(BIVN) – Six new HIBIKE bikeshare stations have been added to both Hilo and Kona, under a $900,000 expansion of the program.

The non-profit People for Active Transportation Hawaii, or PATH, says the funds were awarded from the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant through the State of Hawaii Department of Transportation and administered by the County Department of Public Works.

PATH says the total number of stations on the Island of Hawaiʻi is now up to 23. There are 13 stations in Kona and 10 in Hilo. 75 bicycles have been to the HIBIKE system.

In a news release, PATH also said the HIBIKE partnership with the Mass Transit Agency will continue. From PATH:

Integration of the HIBIKE Bikeshare System

In 2016, PATH’s partnership with the County of Hawaii’s Research & Development Department piloted a bikeshare system in Kailua-Kona to test how bikeshare could work on Hawai’i Island, which was eventually expanded to the Hilo area. As part of this expansion, Mass Transit came on to start subsidizing the bikeshare operation, incorporating it into the family of services provided by the agency.

Since bikesharing promotes active, healthy transportation and exercise, it’s important to maintain this bikeshare system as part of Hawai’i County’s multi-mobility or multimodal transportation plan.

Bikeshare stations are also incredibly beneficial in areas where a bus route may not make sense because the destination may be close enough to mainline transit. And establishing bikeshare stations near bus routes to get to and from an off-route location eliminates the need to deviate a mainline transit route.

PATH continues partnership with Mass Transit Agency

With the new expansion of the HIBIKE program, PATH also continues its partnership with the County of Hawai’i Mass Transit Agency under the leadership of Mass Transit Administrator, Victor Kandle, to provide Hele-On passengers with a viable transportation option that provides economic, health, and convenience benefits. Hele-On bus riders can continue to access HIBIKE Bikeshare at no additional cost. For free access, every Hele-On rider can ask bus operators for a code to use at the HIBIKE kiosks. This provides Hele-On passengers with unlimited 30-minute HIBIKE rides for up to 24 hours.

A service of PATH and Hele-On, HIBIKE Bikeshare is a form of mobility management ideal for anyone who wants to leave their car parked during a short trip or enhance their transportation options. In other cities with a bikeshare system, it’s been shown that local businesses benefit, with an increase in visibility on the street-level, because people are out of their cars and more aware of the businesses around them.

For more information on the integration of the HIBIKE Bikeshare System, visit (this website).