Hawaiʻi County announced the opening of its new Park-n-Ride location at Loloku Street, located on the south side of Target in Kailua-Kona.

The pilot program, which is made possible through collaboration with the Kailua Village Business Improvement District, offers extended parking hours from 7 am to 6 pm to accommodate peak parking hours for businesses in Historic Kailua Village.

One of the key features of the Park-n-Ride location is its proximity to an existing bus stop on Luhia Street. This strategic placement ensures connectivity for individuals utilizing public transportation. In addition, the bus stop serves as a transfer point for various routes, facilitating efficient travel across the West Hawaii region.

Kona Trolley service is also available at the County of Hawaiʻi Park-n-Ride at 1.5 hour intervals. The route begins at Luhia Street and includes stops at Kona Commons, Kona Brew, Queen Kaahumanu Highway, Palani Road, Aliʻi Drive, and Keauhou Shopping Center.

In a press release Mayor Roth said, “At the end of the day, our people, those working, visiting or shopping in the Village need to be our priority when it comes to ensuring a sustainable Hawaiʻi Island where our keiki can raise their keiki for generations. Right now, folks are struggling to find free parking in Kona. This isn’t just for fun stuff; it’s to get to work, it’s for programs at Hale Halawai and needed services. That’s not right. As a County, we’re looking at every avenue to alleviate the parking concerns of our residents in Kona, and this park-n-ride is just one of the creative ideas that we’ll be bringing forward to address this issue — for our workers, for their companies, and for our local families.”

All aspects of the Park-n-Ride are free, including parking, bus and Kona Trolley fares.

 

Photo credit: County of Hawaii