HONOLULU -- The city on Friday revealed its plans for two commuter ferries that will run between Kalaeloa and Honolulu.

The two vessels will be called The Boat to match The Bus transit service. The two services will operate together, city officials said.

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Anyone with a bus pass can ride the ferry as part of the service. If not, a bus transfer or $2 will pay for a leg of the voyage.

The ferries will begin operating on Sept. 17.

The city hired Hornblower Marine Services to operate the ferry system. The company has experience running other ferry services around the country, according to the city.

The intra-island ferry service is a one-year, $6 million pilot project designed to give residents in Leeward Oahu another commuting option and to alleviate traffic on the H-1 Freeway.

Each ferry can carry about 149 passengers on the ride, which is expected to take about an hour.

When you add in the shuttle time, it will take about as long to get to town if a person drove their car. However, the mayor hopes people will give it a try.

"I think anything will help us at this point, because it's traffic gridlock seven days a week," Mayor Mufi Hannemann said. "If we can take off 300, 450 people a day, who may be using their individual cars or carpooling, we think that will lend itself to some success."

Buses will shuttle passengers to the Kalaeloa pier from Waianae, Kapolei and Makakilo. From Aloha Tower, buses will go to the University of Hawaii to Waikiki via Ala Moana Boulevard.

There are only 19 parking stalls in Kalaeloa Harbor. The city is working on finding more ferry parking in the Kapolei area.