"We can ring the bell when we stop, which is just so sweet," Tania Cyrlin told Big Island Now the week her open-air trolley started running through Kailua Village. The vehicle came from Savannah Trolley Tours in Georgia. It has brown wooden seats and etched glass at both ends, and Cyrlin said shipping it to Kona cost almost as much as buying it.
The name is back on Aliʻi Drive, but the trolley's old job never left. The county's free Hele-On Route 201 picked it up. Its web page address still reads "kona-trolley-via-ali-i-dr," and it runs on more days, for more hours and over more of Aliʻi Drive than the new private loop. For North Kona residents this fall, the two services do different jobs. Most of the season's big dates fall on the free one.
What started rolling on October 1
Island RV Inc., the private company Cyrlin leads, owns and runs the new Kona Trolley. She also operates Clark's Hawaiʻi Tours. The Historic Kailua Village Business Improvement District approached her about bringing a trolley back. Executive director Ross Wilson Jr. said the district "recognized early on the need for more transportation options in the village and signed on."
The route is a continuous 1-mile village loop, run once an hour by a single trolley that seats up to 41 passengers. West Hawaii Today lists the confirmed stops as Kona Commons (two stops), Kailua Pier and Kona Brewing Company/Brewery Block, with more stops promised in the following weeks. The trolley takes no cash. Riders download the EZRideFare app, buy a pass and show it from the app wallet when they board. A pass activates the first time it is used. Live location tracking runs through TripShot, linked from konatrolley.com.
That tracking answers an old complaint. Big Island Now reported that the previous trolley was often late.
Where the old trolley went
The first Kona Trolley was run by Roberts Hawaiʻi. Service was suspended during the pandemic in 2020, and in 2021 Hawaiʻi County relaunched the trolley as part of Hele-On, free to ride. Mayor Kimo Alameda said it was discontinued just before he took office in 2024. Since then the vehicle has sometimes carried passengers on Route 201, with its "Kona Trolley" signs removed. "You still see it around sometimes," Wilson said.
Wilson put the original route's ridership at 144,000 a year. "It was not only for visitors, but also for locals moving around the village," he said. Today, those riders have two choices that look like this:
| Kona Trolley (Island RV) | Hele-On Route 201 | |
|---|---|---|
| Days | Monday to Friday | Seven days a week |
| Hours | 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. | 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. |
| Frequency | One loop an hour | Every 60 minutes |
| Coverage | 1-mile Kailua Village loop | Loloku Street Park & Ride to Keauhou |
| Kamaʻāina fare | $5 daily, $20 weekly, $65 monthly | Free for all riders through Dec. 31, 2028 |
| Paying | Cashless pass through EZRideFare | No fare |
The kamaʻāina rate requires a valid Hawaiʻi State ID or driver's license. Visitors pay $8 a day or $35 a week. According to the county's fares page, every Hele-On bus is free until the end of 2028.
What Route 201 actually covers
The Route 201 timetable took effect July 12, 2026. Southbound buses leave the Loloku Street Park & Ride on the hour. They stop at Kona Coast Shopping Center on Palani Road, then at Palani and Aliʻi Drive, then across from Hualālai Road and Coconut Grove Marketplace. From there the bus continues down Aliʻi past Royal Kona Resort, Honl's Beach Park, Lunapule Road, Kona Reef Liquor & Deli/Casa-de-Emdeko, Bali Kai Resort and Ke Aloha Kai Place. Its last stops are Magic Sands Beach Park, Kahaluʻu Beach, Outrigger Keauhou, and Aliʻi Highway at Kamehameha III Road in Keauhou, reached 30 minutes after leaving Loloku.
The last southbound bus leaves Loloku at 9:00 p.m. and reaches Keauhou at 9:30. The last northbound bus leaves Keauhou at 9:35 p.m., passes Hualālai Road at 9:48 and returns to Loloku at 9:55. On Aliʻi Drive, buses stop only at designated Hele-On stops, and the county notes that times are approximate and can shift with traffic and weather.
Route 201 also connects to the rest of the island. Loloku Park & Ride is shared with Routes 1, 2, 60, 75, 76, 80, 90, 202 and 204. A rider coming from Captain Cook on the 204 or from North Kohala on the 75 can transfer there without driving into the village.
