photo courtesy Hawaiʻi County

(BIVN) – Nine new Paratransit vans and four all-electric buses have joined the Hawaiʻi County Mass Transit Agency fleet. 

The Paratransit vehicles, serving people with disabilities, include 2 six-passenger vans and 7 eight-passenger vans, bringing the Paratransit fleet up to 16 vehicles. 

“It is quite remarkable that we can more than double the size of our Paratransit fleet,” said Mayor Kimo Alameda in a news release. “Everyone needs access to transportation, and we are excited to be able to improve services for our disabled residents on these routes.”

photo courtesy Hawaiʻi County

The new Paratransit vans each have wheelchair accessibility.

“We are very pleased to add these new vehicles to our fleet,” said Mass Transit Administrator Zachary Bergum. “These new all-electric buses mark an important step toward reducing our emissions, and as Paratransit ridership continues to increase, these vans will ensure that we meet demand for this critical service.”

Paratransit is “a shared ride, advance reservation, origin-to-destination transportation service for people with disabilities who are unable to use the fixed route bus,” the County says. The Paratransit service is provided up to 1 mile of fixed routes in Hilo, Kona, and Puna.

A list of available Paratransit routes, days and times was provided by the County:

Hilo

• Within 1 mile of Routes 101, 102, 103, 104
• Monday-Saturday: 6 a.m.-8 p.m.
• Sundays: 9:15 a.m.-6 p.m.

Kona

• Within 1 mile of Routes 201, 202, 203, 204
• Daily: 6 a.m.-10 p.m.

Puna

• Within 1 mile of Routes 40, 401, 402
• Monday-Friday: 5 a.m.-10:30 p.m.
• Saturday-Sunday: 6:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m.

For more information on the Paratransit service, call 808-204-6467 or visit heleonbus.hawaiicounty.gov.