Two Years of Free Hele-On Rides!
By Lichen Forster
Ride the Hele-On free! Following the approval of Bill 105 by the Hawaiʻi County Council, the Hele-On bus service will begin a two-year fare-free pilot program starting the first week of March.
Mass Transit Agency Administrator John Andoh has been pursuing the program since late 2021.
“If there is a way that we can eliminate a $600 a year cost…so that they [riders] can use those funds to cover other quality of life opportunities like shopping, medical: whatever it takes to live, then we’re putting that money back into the economy, which creates more jobs and helps sustain us as we go through this difficult time,”
Andoh said, citing the pandemic as a specific driver for the program.
Graphic by Naomi Lemieux
Federal funding for Hele-On correlates to ridership, and the last time the system was fare-free, ridership jumped from 800 thousand annual rides in 2009 to 1.2 million in 2013. Now, annual ridership has fallen to 290 thousand. Part of Bill 105 is designed to bring these numbers up.
As it stands, the farebox system is actually costing the County. According to Andoh, the fees and staff associated with counting fares have consistently resulted in Hele-On having a net zero or net loss from fare collection.
Grant money related to Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act will provide Hele-On its main source of funding in the two-year interlude. During that time, Andoh plans to update the farebox system to make it a financially sound one.
There is a possibility that the fare-free program will be extended after the two years are up.
“If it’s working out, it’s benefiting the community, [and] we’re seeing positive returns…in my opinion, doesn’t it make sense to continue the process?” Andoh said.
“There are several transit systems across the country that have done fare-free pilots and made them permanent because they saw the value of providing this free service to the community. Just like going to the library; you don’t necessarily pay to check out a book.”
“Public transportation is a lifeline for many in our county,” said Holeka Inaba, council member for North Kona.
“After the two years [of the program is done], either additional state and federal funding, or another revenue source to offset mass transit expenses would probably need to be secured for the Council to continue a freeze on fare collections.”
Andoh has also begun updating Hele-On’s fleet of 55 buses. The first four are slated to hit the streets in August, and all will be equipped with free WiFi. They will also have mask holders, hand sanitizers, UV lights and air filtration systems. By 2024, Andoh wants to replace the entire fleet with similarly outfitted buses.
As of this January, Hele-On has also paired with HIBIKE to offer riders free bike-share usage with their bus passes.
“I am very pleased with Administrator Andoh’s performance in his new role,” Inaba said. “I look forward to the continued progress and forward movement he will make for our County’s Mass Transit branding and services.”
(A few) Hele-On schedules that have stops near UH Hilo.
Visit https://www.heleonbus.hawaiicounty.gov/getting-around/bus-schedules-and-maps/ to see all schedules.
