Originally Posted by
lsquare
I would argue that even Honolulu needs a car for convenience, but it's doable. I was a poor university graduate that spent a week in Honolulu more than a decade ago taking public transit exclusively. It's not convenient, but again, it's doable. Outside of Honolulu, a car is essential.
With a Holo card -
https://www.holocard.net/ - which is like a slightly crap oyster card, we were fine with the bus everywhere around Honolulu. Google Maps was fairly accurate at directing us to the next bus when there were a few stops/routes nearby, but not perfect. Bus drivers were super friendly and nice to me, the British accent seemed to help! My sister-in-law (white, American and with the accent to match) was once told off for being too loud while us Brits received no comments. Only tip is that the Airport bus to Waikiki has no luggage space, so head to the very back to avoid annoying the locals who all seem to prefer the first two doors. Honolulu buses aren't quite as good as Birmingham, are a step down from Oxford, a world away from London, but still the best bus system by a long way that I've used in the USA!