Why the new trolley is built around parking
The private trolley serves a narrower purpose, and the reason is parking. In March 2026, Big Island Now reported that private lots in the village charged $9 to $21 an hour, though some offered free time or resident discounts. Bill 132 would have capped those rates and required posted pricing. According to Civil Beat's May 1 report, it was shelved because of concerns that it could expose the county to lawsuits. Council member Rebecca Villegas, who introduced it, has since put forward two other bills. Diamond Parking Services told the council that paid parking helps businesses cover land lease costs. A boutique worker at Kona Inn Shopping Village described shoppers leaving mid-visit to get back to their cars before another hour was charged or the free two hours for Hawaiʻi residents ran out.
The county also tried to add street parking. In 2025, a pilot made part of Aliʻi Drive one-way to create about 50 free spaces. Two-way traffic returned on June 16, 2025, after community opposition.
Cyrlin describes her loop as a way to connect "visitors and locals to local businesses who need the foot traffic while minimizing traffic and assisting with parking issues." Its stops fit that goal. Kona Commons, the pier and Brewery Block are places where someone can park once and then shop and eat across the village. On a weekday errand run, the trolley lets you walk the village without moving your car between lots. Wilson calls a trolley "an absolute plus for Kailua Village."
The fall dates, matched to each schedule
October 1, 2026 was a Thursday, and the private trolley's daytime weekday schedule leaves out most of the coming season's big dates. Matched against each schedule:
- Saturday, Oct. 10, IRONMAN World Championship. The race closes parts of Aliʻi Drive and Kuakini Highway and restricts lanes on Queen Kaʻahumanu Highway and Hualālai Road. The private trolley does not run on Saturdays. On race day, the West Hawaiʻi Sanitary Landfill and the Kealakehe Recycling and Transfer Station close. The transfer station reopens Oct. 11 and the landfill Oct. 12. Our race-weekend playbook covers how traffic toward the pier changes the rest of town.
- Saturday, Oct. 17, Fair Wind Cruises' 55th anniversary at Keauhou Bay, 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., with live entertainment and $5 cruises on Fair Wind II and Hula Kai. This one is in Keauhou on a weekend, so of the two services only Route 201 runs, with its southern end on Aliʻi Highway at Kamehameha III Road.
- Saturday, Oct. 31, Trunk-or-Treat and Craft Fair at Kona Commons, 3 to 7 p.m. in the parking lot near OfficeMax and Petco. Kona Commons is a private trolley stop, but the event falls on a Saturday.
- Friday, Nov. 6, the Kona Coffee Cultural Festival's artisan market and lantern parade in Kailua Village. It is on a weekday, so the trolley's 9-to-5 window covers the daytime. Route 201 keeps passing Hualālai Road until 9:48 p.m. Check event times on the festival schedule.
- Nov. 13 and 14, the Kona's Got Talent Showcase at Keauhou Shopping Center and the Hoʻolauleʻa at Makaeʻo Pavilion. The showcase is on a Friday in Keauhou, outside the trolley's 1-mile loop. The Hoʻolauleʻa is on a Saturday.
The 55th festival runs Nov. 6 to 15, with 40 events over 10 days.
What could change by winter
Cyrlin plans to buy a second trolley, which would cut waits to every 30 minutes. The goal is to expand to seven-day service as ridership grows. Businesses will be able to sponsor stops to extend the route, though no sponsorship terms have been published. The operator's FAQ does not mention evening hours. She told Big Island Now she had wanted to launch in summer but waited for better weather and for funding to come together.
For now, the private trolley covers weekday daytime trips around the village, and Route 201 covers everything else. For more on the shops and restaurants along these stops, see what's been changing along Aliʻi Drive and our North Kona neighborhood guide.
At Kona Pacific Realty, we follow how Kailua Village works day to day, from parking to transit to the fall calendar, because these details affect North Kona homes and how owners use them. If you're wondering how walkability and access around the village might affect your home's value, ask for a free home valuation or connect with your Kailua‑Kona agent. Me ke aloha pumehana.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
