I'm travelling to Kona July 29th and realize the car rental situation has been difficult lately. I'm curious to know the situation with Uber. Is it a reliable option to get around the island while sightseeing? Can you quickly/easily get a car as we can in other states?

"Can you quickly/easily get a car as we can in other states?"

I don't know which states you're referring to, but in Southern California it is currently not quick and easy to get a rideshare and rates have risen dramatically. I hope someone can give you up-to-date info specifically for the Big Island, but even before the pandemic at least one visitor guide advised not to rely on rideshares in less populated areas of the island. Rates quoted in this article probably don't reflect the current situation.

https://www.shakaguide.com/planyourt...and-lyft-guide

You might want to read replies (all from this week) on this website:

https://ask.metafilter.com/355957/Te...the-Big-Island

Thx Jean - that second link was definitely helpful. I'm going to search for a car on Turo and avoid Uber.

Just had an experience getting an Uber on the Big Island (Kona side) on Tuesday. tl;dr they're basically non-existent.

I paid $67 (not including tip) to go from Kawaihae to Kona Airport at 7pm. I tried Uber (no cars available), Holoholo (local app, also no cars available) and eventually got lucky with a Lyft. The guy who picked me up said it was his first day driving Lyft and he only took my ride because he couldn't figure out how to cancel it.

I got to the airport 15m after the last flight to Oahu departed

I've heard people say to plan for an hour wait for Uber/Lyft on the island, even closer to town, and I'd second that.