Have some questions about PARK MAUI? Check out our FAQs
PARK MAUI is a parking management program that strives to implement data-driven solutions for parking at beach parks, in business districts, and on streets throughout our island’s most heavily utilized areas.
Parking management refers to the strategies that optimize the utilization of parking resources while making parking easy, convenient, and accessible. Parking management strategies are successful when they are implemented incrementally and adjusted over time based on data. When parking demand clusters in certain areas, parking policies can mitigate congestion and improve access. Strategic investments in technology will streamline parking management and transform parking into a customer-friendly component of the overall transportation system.
PARK MAUI will be expanded over time. Initial strategies will be demonstrated in select pilot locations in preparation for further expansion.
The PARK MAUI program seeks to achieve the following core objectives:
Planning and policy work began in 2021. The County of Maui anticipates implementing the PARK MAUI parking management program at pilot locations starting in the first quarter of 2023. Refer to program roadmap for the latest updates.
There are a number of ways to hear PARK MAUI updates and to participate in the planning process. These include:
Parking is a key element of the overall transportation system, so the PARK MAUI parking management will primarily be the responsibility of the Maui Department of Transportation (MDOT). As with most MDOT programs, the Department will contract with experienced vendors to provide the hardware, software, staffing, and services.
A Parking Operator will essentially serve as the County’s “Parking Department” to provide a comprehensive set of services including customer support, parking compliance monitoring, revenue collections and counting, installation and maintenance, and other related services. The Parking Operator also has the responsibility of providing the hardware and software systems for managing citations and permits, and for supporting the other paid parking vendor systems that the County selects.
MDOT will oversee the Parking Operator contract, and other roles and responsibilities are spread out amongst various County departments. Interdepartmental coordination is essential for an effective parking operation.
In February 2020, the Hawaii Tourism Authority reported visitor arrivals to Maui hit an all-time high with over 3 Million visitors per year. The Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism in May of 2022 indicated that visitor arrivals are expected to exceed pre-pandemic highs. This escalation of demand puts a strain on County infrastructure including parking. The County is at a crossroads with a choice to keep building more and more parking or to better manage the parking we have by improving efficiencies and operations. The PARK MAUI parking management program is aimed at addressing the latter.
PARK MAUI will offer a Maui Resident Program so that residents with a Maui County address on their driver’s license can register to qualify for free and discounted parking. There will be an easy application process for residents to register. Eligible Maui County residents that register for the Maui Resident Program will receive free parking at all County park and beach parking lots at all times. Within small towns, the Maui Resident Program will offer benefits like 1 to 2 hours of free parking and/or discounted parking rates consistent with currently allowed parking time limits by area. Employees within the small towns and around the resort areas will be able to apply for an employee permit so that they do not need to worry about moving their car during a shift.
The County looks forward to launching the PARK Maui pilot phase early 2023. At that time, they will share info on how residents can register for free parking. Watch for notices via this parkmaui.com website, social media, the press, and various community outreach efforts.
Yes. Those who are not Maui County residents will be required to pay for parking at all PARK MAUI paid parking locations, but the paid parking experience will still be easy and convenient. Non-residents will have the option to pre-purchase a bulk parking pass online or upon arrival to the island. Alternatively, they could pay for parking à la carte at a pay station or with the PARK MAUI mobile application.
There will be two tiers for non-resident parking passes: a Premium Pass and a Standard Pass. The purchase of a Premium Pass will provide non-residents access to all PARK MAUI paid parking locations. The Standard Pass will only include access to a limited number of locations. To access the premium locations, passholders with the Standard Pass will still need to pay for that parking à la carte. Passholders will still be subject to any posted time limits.
There will be pay stations and a PARK MAUI mobile application in order to pay for parking à la carte. Premium passholders will not be required to pay an additional fee at any locations since they are all included within the price of the pass.
The County will be working with our parking consultant to develop a fee structure. Once the County Council approves the fee structure, then the parking rates will be published on this parkmaui.com website. Information will also be shared via social media, the press, visitor industry and various community outreach efforts.
Included
Included
Fee Required
Included
Fee Required
Fee Required
À la carte paid parking rates may vary by location and by time of year based on demand. Furthermore, destinations with limited access or sensitive resources will be priced at a premium to mitigate overuse. Through this process, locals can rest easier knowing that use of the most precious locations comes at a higher price – which is then reinvested into the maintenance and stewardship of the beloved sites. Certain destinations experience overcrowding, and sensitive resources are at risk of overuse, so tiered pricing will also help distribute demand to alleviate congestion. Use of the most precious locations comes at a higher price for non-residents - which can then be reinvested.
The Maui County Code will define the range of acceptable hourly rates, frequency of updates, and allowable increments for parking rate changes. The rates may be adjusted in increments of $.25 at a time, not more than once per month, and no more than $2.00 per year. Exceptions will be applied during special events. Currently, the County of Maui is in the process of updating the County Code, which is an instrumental step for parking management.
