Sept. 4 is the latest — and firmest — target date for launching the city's commuter ferry service between Barbers Point Harbor in Kalaeloa and Aloha Tower downtown.

"We're very very pleased to have this in place," Mayor Mufi Hannemann said. "We want to appeal to the people of west O'ahu to use this service."

Approximate launch dates had been set before but were moved back several times as officials and ferry operator Hornblower Marine Services worked out details and sought release of a $3 million federal grant.

Hannemann said the service will begin Sept. 4 — the Tuesday following the Labor Day weekend — unless there are "unforeseen delays."

The one-hour ferry rides should give commuters an alternative to fighting traffic in their cars, he said.

Plans to serve coffee and other refreshments on board are under consideration, city transit director Melvin Kaku said.

The ferries are to run for at least one year, and the service could be extended if ridership is high, Hannemann said.

Each ferry can carry 149 passengers and 10 bicycles, but officials have not set a specific ridership goal, Kaku said.

Additional stops at Iroquois Point and Ocean Pointe are being discussed, Hannemann said.

The ferries — named the Melissa Ann and the Rachel Marie — are to make three trips in each direction on weekdays, and will link with shuttle buses at each terminal.

Buses will bring passengers to the Kalaeloa pier from the Wai'anae Transit Center, and the Villages of Kapolei and Makakilo.

From Aloha Tower, buses will go to the University of Hawai'i-Manoa and to Waikiki via Ala Moana.

A single fare will pay for the entire journey: the ferry and buses at each end. The one-way fare for adults is $2, and bus passes also will be honored.

The ferries are currently in Seattle, where they will be dry-docked for maintenance and inspection over the next month, officials said. The vessels are to be shipped to Honolulu on a barge in mid-August.

The city expects to receive a total of $5 million from the Federal Transit Administration for the ferry system, and to spend another $1 million in city funds on the buses.

In a related matter, Hannemann said the city will host a public conference on "transit-oriented development" on July 14, at the Leeward Community College theater, from 8:30 a.m. to noon.

The city wants to devise a series of neighborhood plans to guide growth and development around stations that will serve the city's planned mass transit system, Hannemann said.

One of the first plans will be for Waipahu, where two stations are to be built, he said.

The plans will be community-driven, but the city has hired experienced Mainland experts to facilitate them, he said.

Reach Johnny Brannon at jbrannon@honoluluadvertiser.com.