Bus Drivers In Hawaii Can Throw Up A Digital Shaka When You Let Them Merge

I live in Los Angeles where bus drivers have no fear and no shame when it comes to merging without a signal or pulling out in front of oncoming traffic, so I got pretty jealous when I learned that buses in Hawaii are equipped with a button that displays a shaka sign and says “mahalo,” or thank you, when pressed. Honolulu, Hawaii is ranked as the ninth most congested city in the United States according to some studies, so this little gesture is a great opportunity to bring a smile to a citizen who might otherwise be questioning their decision to live there.

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The shaka lore goes back to a somewhat gruesome tale from the early 1900s when a man who was working at a sugar mill when his index, middle, and ring finger got caught in a machine and he had to lose them. After his incident he got a new job as a security officer on a train, and kids adopted the shaka as a way to indicate the coast was clear for them to jump on the train. Nowadays, the shaka is a commonly used gesture in Hawaii to express a variety of positive messages, and to spread the message of aloha.

Before buses were equipped with the shaka button, drivers would commonly reach out of their window and chuck up a shaka to thank road users who let the bus merge or otherwise yielded to them, so Hawaii decided to add a button. Honolulu Magazine reported in 2013,

Let one of (Honolulu’s) new, fuel-efficient buses in front of you, and you just might get an electronic shaka as a mahalo. Michelle Kennedy, director of marketing and communications for Oahu Transit Services, says, “The drivers of the new buses have a little switch they can hit that flashes the shaka on the back sign. In the old buses, you have to lean out the window and stick your arm out into traffic to say thanks. This just makes it a lot easier.”

Thoughtful touches like a shaka or thank you button to acknowledge friendly drivers brings a wonderful human element to the nightmare of a daily rush hour commute, and I wish more cities would implement something like this. I have seen some cars with customizable electronic signs in their rear window so they can send messages while driving, but those aren’t usually particularly kind or friendly gestures.