Honolulu’s TheHandi-Van Application: Interview and Appeal

To apply for TheHandi-Van in Honolulu, call the Eligibility Center at (808) 538-0033 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, to schedule an in-person interview with a Mobility Coordinator. The interview and functional assessment take place at 1100 Ward Avenue, Suite 835, in Honolulu. There is no paper application to fill out and mail; the entire assessment happens face-to-face at the Eligibility Center.¹

If you need a ride to your appointment, Honolulu will provide transportation to and from the Eligibility Center.¹

Who Qualifies

Eligibility turns on your functional ability to use TheBus, not on a diagnosis. The Americans with Disabilities Act sets the categories transit agencies must use.²

One category covers people who cannot independently board, ride, or get off an accessible bus because of a physical or mental impairment. That includes riders with cognitive disabilities who cannot navigate routes alone and riders with vision impairments who lack the travel skills to reach their destination by bus.³

Another covers people who could ride the bus but cannot physically get to or from a stop. Steep terrain, long distances, or missing curb ramps along the route to the stop can qualify you when combined with a disability-related condition. Someone who walks with a cane and would have to travel three-quarters of a mile to reach the nearest bus route is a typical example.³

What to Bring to Your Interview

Gathering these items ahead of time keeps your interview moving and prevents follow-up delays.⁴

Your home, cell, and work phone numbers, and your street and mailing addresses.
Name, relationship, and phone number for at least one emergency contact.
For each healthcare provider involved in your care: name, full address, phone and fax numbers, and a contact name.
Any mobility device you use daily, including power or manual wheelchairs, scooters, walkers, and canes.
A statement from your healthcare or disability service provider about your ability to use TheBus. If your vision is impaired, bring a Visual Acuity or Field of Vision Statement from your vision care provider. For a psychiatric condition, bring a diagnosis and statement from your mental health care provider.
The location of the bus stop closest to your home.

You do not have to bring the provider documentation yourself. You can authorize the Eligibility Center to contact your provider directly instead.⁴

What Happens at the Interview

The Mobility Coordinator interviews you about how your disability affects your ability to use TheBus. It is not a medical exam. The coordinator is evaluating your functional transportation abilities, not diagnosing a condition.⁴

The appointment may include a functional assessment where the coordinator observes how you handle transit-related tasks. That can involve navigating curbs, steps, and other simulated bus-boarding conditions at the facility.¹ Your provider’s information is considered alongside what happens at the interview. Together, those inputs form the basis of the eligibility decision.

The Decision and Your Right to Appeal

Federal regulations require the transit agency to make a determination within 21 days of completing your assessment. If no decision is issued within that window, you receive presumptive eligibility and can use TheHandi-Van until a final determination is made.⁵

The letter you receive will place you in one of several categories. Unconditional eligibility means you can use TheHandi-Van for any trip during service hours. Conditional eligibility means you qualify for certain trips or under certain circumstances, such as only when weather or distance makes TheBus inaccessible for a particular route. Temporary eligibility applies when your condition is expected to improve, and your access expires on a set date. The letter also states an expiration date and notes any conditions or limitations, including whether you need a personal care attendant.⁵

If you are denied, or receive conditional or temporary eligibility and disagree with it, you can appeal. The appeal must be filed within 60 calendar days of receiving your determination letter.¹ You get a chance to present your case to a reviewer who was not involved in the original decision, and you receive a written decision explaining the outcome.⁵

When your eligibility period ends, you have to go through the assessment again to renew. The Eligibility Center contacts you before your expiration date, but track it yourself. Riding with expired eligibility is not permitted.⁶

Visiting from Another City

If you are visiting Oahu and already have ADA paratransit eligibility in your home city, you do not need to go through the full application. Call the Eligibility Center at (808) 538-0033 to register for visitor access, which allows use of TheHandi-Van for up to 21 days within any 365-day period. If your stay runs longer, you have to complete the full resident eligibility process, including the in-person interview and functional assessment.¹

1
Department of Transportation Services. TheHandi-Van
2
Federal Transit Administration. Frequently Asked Questions – Paratransit Eligibility
3
Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund. ADA Paratransit Eligibility: How To Make Your Case
4
Department of Transportation Services. TheHandi-Van Eligibility Information
5
eCFR. 49 CFR 37.125 – ADA Paratransit Eligibility: Process
6
Department of Transportation Services. TheHandi-Van Eligibility FAQs