sometimes our destination required us to transfer to a second bus. We got to know two of these transfer points very well – the Queen Ka’ahumanu Center and the Maalaea Harbour Village.
A funny thing happened one day when we transferred to a bus in Maalaea. Seeing that the second bus was already there we hurried to catch it, even patting ourselves on the back because we made it on just as it was about to leave. We had gotten on the right number of bus we needed, but this one was going in the opposite direction. We had planned to tour the Tropical Plantation in Waikapu, but ended up in Kaanapali. We only realized our error when the driver announced the final destination as the bus was already in motion. Luckily we had been talking about going to that area at some point anyways, so we just laughed, changed course, and ‘went along for the ride’.
The next day we did go to the Tropical Plantation on Maui by bus, double checking that we were going in the right direction this time.
A word of caution about the bus stops – they are often few and far between and the buses are often really moving quickly down the highway, so it is important to know the name of the stop where you want to get off, as well as the ones that come before it, and to ring the bell in plenty of time before your stop.
We often checked with the bus drivers as we got on, to verify they were going to the place we wanted. Many of the bus drivers were lighthearted and had a great sense of humour. One time when I asked the driver if he was going to a certain place he jokingly said he didn’t know where he was going … upon which I replied that maybe I should drive the bus as I did know where I was going. 🙂
At times we were the only people on the bus, or at most with a handful of other people. Most were obviously locals, but on one occasion we did chat briefly with an elderly couple who were touring around just as we were. In their case they also had mobility issues, so they simply stayed on the bus just to see the sights along the way, and then got off right where they started.
The buses were spacious and comfortable. On many we could even go up a couple of steps into a higher level in the rear, giving us a fantastic panoramic view as we were travelling and really making it feel like we were on a deluxe tour bus.
Each bus eventually looped back to its starting point, so you really couldn’t go wrong as a tourist if you didn’t have to be somewhere at a certain time. We just treated each trip as an adventure in itself, not really caring how long it took or where exactly we ended up.
A few times we made spur of the moment decisions to hop on or off a bus, and these impromptu rides made our outings even more fun and adventurous. One time we hopped on simply because a bus arrived at a stop just as we were walking by. It took us by the Food Truck Park which we had heard about, so we quickly hopped off and picked up some dinner. On another occasion as we were returning home we spotted a little farmer’s market, and so we hopped off at that stop and pick up some fabulous fresh produce, then hopped back on another bus a little while later.
Most buses were on time or close to it, and only a couple of times did we wait approximately 15-20 minutes before our bus came. We knew about Maui being known for running on ‘Hawaiian time’, aka ‘We’ll get there when we get there’, so we were pleasantly surprised at how most buses were on schedule. They weren’t frequent, coming only usually once an hour, but if you planned ahead you could get to so many places, even ones that were quite far away.
While waiting for the buses, we enjoyed people watching and sometimes striking up a conversation with a local. One young lady at our transfer point in Maalaea Harbor, told us she was currently taking a healing course and ultimately wanted to help the people of Lahaina, many of whom were still so traumatized after the devastating wildfires a few months ago. We had seen the devastation for our ourselves as we had travelled through the town the day before on our way to Kaanapali. It was good to see signs of rebuilding as well, and to know that people such as this young lady were going to be able to help Lahaina heal.
In addition to places already mentioned, we went on day trips to other unique and interesting towns. We travelled across the island and up the coast to the trendy hippie-like town of Pa’ia and browsed in art galleries and cute shops, and ate incredibly delectable gelato. We went inland to the artsy heritage town of Makawao and watched the art of glass-blowing. We also wandered around the high-end shops and resorts of Wailea and Kaanapali.
We hopped on the buses for shorter trips as well – places like the Humpback Whale Sanctuary with their informative displays and lectures, the Sugar Beach Bake Shop with their scrumptious pies and malasadas, and Three’s Bar & Grill for their wonderful Happy Hour mai tai’s and appies.
Not only was it free cost-wise, riding the Maui buses left us free in other ways – free for both of us to fully enjoy the passing scenery, free from navigating unknown streets with an unfamiliar vehicle, free from wondering where we would park the car, and free from the responsibility and high cost of a rental car.
Too bad more places don’t have this Free Fare bus program for seniors – it could help attract more seniors to other tourist destinations.
My sister and I had a fabulous time on Maui, and the bus system played a huge role in how much we enjoyed our vacation. We went somewhere new every day … and it was all FREE!
Maui Accommodations Map
Planning a visit to Maui? Check out this interactive map to different accommodations available in Maui.
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Aloha My name is Norm Holtzman, we are cruising the Islands of Hawaii Where do we meet the bus for this free bus ride around Maui. Please send me information on who what where when and how we go about it. I am 78 when we arrive by POA cruise ship. Thank you for your assist.
Forgot to say we will be there in August. 24/25th Kahului is where we will dock
Aloha Norman,
Any bus on Maui is free for seniors. Just show a piece of picture ID like a Driver’s License to the bus driver as you get on.
Use Google Maps or a similar app to plan your route depending where you want to go, and to see the bus stop location and which streets to take to get there.
For example, I just checked for Kahului Cruise Terminal to Kihei, and it shows an 18 min. (0.8 mi) walk to the bus stop and a 30 min. ride on Bus #10.
Hope that helps.
Lovely! My husband & I also like doing some spur-of-the-moment stops in addition to specific destinations. Thank you!