The rate structure at County park and beach locations will differ from the commercial areas since there are different parking management challenges:
Maui County residents that register for the Maui Resident Program will not have to pay for parking at County parks and beaches. Non-residents will have the option to pre-pay for this parking by purchasing a parking pass.
Within the town areas, drivers will be charged an hourly parking rate in order to encourage turnover. In some cases, there could also be time limits. Within the Towns, the parking management solution will balance the diverse needs of various user groups including customers, visitors, employees, business owners, and residents. A balanced parking approach prioritizes turnover in the most convenient on-street parking spaces in order to maximize access for customers. Time limits and loading zones will enable quick food, merchandise, and passenger pick-up and drop-off. Meanwhile, longer-term parking will primarily be located off-street where turnover is less important. This is because it less impactful for someone visiting a Town for the entire day, or for an employee’s shift, to spend a few minutes parking further away, compared with someone seeking a shopping or dining experience. All drivers will be subject to posted time limits and parking policies. For paid parking locations, there will be the option to pay at either at a pay station or through a mobile application. Hourly rates may vary by location, and periodic adjustments to the rates will be made based on parking utilization data.
The PARK MAUI program will include plans for employee parking to ensure that employees have convenient, accessible, and affordable parking options. An employee parking permit program will be offered in paid parking locations, and employee parking permit areas will be identified. Typically, the most convenient on-street parking should be prioritized for customers for ease of access, so employee parking will be encouraged in perimeter and off-street locations when possible. The employee parking permit rates will be affordable, and further discounts will be offered to qualifying low-income employees.
Yes. In addition to the pay stations, a mobile payment application will also be offered as a payment option at all PARK MAUI locations. A mobile payment application improves customer convenience since it allows patrons to pay for parking sessions using their cellphone. A smart device is not required since there will be the option of calling a phone number to complete their payment. In locations where parking sessions may be extended, the mobile application can provide the option to extend the session remotely.
Yes. An automated parking permit management system will offer a convenient way for customers to purchase parking permits and manage their permit details. The Parking Operator will administer the permit programs, review and approve applications, and provide customer support. The same permit management system will be utilized to offer, monitor, and manage a variety of parking permit types.
An online portal will be provided with self-managed accounts to login, create an account, apply for a permit, upload supporting documentation, purchase, and make edits. The County will define the policies, and the Parking Operator will review pending applications, review supporting documentation, approve/deny applications, send notifications and alerts, and run reports.
The use of parking permits will allow the County to offer special parking privileges to qualifying user groups. Employee parking permits will be an important option as parking policies are introduced in commercial areas to ensure that employees have convenient and affordable parking options. In addition the creation of a residential permit system may be needed to prevent spill over into residential neighborhoods.
Pay stations will be utilized for all on-street and surface lot paid parking locations. Compared with single-space parking meters, pay stations have the following benefits:
The County will also be looking for pay stations that allow various departments to communicate important messaging to visitors.
The Parking Operator will provide Parking Ambassador staff to enforce parking regulations at all PARK MAUI locations. Importantly, this will be a customer service-based program that prioritizes education and compliance.
Parking Ambassadors will be customer service agents and will proactively assist patrons with following the rules. Parking Ambassadors will use handheld devices to issue warning notices and parking citations. Additionally, their vehicles will be equipped with license plate recognition technology to maximize efficiency and collect ongoing parking data.
A Parking Operator will manage the day-to-day operations of the new Wailuku parking garage, which includes equipment maintenance, cleaning, customer service, revenue collections, security, and compliance monitoring.
Paid parking and parking permit revenue will be deposited into a parking revenue fund. This will be a revolving fund with the purpose providing funding for the County’s parking operation including maintenance, repair, security, safety, improvement, equipment, beautification, expansion, staff compensation, parking facility bond payments, and other costs related to providing County parking services.
Once those costs have been fully met, any surplus monies within the fund may also be applied towards the maintenance of County parks, transportation programs or infrastructure, business district management, and cultural and environmental sites.
PARK MAUI will be implemented in phases. In the Pilot phase the following parking locations will be addressed:
Phase 1:
Ulua/Mokapu: County Parks & Recreation surface parking lot
Kamaole III: County Parks & Recreation surface parking lot
Phase 2:
Lahaina Town: On-street parking spaces and surface parking lots
Wailuku Town: County parking structure (under construction) and
surrounding on-street parking spaces and off-street parking lot
There are different parking challenges within small town areas compared with County park and beach lots. The initial pilot locations were selected to evaluate the PARK MAUI program in both types of environments. Both Lahaina Town and Wailuku Town were evaluated previously as part of the 2018 Parking Action Plan and both locations face parking management challenges that will be alleviated by the PARK MAUI program. To learn more about these specific parking areas, click here.
Yes. After the Pilot program the County will be looking at other island locations where parking solutions need to be addressed.
Each location will be evaluated by the parking team and location specific advisory groups to determine appropriate policies, assess equipment type, quantities and placement, and identify site-specific considerations. This process will involve stakeholder outreach to ensure that the solutions address the needs of the community.
Sign up to receive the latest news and updates on PARK MAUI.