During school breaks in the ‘80s and ‘90s, my grandparents would walk me and my sister to the shopping plaza near their house to pick up groceries for the week. On the way back, weighed down with bags (and likely exhaustion), my grandfather would slide a quarter in a pay phone to call Charley’s Taxi to drive us the half-mile home. 

Nearly 30 years later, Charley’s Taxi reminds me of those slow summers squished into a back seat, Star Market grocery bags on my lap, a breeze in my hair, and the quiet luxury of being driven safely back home.

If you grew up on O‘ahu, it might be hard to imagine the landscape without a Charley’s Taxi. But what do we know about the woman-owned and operated taxi service that’s become an integral part of our island history? We sat down with third-generation owner Dale Evans to learn more about Charley’s Taxi, the longest running taxi service in the state. 

How did Charley’s Taxi begin and how has it changed over time?

My great grandparents came to Maui and Honolulu in the 1880s as indentured servants. My father was born in Maui and my mother in Honolulu. All of my mother’s siblings were business owners except for one sister who was a nurse. My paternal grandfather had a mechanic business, and my maternal grandfather was a dairyman.

My parents, Charles Shigeru Morita and Helen Hirahara-Morita, started Charley’s Taxi in 1938 in Honolulu. My father came from Maui to work as an auto mechanic. Their taxi stand was located on King Street between Richards & Alakea, across from Hawaiian Electric.

Since then, we’ve provided the highest standard of transportation, innovated new services, and honed our logistics to continually strive for excellence. 

Many of early taxi drivers were musicians like the Kalima Brothers and Danny Kaleikini (from Papakolea) who started his singing career as a busker with a hat for people to put money in. That was during Boat Days, when limousine drivers were allowed to work as taxi drivers, provided they charged taxicab rates for queuing passengers. They could charge limo rates for passengers who specifically hired them for sightseeing tours. During WWII, Charley’s had a “u-drive” business at Schofield that lost money because many soldiers didn’t return cars. 

My father was a gifted photographer and opened a photography business that was more successful than the taxi business, as servicemen lined up around the block to take pictures. As a kid, I colored the photographs – there were no colored photos at that time. The FBI would raid the photography studio for pictures that the servicemen left for development.

In 1942, the Honolulu City Council enacted legislation to limit taxicab licenses (taxi medallion system). The Honolulu Police Department was authorized to strictly license taxicabs to “control” vices: bars, gambling, drugs, and prostitution. On Dec. 6, 1945, four months after the end of World War II, my dad led the industry to repeal the taxi medallion system, making Honolulu one of the few places in the world with an “open entry” taxi system. 

In the early ‘50s, Charley’s was one of the first five companies in Hawai‘i to invest in GE’s two-way radio system. The taxi stand moved to Alakea and Hotel St., a block away from the YMCA on Richard and Alakea, where military personnel could walk over to catch a ride back to base. The taxi drivers were so spoiled that they complained when a pick-up was two miles from the taxi stand. 

My parents divorced in 1957 and my mother ran the company until her retirement in 2009.

In the early ‘90s, we joined with Hilton Hawaiian Village’s Peter Schall and Noel Trainor and JTB’s Shinsuke Kitamura, led by CEO Kenji Ito, who came from Japan to make Hawai‘i “a world class destination.” To upgrade transportation, JTB obtained Travel Plaza’s PUC motorcoach license, appointed E Noa as Oli Oli Trolley and Charley’s as Oli Oli Taxi. 

When JTB was honored with Japan’s Award of Excellence, E Noa and Charley’s  were mentioned. We instituted a five-year vehicle age maximum and launched extensive driver training classes with scripts for drivers and dispatchers to communicate with Japanese visitors and help them enjoy Hawaiian hospitality. 

What was business like during the pandemic?

Throughout the pandemic, the drivers and company endured severe financial distress to continue providing 24/7 essential services for the community. 

How have things changed at Charley’s Taxi since the rise of ridesharing apps like Uber and Lyft?

State and county politicians, including mayors, governors, and legislators, have given TNC companies exemptions and lower economic costs while keeping strict, anti-competitive regulations on taxicab operators. This has reduced Honolulu’s taxi fleet to about 650 taxicabs – 40% of the 2013 fleet before Uber and Lyft came to Honolulu in 2014. 

What is a typical day like, today?

Our company uses leading edge technologies unmatched by other transportation companies.

In 2014, we started using an automated GPS dispatch system that covers 30 zones on O‘ahu. Compared with other companies in the U.S., our system dispatches more two-way radio calls than companies in Las Vegas, San Francisco, and New York City where the drivers wait at taxi stands. It appears that many taxi companies have given up using two-way radios. Daily, our drivers gladly pick up passengers in Turtle Bay and Waianae, places where Transportation Network Companies are often impossible to find. 

