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DIT outlines HNL Pay, mobile driver’s license and AI-powered chatbot as citizen services priorities
Summary
The Department of Information Technology briefed the committee on HNL Pay (18,000+ monthly transactions), a mobile driver's license used by about 37,000 Hawaii residents (iPhone only), and a generative-AI chatbot pilot; officials said a 2.35% credit-card processing fee applies and Android support for mobile IDs is planned.
Steven Courtney, deputy director for the Department of Information Technology (DIT), briefed the Honolulu City Council Committee on Innovation, Technology and Entertainment on May 29 about three public-facing IT services: HNL Pay, the mobile driver's license (MDL) program, and a generative-AI chatbot deployed for motor vehicle webpages.
Courtney described HNL Pay as a centralized payment API the city uses to process fees and said it "runs over 18,000 transaction per month." He said HNL Pay integrates with department systems such as the Department of Parks and Recreation’s PROS scheduling platform and can be used for select affordable-housing or permit payments if departments opt in. The city currently charges a processing fee for credit-card payments; when asked about the amount, Courtney said, "The 2.35%." He also said electronic-check and other payment vehicles can be explored with Budget and Fiscal Services approval.
On the mobile driver's license, Courtney said Hawaii deployed an MDL in August of the prior year and that "over 37,000 Hawaii citizens have a mobile driver's license today." He noted the MDL currently works on iPhone only and that Android support is planned. He also said Honolulu is the only city in the country providing the application for the entire state, and that the DIT bears operational responsibilities within its budget.
Courtney said the city is powering a new web chatbot with generative AI to help residents navigate DMV and other pages; the chatbot is trained on departmental web pages and is in testing for several departments. He described an on-premises AI "box" in the city data center supporting internal knowledge-services pilots. Future plans include adding more departments to HNL Pay (the film office was mentioned as a candidate) and expanding chatbot integration to planning and permitting web pages.
Committee members asked for greater clarity on payment-fee tiers, why real-property-tax payments use a different vendor, and whether DIT had plans for accessibility and fee reductions. Courtney said some payments are handled by other vendors and that DIT will coordinate with Budget and Fiscal Services and departments to expand services and payment methods.
The presentation was informational; no formal action was taken by the committee.
