The Hawai’i County Mass Transit Agency is implementing the recommendations for fixed-route and para-transit service from the Final Transit and Multi-Modal Transportation Master Plan adopted in 2018.  The implementation of the restructured transit service supports the efforts of Mayor Roth to increase access to public transit for all island residents, allowing for more economic development, improved access to employment, shopping, medical, education, and quality of life opportunities.

These service additions will begin on Sunday, September 5, 2021 and will include Sunday bus service in the Waimea, Hilo, Kailua-Kona, and Puna areas of the island. Routes in Hilo, Waimea, and Kailua-Kona will operate every 60 to 120 minutes. Additional trips will be added on service to Volcano, North Kohala, South Kohala, Honoka’a, and Waimea routes.  New service will be established between Waimea and Kailua-Kona via Route 76: Green Line, between Hilo and Kona via Route 2: Blue Line, within Kailua-Kona on Routes 202 and 204, within Hilo on Route 104, and within the Puna District on Routes 401, 402 and 403. Timetables and route maps will be available on the buses and online in mid-August 2021.

On Monday, September 6, 2021, Hele-On will operate a Sunday schedule on Labor Day. Only Routes 2, 11, 40, 70, 75, 80, 90, 101, 201, 202, 301 and 401 will operate at that time.

Additional actions that have since been implemented or are in the process of being implemented from the Master Plan include launching the Hele-On bus on social media platforms such  as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, providing General Feed Transit Specification to Google, Bing and Apple to allow for the addition of bus routes on their map applications, development of a new brand to be placed on all the transit buses, implementation of route numbers and route names, development of a new timetable with more information about Hele-On transit services, continued receipt of grants to replace the aging transit fleet with new electric, hydrogen, and diesel hybrid electric buses, streamlined transfers to increase access to passengers riding Hele-On routes, implementing flex route service on Route 301: Waimea Shuttle to bring the bus close closer to Waimea residents, implementing paratransit service within a one mile radius of Route 40: Hilo-Pahoa-Kalapana for those with disabilities, new partnership with HIBIKE bike-sharing service in Hilo and Kailua-Kona and upgrading the website to provide accessible and clearer information to the general public.

More continued improvements based on the Final Transit and Multi-Modal Transportation Master Plan will continue to occur throughout 2021 and into 2022.

More details on bus routes are available on the Hele-On website or on the Hele-On Bus Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube pages.