Our dispatchers are experts at using the automated dispatch system to match drivers with trips, but that system alone isn’t enough. We use the Motorola 900MHz digital radio system, which provides instant, static and interference free two-way communication to cover calls when drivers aren’t available in zones. 

Every car is equipped with a Netradyne camera that alerts drivers to different types of driving risks. This is our third camera system, and while the drivers at first objected to the cameras, they have learned the value of exoneration and how the system has reduced the number and severity of accidents.

We also have an emergency alert system with panic buttons in case of a suspicious or dangerous situation. This enables dispatchers to listen and also get a live look inside the vehicle via the Netradyne camera, to determine if HPD or EMS help is needed. 

We are the only private company to own a driving simulator that helps us identify and train risky drivers, with a focus on specific driving behaviors that need correction. All new drivers are subjected to a distracted driving session to make them aware of the danger. The system has 50+ scenarios for the drivers to learn how to react in different situations. 

Technology with Data changed and improved the way we do business to benefit and makes customers and drivers very much happier! We have five stars on Trip Advisor and four stars on Yelp – compared to taxi operators nationwide with only one or two stars.

Charley’s Taxi – Timeline 

85 years of innovation and dedication to service 

1938 – Charley’s Taxi was founded by Charles and Helen Morita. 

1942 – Charley’s U-Drive concession opened at Schofield. 

December 1945 – Charley’s led the industry for City Council to repeal the taxi medallion system that was instituted in 1942.  

1952 – Charley’s was one of the first five companies to purchase GE two-way radios in Hawai‘i. 

1957 – Charles and Helen divorced. Helen continued operating the business. 

1967 – Dale Evans returned from San Francisco to help her mother run the business. 

1973 – Taxi drivers became independent contractors instead of employees. 1973 – Charley’s had Hawai‘i’s largest taxi company fleet with 575 drivers. 

1975 – Governor Jack Burns appointed Charley’s to become taxi concessionaire at Inter Island Airport to compete with SIDA of Hawaii. 

1978 – City Council instituted limited taxicab licenses. 

1978 – Started driver training classes with Commission on Disabilities and Hawaii  Tourism Council. 

1979-1987 – Charley’s Taxi vs. Sida of Hawaii. The State of Hawaii and various state agencies re airport taxi monopoly under Sherman Antitrust Act. In Parker v. Brown, 317 U.S. 341, 63 S.Ct. 307, 87 L.Ed. 315(1943), the Supreme Court held that an anticompetitive marketing program instituted under the California Agricultural Act was exempt from the Sherman Act.

1980 – Charley’s started accepting credit card payments.  

1980 – Charley’s innovated MediCab, a door-to-door escort service. Drivers met  patients at their residence and escorted them to the taxi and appointment. We asked nurses to call dispatch 20 minutes before the patient was ready to leave so the driver was waiting for the patient when their appointment finished. Drivers again escorted patients to the taxi, stopped to pick up prescriptions, and escorted patients back to residence. 

1980 – Charley’s innovated DUI Alternative. Collateral such as table tents and  brochures, co-sponsored with Hawaii Liquor Distributors Association were provided to  bars and restaurants. Customers could pay  a flat-rate cab fare on their restaurant bill. 

1982 – Corporate Counsel reversed Council resolution limiting taxicab licenses. 

1986 ongoing (38 years) – Charley’s worked for HDOT to end the airport taxi  monopoly and launch an Open Taxi System for all taxi drivers. AMPCO Express is the managing contractor of the Airport’s Open Taxi System at Daniel  K. Inouye International Airport. The state established this Airport Open Taxi Management system so taxi drivers from all taxi companies would be able to pick-up passengers at the airport. 

1988 – Contracted with Black Orchid at Restaurant Row with “red tie” service. Randy Schock, Pat Bowman (Denver Bronco’s owner), Tom Selleck, Larry Manetti are co-owners. 

1990 – DUI prevention update: Customers can order two cabs. One drives the customer while the other drives the customer’s car. 

1993 – Multi-mode transportation concession contract with Hilton Hawaiian Village to  upgrade taxi industry standards to be the same as Japanese taxis: Five-year age maximum, no visible damage, white headliners on seats, clean uncluttered interiors, driver  education, uniforms of black shoes, black pants, white safari shirt, and name tag. 

1994 – Began discussion with JTB Hawaii re: Oli Oli Taxi. JTB offered this to all taxi companies. Charley’s was the only company to agree to provide Japanese speaking dispatch and flat rates for its Look Tour package. 

1995 ongoing – Charley’s launched a Japanese speaking dispatch service, the first and still only service in the U.S.

1995 – In partnership with Hilton and JTB, Charley’s developed the highest taxicab standards in Hawai‘i. 

1995 – Tourism officials went to the airport to watch the inauguration of the  JTB/Charley’s Taxi Oli Oli program. Hawai‘i PUC investigators stopped service claiming our flat rate was illegal. Customers were inconvenienced with service interruptions.  

