Hawaiʻi County transit agency taps Spare to modernize operations

The County of Hawaiʻi Mass Transit Agency has launched a partnership with Spare to replace manual maintenance and rider-support workflows with a single system. The move is meant to improve reliability, speed up complaint handling and give residents 24/7 phone support without adding staff.

Why it matters: - Hele-On serves transit-dependent residents across Hawaiʻi County who rely on buses and paratransit for healthcare, work and other daily trips. - The partnership is designed to improve fleet reliability and rider support while helping a lean agency avoid adding headcount. - The upgrade could make essential transit services easier to access for riders who need help outside normal business hours.

What happened: - Spare announced a new partnership with the County of Hawaiʻi Mass Transit Agency, known as Hele-On, on October 7, 2026. - Hele-On will use Spare to modernize maintenance operations, centralize rider complaints and provide phone-based rider support. - The agency operates countywide fixed-route bus service and Hele-On Kakoʻo, its ADA paratransit program. - Hele-On also runs shared-ride taxi service, senior and disability transportation, vanpool service and HIBike bikeshare stations in partnership with other organizations.

The details: - Hele-On will replace manual, spreadsheet-based processes with a single system for asset management, complaint resolution and rider support. - Spare’s Enterprise Asset Management tool covers work orders, inspections, preventive maintenance scheduling and parts inventory. - Spare Resolve provides centralized complaint and case management, along with timeline tracking and contractor-level permissions. - Spare’s AI Voice tool gives riders 24/7 phone access for trip information, ETA requests and support. - Hele-On says the platform will reduce the need to track work orders and complaints across multiple spreadsheets. - Hele-On transports about 800,000 passenger trips a year with a fleet of more than 40 buses and vans. - Hele-On serves 22 fixed and flex routes countywide. - Hele-On Kakoʻo operates in Hilo, Kailua-Kona and Puna in partnership with MTM Transit. - The county’s shared ride taxi program works with three taxi companies in Hilo. - Hele-On’s senior and persons with disabilities transportation service operates with Hawaii County Economic Opportunities Council. - The vanpool program runs with Commute with Enterprise. - Hele-On has 23 HIBike bikeshare stations in Hilo and Kailua-Kona in partnership with PATH. - The agency’s contact number is (808) 961-8744, with TDD/TTY access through 711. - The agency’s email is heleonbus@hawaiicounty.gov. - More information is available at Hele-On's website.

Between the lines: - The deal reflects a broader push by smaller transit agencies to consolidate operations into one platform. - Spare is positioning its software around agencies that need more visibility and automation without expanding staff. - Hele-On’s scale makes the partnership a test case for whether AI tools can help a county transit system stretch limited resources further.

What's next: - Hele-On will roll out Spare’s platform to connect maintenance, complaints and rider communications in one system. - The agency is expected to use the new tools to speed response times and improve service reliability. - Spare will continue targeting public transit agencies with its AI-native operations platform.

The bottom line: - Hele-On is betting that software can help a small team deliver more dependable transit across a large county.