HILO — Where’s the darn bus?
That question could soon be asked a little less frequently, as Hawaii County works toward installing an app that will provide real-time information on estimated Hele-On bus arrival times.
Traffic conditions, weather, and unexpected emergencies with buses and drivers can make county buses later than scheduled. The app aims to take some of the frustration out of predicting when that big blue and white vehicle will arrive.
The county Mass Transit Administration has issued a request for proposals for the ambitious project, which could be done in conjunction with a reevaluation of current bus routes.
“We want to afford our riders with a useful tool for real-time tracking,” Mass Transit Administrator Tiffany Kai said Friday. She estimated the base budget for the project at about $75,000, plus an annual maintenance plan. Adding options such as public locator displays at public areas such as shopping malls could raise the price.
The County Council in 2015 approved $500,000 for a consultant to create a mass transit master plan. The consultant, SSFM, should begin on-board rider surveys next week, Kai said. After that, there will be community meetings for more public input.
There is currently a fleet of 55 buses serving the entire island. Besides incorporating the county buses, the intent of the new system is to also enable future linkage to taxi and bike share services, according to the request for proposals.
Vendors are asked to create a live map across iPhone, Android and mobile web applications to the administration and bus riders with a real-time experience. This means a user gets a smooth visual of a bus moving on a familiar Google or Apple map along with extremely accurate reporting and arrival estimates. Proposals are due March 14.
If the project proceeds as planned, it could be the most sophisticated transit tracking system in the state.
Oahu’s TheBus system provides riders with real-time updates of buses such as “arrives in one minute.” But it doesn’t show a map of where the bus is at any given time. Maui has a limited tracking system as well, and Kauai doesn’t have one at all.
Riders Friday afternoon at the Hilo transit station and on the Hilo-to-Keaukaha route were mixed in their enthusiasm for the proposed project. The Keaukaha bus stops at Hilo International Airport, the cruise ship port, local beaches, the University of Hawaii at Hilo and Prince Kuhio Mall, making it popular with visitors and younger riders.
Shirley Lumiere, who is retired, had traveled to Hilo on the Naalehu route to visit the Social Security office. While in town, she did a little marketing and was carrying some purchases in her canvas bag.
“If the bus is here, the bus is here,” she said philosophically. “If it’s not, then I’ll wait for it.”
Lumiere acknowledged that working people may not have that luxury.
In general, she said, she thinks the bus fare is very reasonable, especially for the distance one can travel for $2 or less.
“I think the bus system is the best value anywhere,” she said.
Emily and Sam, a young Seattle couple who’ve docked their sailboat in Hilo en route home from a trip to Mexico, were enthusiastic about the concept. They declined to give their last names for publication.
“We’re all over this concept,” Emily said. “We have an app like that in Seattle and it’s amazing.”
Tracy, who also didn’t want to give his last name, agreed the project is essential. He’s the author of the “A trance to travel” blog, traveling the world and blogging about such destinations as Myanmar, Yangon, Valparaiso and Saigon.
“You can find these systems in even Third World countries,” he said.
Charles Moore, a self-professed “snowbird” from Louisville, Kentucky, who spends the cold months at a Banyan Drive condo, said he doesn’t have the type of cell phone that could make use of the app, but if the project helps make the buses run on time, he’s in favor of it.
More than that, though, Moore would like to see buses run on Sundays and holidays.
“That would be very helpful,” he said.