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Short answer: Yes. The free Hele-On Bus is built for commuters, not sightseeing, and the island’s main sights are hours apart.
Of every island this site covers, the Big Island is the one where “yes” isn’t really up for debate.
The free bus exists, but it’s built for commuters, not sightseeing
The Hele-On Bus is genuinely free and runs between Kona and Hilo Monday through Saturday, with stops around the island. The catch: it’s designed around local work and school schedules, not tourist itineraries. Routes are limited, connections are infrequent, and Sunday/evening service is thin. It can get you between the two main towns, but it’s not something you can build a day of sightseeing around.
Need a car on the Big Island? Check prices for your dates before you land.
Why this island specifically needs a car more than the others
The Big Island is larger than all the other Hawaiian islands combined. At 4,028 square miles against Oahu, Maui, and Kauai’s roughly 1,886 square miles put together, it has major attractions split across completely different sides: Kona’s coastline, Hilo’s waterfalls, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, and the Saddle Road corridor up toward Mauna Kea. There’s no realistic way to link these on public transit within a normal vacation timeline.
- Staying in one resort area the whole trip? You can lean on resort shuttles and the occasional rideshare and skip a rental, similar to a Waikiki-only Oahu trip.
- Planning to see both the Kona and Hilo sides, or visit the volcano, a rental car is close to essential. The driving distances alone (Kona to Hilo is about 2 to 2.5 hours via Saddle Road and closer to 3.5 hours by the southern route) rule out relying on the bus.
- Heading up toward Mauna Kea? See the Mauna Kea Visitor Information Station guide for what your rental can and can’t do up there.
Picking up your rental first? Start with the Kona Airport rental car guide.
Check current routes and schedules on the official Hele-On Bus website before ruling it in or out for your trip.
Decided you need one? See how long it takes to drive around the Big Island to plan how many days to book it for.
Driving the Big Island? Waipio Valley is one road your rental agreement may exclude.
If your Kona days include a beach stop, the Magic Sands parking guide shows how tight the lots are.
If you decide to rent, here is how the rental companies at Kona Airport compare on Google ratings.
Flying into Hilo? See Hilo car rental desks and ratings.
Entry to Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park is $30 per car, and the park doesn’t take cash. The Crater Rim Drive guide covers which parts of the summit are open.
Compare rental rates for your trip →
Photo: Josh Withers on Pexels.
Researched and written by Neo Pecorro. Facts on this page were checked against Hele-On Bus, plus the other sources linked above. Hawaii rules change often, so confirm on the official page before you go.
Last updated: September 7, 2026.