The Cost of the Vehicle Economy in Hawai‘i (2025)
Cross-Sector
ICF
Clean Transportation
Why We Invested
To understand what Hawaii's current transportation investments truly are
Released by Ulupono Initiative and global consulting firm ICF, "The Cost of the Vehicle Economy in Hawai‘i" 2025 report examines the vehicle economy — the complete system of ground transportation including roadways, vehicles, bridges, parking, and associated societal costs such as pollution and congestion.
Ulupono Initiative commissioned the report because many of the costs of the vehicle economy are hidden, not readily apparent, or otherwise not generally acknowledged. The report equips leaders and individual residents alike with all the available data to inform their own decision making when major, expensive decisions are being made around transportation. The analysis aims to estimate the true annual costs of the vehicle economy in Hawaiʻi to understand the extent of Hawaiʻi transportation system investment, using a conservative approach.
The report also puts in perspective other transportation-related investments designed to offer choice, especially relatively small investments in expanding safe routes to school and other projects that impact safety, health and livability — without forcing Hawai‘i residents into expensive car ownership.
Read the report | View infographic
Key findings include:
- Every Hawai‘i household pays approximately $33,600 annually in shared public burden of transportation system costs, completely separate from any personal vehicle expenses.
- On top of this shared burden, households that own vehicles pay an additional $21,800 annually in direct private ownership costs.
- The combined impact means vehicle-owning households face a total transportation burden of over $55,400 annually.
- Lower-income households experience disproportionate impacts from increased used car costs, higher interest rates, and greater exposure to pollution and road-related injuries.