hele-on-bus/public transportation/west side of big island (Honolulu, Hilo: houses, high school)

[craigon]

Aloha,

I am wondering if anyone knows if the bus system is going to advance as in getting to people, for example, the waikoloa village area, etc as well as easier to understand schedules themselves. I noticed maui has color coded schedules and somehow merged with google maps {i believe} so one can just enter an address and lor and behold, just like magic, exact locations and times pop up..

My question really boils down to if anyone knows of an upcoming revamping of hele-on on big island. Seems to be a huge necessity along with covered bus stops.

I read somewhere, granted i could have read it wrong, that, hele-on was granted 500,000.00 to improve the situation.

Mahalo

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

I seriously doubt that any major (or minor) improvements are going to happen soon. I read a recent article in West Hawaii Today that 25 of Hele On's 55 buses are out of commission because they need major repairs. But then the article went on to say that the county is paying $500,000 for a consultant to create a new master route plan. Seems like they should have spent that $500,000 on fixing buses first! Oh, and if the new route plan works like everything else on the island, it will sit on the shelf for ten years.

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by craigon

Seems to be a huge necessity along with covered bus stops.

When Oahu gets covered bus stops you'll get yours 10 years later (hint: it won't happen)

Waiting for a bus in heat and humidity and rain is a way of life here.

[Jonah K]

Originally Posted by craigon

Aloha,

I am wondering if anyone knows if the bus system is going to advance as in getting to people, for example, the waikoloa village area, etc as well as easier to understand schedules themselves. I noticed maui has color coded schedules and somehow merged with google maps {i believe} so one can just enter an address and lor and behold, just like magic, exact locations and times pop up..

My question really boils down to if anyone knows of an upcoming revamping of hele-on on big island. Seems to be a huge necessity along with covered bus stops.

I read somewhere, granted i could have read it wrong, that, hele-on was granted 500,000.00 to improve the situation.

Mahalo

Sadly, the rail system in Honolulu will probably be fully finished and operational before any noticeable improvements are made to the Hele-On bus system in Kona.
Bus woes escalate: Almost half the Hele-On bus fleet broken down | West Hawaii Today

[hotzcatz]

Well, it's a small enough island that you'd be able to ask your council person if you can build a covered bus stop built at your favored location. Run a 'go fund me' account to see if you can get other folks interested in donating and then build a covered bus shelter at your stop.

They have built some on the windward side of the island - probably because of the increased amount of rain on that side. The bus stops all seem built to a very similar if not exactly same design. There's probably a stock set of plans or a standard way to build one.

Once you get yours built, let the newspaper know that it happened and how it happened and then perhaps other folks will do the same.

It's more work on your part, but it's a much more direct and likely to get done route.

[KauaiHiker]

Love that attitude, hotzcatz. I saw exactly that bus shelter building scenario play out in Anahola (majority Hawaiian home lands) here on Kauai. There were also funky homemade benches at many bus stops. I gotta say that this ability to do things together and get things done is a neat part of living on the neighbor islands.

BTW, I think the Kauai Bus got a similar grant, because now I've seen several real bus shelters being built around the island. Things happen slowly, but they happen.

[Grassyknoll]

Helen On is a joke. I Can'tell begin to tell you how many times I have passed their busses broken down on the side of the road. I truly sympathize with anyone counting on this system to get to and from work.

[hotzcatz]

But it's the only joke in town, so we need to do what we can to help them along. Building the bus stops lets them have more $$$ to take care of the buses. At least we have them, there didn't used to be any buses at all before.

Wish we still had the trains, though. They used to go from Pahoa to Hilo and on out the coast to Pauuilo. A rail from Hilo to Pahoa might be able to be built again, doubt they could do the rail down the Hamakua coast again, though.

[Jonah K]

Originally Posted by hotzcatz

But it's the only joke in town, so we need to do what we can to help them along. Building the bus stops lets them have more $$$ to take care of the buses. At least we have them, there didn't used to be any buses at all before.

On the bright side, Mayor Kim is making an effort to fix the bus system.
Administrator steps down, trouble-shooter hired to fix bus system | West Hawaii Today

Originally Posted by hotzcatz

Wish we still had the trains, though. They used to go from Pahoa to Hilo and on out the coast to Pauuilo. A rail from Hilo to Pahoa might be able to be built again, doubt they could do the rail down the Hamakua coast again, though.

Sadly, it's somewhat unlikely that a rail system from Hilo to Pāhoa will ever be built again, since the old Hawaii Consolidated Railway was never really profitable.

[hotzcatz]

The article said it was profitable and then they made an agreement about helping build Hilo's breakwater and had to build the line out to Pauuilo as part of the deal and that's what took up all their capitol and then some. It about to become profitable and pay off the extensive costs for building the line to Pauuilo, but then there was the tsunami which took it out and destroyed most of the bridges they'd built on the Hamakua coast. I think they lost several if not most of their engines, too.

Just running the line from Hilo to Pahoa should be profitable if the land costs wouldn't be terribly expensive. They may still even have the old rail line roadbed (railbed?) still there. Of course, that's assuming lava didn't eat the rails.

Hmm, they mentioned an old train turn around station in Hilo over by where Del's is and the swim stadium. I never knew it was still there, wonder why it's not made into a museum? It's kinda behind some warehouses.

My neighbor used to come tell me about small kid time when he rode the train from Pauuilo to Hilo for school since the only high school was in Hilo. When he didn't do well in school, he'd be sure to miss the train and stay in town with his auntie who wouldn't scold him for his schoolwork. The whole Hamakua coast rail line was just about either going over a bridge or through a tunnel. Right along the ocean, it was just an amazing ride is how he described it.