The number of people who renewed their motor vehicle registrations online on O'ahu shot up from 2,622 in 2001 to 41,969 in the year just ended, city officials said.

Overall, that's still less than 10 percent of more than 600,000 vehicles registered in Honolulu each year but represents a huge increase, said city vehicle license administrator Dennis Kamimura.

The increase is pretty impressive for a method of payment that wasn't even available until 2000 and was used by only 69 people that year. Kamimura doesn't track the exact numbers of people who mail in their registration but believes it to be a majority with a much smaller number filed in person at satellite city halls.

More people are finding ways to do government business on the Internet, which helps consumers save time and effort by not having to go to an office during working hours.

The practice helps government save time and money, too, especially those offices left perennially short-staffed after years of cutbacks.

Last week the city updated its main Web page at www .honolulu.gov to make it easier to find what services are available via the computer. City Information Technology Director Gordon Bruce points to the prominently displayed "Online Services" heading which takes readers directly to a long list of subjects.

"It's all right there as opposed to the past, where it was buried," Bruce said. "It was hard to find things. I work here and I didn't know that vehicle registration was under Customer Services."

Bruce said the car and truck registration service is growing in popularity as are other practical services. He said the motor vehicle registration renewal comes back faster from the Internet than the mail. "You get it within less than two weeks," he said and confirmation comes right away.

The three most frequently tapped parts of the Web site are: Hanauma Bay, traffic and Waikiki cameras, and satellite city hall information (for those who really have to go to an office).

He said the Hanauma Web site is a favorite with students and people who live in other states or countries.

And Bruce said he's heard from customers that the Waikiki cameras get more use from visitors who use them as a way to wave at people back at home from their vacation with the scenic beach backdrop. "People call and say, 'You can see me standing in front of Duke Kahanamoku. Go on to the Web and you can see me.' "

Kamimura said another recently added feature is an online way to report abandoned or derelict vehicles.

He doesn't track the specific numbers but said office staff report fewer calls since the computer reporting became available over the past few months. "That has been a help," Kami-mura said. "They've noticed a reduction in call-in reports."

He said residents who are buying used cars also can use the Web to check out the city history on a vehicle and to calculate their own fees before they get the bill.

"You put the last four digits of the VIN (vehicle identification number) and the license number on the vehicle you're thinking of buying," Kamimura said.

That will tell you if the registration expired, or if there are any other red flags, even if the previous owner wrote a bad check. Or if the car was stolen.

Bruce encourages readers to offer feedback on the Web site and suggestions on how to make it more useful. "We're going to be refreshing this front page at least once a month with new things," he said.

Residents also can access information on bills and city ordinances, bulky item trash pickup schedules, city auctions, jobs, how to report a pothole, and a slew of online forms.

Bruce said other popular links are the driver license road test appointment schedule, state services such as tax information, and the new Drive Akamai construction report, where you can pull up a map of all the construction projects scheduled. That information also is available by dialing 768-3777.

Reach Robbie Dingeman at rdingeman@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2429.