Hawaiʻi Countyʻs transportation administrator leaving after 18 months revamping Hele-On

Hawaiʻi County’s Mass Transit Agency, commonly called Hele-On, will be looking for a new administrator.

John Andoh, the current administrator, will be stepping down effective March 31 to transition to a similar role on the mainland.

The position will be open for recruitment on April 1. A new administrator will be expected to be in place no later than mid-Summer after the Department of Human Resources can conduct a thorough and extensive hiring process.

Andoh led the implementation of significant improvements to buses, routes, schedules and other critical transportation services over the past 18 months, the county said in a press release.

Andoh was hired in February 2022.

“We brought John on as a transit expert to help us build a foundation for a sustainable transit system for our residents — which is exactly what we did,” Mayor Mitch Roth said. “Prior to John’s arrival, the service was inconsistent, outdated and in dire need of a facelift.

“Today, routes are timely, buses have been upgraded with more on the way, and the services have expanded to include many transportation options such as more transit services, rural door-to-door services, taxis, flex routes, carpooling, vanpool, micro-transit, rideshare, Safe Places, bike-share, and more.”

Roth said Andoh also implemented many of the recommendations of the County’s Transit and Multi-Modal Transportation Master Plan.

“Coming to Hawaiʻi to help better the Hele-On transit system has been a dream,” Andoh said. “Hele-On is now more than just a bus system; there is more to come, such as new zero-emission buses, ADA-compliant bus stops, transit hubs, micro-transit and more staff for the Mass Transit Agency.”