1995-1997 City restricted the use of Oli Oli mini domes. JTB pleaded with the City Council and the finance director who wrote an undated letter that authorized us to use the dome (now also used by HandiVan). 

JTB created a marketing program designed to set world class standards for hotels and to spread the wealth by providing transportation options like Travel Plaza coaches (by JTB), Oli Oli Trolley (by Enoa Tours) and Oli Oli Taxi (by Charley’s Taxi) to offset negative impressions that Japanese wholesalers were monopolizing Japanese visitor marketing and doing business only with Japanese airlines, Japanese wholesalers, Japanese hotels,  Japanese fashion factories, and Japanese restaurants. Rather, these new transportation programs were designed to introduce Japanese visitors to local attractions, restaurants, stores, and events. 

1995-ongoing – Honolulu Heart Program asked us to help save their program at Kuakini Hospital. WWII vets committed to participate in the world’s longest-running, biggest study of the human body for decades after the war. But they were starting to refuse to go to examinations because HandiVan was taking too much of their time, often taking three hours round trip. 

We devoted our best local drivers with the newest cars to provide MediCab services for  the veteran volunteers. Initially, the vets told our drivers to beat it, they’re not going.  Drivers talked story with the vets and reminded them that doctors and nurses were  waiting for them and counting on their participation. Drivers also sometimes helped the  vets get dressed and ready. At Kuakini, drivers escorted vets to the nurses station and  asked the nurse to call before the patient was ready for release. On the return, drivers  were waiting for the patient upon release, drove them home, and escorted them to their  residence. 

Honolulu Heart Program saw an immediate increase in participation rates and said that we saved the program. 

HHP Background 

The Honolulu Heart Program was initiated in 1965 by the NHLBI as a  prospective study of environmental and biological causes of  

cardiovascular disease among Japanese Americans living in Hawaii.  This population was known to have low incidence of coronary heart  disease and higher incidence of stroke. The study provided opportunities  to investigate relationships among disease frequencies, pathologic  findings, and disease predictors in the cohort and to compare the  

findings in this population with those in other populations, especially  cohorts of Japanese men resident in Japan or the U.S. 

1995-2014 – Provided Airport Shared ride taxi program for Hilton. 

1996 – Published Taxi Talk in Japanese for drivers, with audio recordings for drivers to listen to; also published “Tour Book.” Promoted the Airport Hookipa project for taxi  drivers to learn cultural protocols from different countries. Sponsored HVCB Hawaii  Tourism Council classes for drivers to learn Hawaiian places and history.

1998 – Drivers strike against high standards at Hilton, whose management supported us to uphold our shared high standards. Charley’s paid for bus companies to provide  shuttles for guests until drivers relented and accepted the standards. The strike lasted  one month. 

1998 – Implemented and purchased the first Mentor automated dispatch system.

1998-ongoing – Visitor Aloha Society of Hawaii started by Waikiki Rotary  Club of Honolulu. Charley’s provides free transportation for visitors who are victims of crime or other adversities. We follow up, assist, and support VASH in its to create positive memories of the visitor’s island stay. 

2003 – Dale Evans became CEO of Charley’s Taxi.  

2008, March 28 – Helen Hifumi Morita passed away at age 94. As president of Charley’s Taxi, Helen Morita was among the first women leaders in the country’s transportation industry. 

2009 –  Purchased Mentor’s (2nd) automated dispatch system

2012 – Concession contract with Disney’s Aulani Resort. Also servicing Four Seasons, Marriott Vacations Club at Ko Olina. 

2014-ongoing – First taxi company to offer flat rates for hotels and major attractions. 

2014-ongoing – Implemented MTI GPS automated dispatch system. 

2014-ongoing – Upgraded to Motorola TrboNet 900 Mhz radio system. 

2014 – Implemented Janus dashboard cameras. 

2014 – purchased MTI (3rd) automated dispatch system.

2016-ongoing – Japan Airlines is the first world class airline to partner with a taxi company. Marketing projects for Jaloalo, HawaiiCo and JalPak.

2018 ongoing – Only private company in Hawai‘i to acquire a Virage Driving  Simulator to train, evaluate, and rehabilitate drivers. The simulator was also used by  UH Manoa engineering students to study distracted driving. 

2019 – Upgraded to Samsara smart dashboard camera system. 

2019-ongoing – Launched a comprehensive driver training program with written/oral tests and on the road and simulator evaluations before orientation/onboarding, live safety coaching based on dashboard camera alerts, annual Defensive Driving Classes, and ongoing simulator training sessions. 

2022 – Implemented Netradyne security camera system, the industry’s most  advanced fleet camera technology. 

2023-ongoing – Re-established concession contract with Waikiki Beach Marriott.  

2023-ongoing – Project Vision – Charley’s provides free transportation for homeless patients from hospitals to the Medical Respite Kauhale as well as weekend transport of meals from Honolulu Community College to Kauhale residents.