News Releases from Department of Health

Hawaii residents and tourists alike may soon have a new, lower-cost and healthier way to travel while in Hawaii.  They will be able to borrow bikes for short, one-way trips, using bikes at various stations throughout a broad area of Honolulu. The bikeshare system will be implemented by Bikeshare Hawaii, a nonprofit organization created by city, state and federal government officials, including the Hawaii Department of Health, to move this initiative forward.

A four-year bikeshare pilot project in Kailua, funded by the Department of Health, was recently completed and provided a model for the creation of a larger, more robust bikeshare system in Honolulu. The service area of the proposed system will initially encompass an area just over five square miles, spanning from the Chinatown district to Waikiki, and including the University of Hawaii. The goal is to have 200 high-tech kiosk stations and 2,000 bikes. Bikeshare Hawaii will be seeking $8 million to launch the program in 2016.

Hawaii was of one of only 10 bikeshare systems in the nation when the Department of Health launched the pilot program in Kailua four years ago. Today, there are more than 60 U.S. and 600 communities worldwide that have adopted bikeshare systems.

The Department of Health facilitated the donation of the Kailua bikeshare equipment to The Towers of Kuhio Park, which serves more than 3,000 low- to moderate- income residents living on the 18-acre site in the Kalihi area. This was a way to address health disparities in underserved communities by giving them the resources to participate in activities that support a healthy lifestyle.