Residents from the five transitional shelters and facilities in Kalaeloa are now being served by a shuttle bus and van that provide transportation from the shelters, through Kalaeloa, and to the Kapolei Transit Center and back.  The shuttles, a collaborative effort between Hawaii Helping the Hungry Have Hope (H5), the Hawaii Community Development Authority (HCDA), and local shelters, began service on June 2, 2008.

“Prior to the shuttle, there was very limited bus service to Kalaeloa.  The City and County’s TheBus only serviced the area with a 5:15 am and 6:28 pm pickup,” said Tesha Malama, HCDA’s Kalaeloa director of planning and development.  “Community leaders, neighborhood board members and our Authority members were very concerned about residents that needed transport to the Kapolei Transit Center during the day.  Service providers indicated that their families needed transportation after their children left for school and before they came home in the afternoon.  Also, due to the lack of sidewalks in the District, people were walking on the roads and creating public safety concerns.”

The pilot project utilizes a bus and van that was donated by Roberts Hawaii and refurbished by donated services.  The vehicles were repainted bright red and feature the ulu (breadfruit) quilt design on its logo.  The ulu represents renewal and rebirth and is reported to of first arrived in Hawai`i via the shores of Kalaeloa by a great navigator Kahai-a-ho`okamali`i.

“At the end of the first week of operations, over 200 people  used the shuttle and we anticipate daily increases in ridership,” Malama added. “The goal is to project the ridership to the City and County’s TheBus program in hopes that  increased city bus service will be provided to the Kalaeloa District in the future.”

The Kalaeloa Shuttle is being provided by the H5 non-profit organization founded by Utu Langi in 1996 as an outreach mission serving Hawaii's hungry out of the First United Methodist Church.  Today, H5 serves over 6,000 plates per month to Oahu’s hungry and homeless and is focused on converting donated tour busses into temporary overnight shelters for the increasing homeless population.   “God has provided us with these tools to serve and though we are located in Kaka’ako we gladly take this opportunity to serve in Kalaeloa”, said Mr. Langi.

The Kalaeloa Shuttle runs hourly Monday through Friday and every ninety minutes on Saturdays.  “The shuttle is a blessing”, said Gail Clarkson, who rides the shuttle daily to and from the Kapolei Transit center in order to get to her job in Aiea.

“Our Neighborhood Board received a number of concerns regarding the lack of transportation for residents at the homeless shelters in Kalaeloa

and was pleased to see HCDA jump into action to help solve the problem,” said Maeda Timson, HCDA member and Chair of the Makakilo/ Kapolei/Honokai Hale Neighborhood Board.  “It is heart-warming to see how community and government partnerships work together to make good things happen.  When we see the beautifully painted bus and van around Kapolei we know that the quality of life has improved for a number of families.”