Requesting The County Of Hawaii To Expand The Hele-on Shared Ride Program To Serve The Entire Island Of Hawaii, Including Rural And Underserved Areas Such As West Hawaii, North Kohala, South Kohala, Ka, And Puna.
H.R. 146 is a House Resolution requesting the County of Hawaiʻi to expand the Hele-On Shared Ride Program beyond its current east Hawaiʻi/Hilo-area service area so it can serve the entire island, including west Hawaiʻi, North Kohala, South Kohala, Kaʻū, and Puna. The resolution frames transportation as a basic public need and emphasizes that reliable, accessible, and affordable rides are especially important for kupuna, people with disabilities, and residents with chronic health conditions who need help reaching medical appointments, pharmacies, and supportive services.
The resolution also asks the County of Hawaiʻi Mass Transit Agency to prioritize ADA-accessible vehicles, work with local taxi and shared-ride providers to fill service gaps, consider the program as a way to improve health care access, and explore phased or pilot expansion strategies that fit available funding. It notes that the current program subsidizes up to $15.80 per trip and that participation is tied to a shared ride identification card, which the resolution presents as a way to balance access with accountability.
Because this is a resolution rather than a bill, it does not directly amend the Hawaii Revised Statutes or create a binding legal mandate. Its practical effect is to formally urge county officials to expand an existing county transit program and to consider operational changes, partnerships, and funding strategies that would broaden service to rural and underserved parts of Hawaiʻi Island. If acted on, the resolution could affect county transit operations, provider participation, and access to subsidized transportation for eligible riders, especially those with disabilities or limited mobility.
The overall sentiment is strongly supportive of expansion and transportation equity. The resolution is built around concerns about rural isolation, missed medical care, and unequal access between east and west Hawaiʻi, and it presents island-wide shared ride service as a public benefit for health, independence, and community participation. No opposing testimony, votes, or committee debate are provided in the record, so the available context shows only affirmative framing and no recorded controversy in the materials supplied.
The main points of potential contention are practical rather than ideological: cost, funding availability, and whether the County can recruit enough providers to serve remote areas. The resolution explicitly acknowledges these concerns by calling for phased implementation, pilot programs, and other cost-effective strategies, and by limiting expansion to what is subject to available funding. Another operational issue is service coverage, since the resolution notes that current providers are concentrated in the Hilo area and do not serve several districts that would be included in an island-wide expansion.