With a new school bus vendor unable to fill needed positions and last-minute negotiations with the
previous contract holder unsuccessful, the state
Department of Education
is leaving it up to parents
of students at three Maui schools to find their own ways to get their children
to school Monday.
Oahu-based Ground Transport Inc. was awarded seven-year contracts to serve Wailuku, Kahului and Kihei, effective July 1. However, the company remains 15 drivers short of the staffing needed to service the new routes, which include Lahainaluna High School, Baldwin High School and Iao Intermediate School,
according to the department.
“We have explored all
options and have been
unable to assist in securing licensed drivers for these critical routes,” said Assistant Superintendent Dann Carlson. “We apologize for this temporary inconvenience, and routes will be restored as new bus drivers are hired.”
Bus routes serving grades 9 to 12 at Lahainaluna High and Baldwin
High, and grades 6 to 8 at Iao Intermediate, are temporarily suspended. “K through 12” routes servicing more distant rural areas that make stops at elementary, middle and high schools in the area will continue as normal, as will routes serving kindergarten to grade 8 at Iao.
The department initially said it would issue bus passes so students could use regular public transportation until the problem is resolved. However, Mayor Alan Arakawa said Friday that “a couple of our 30-passenger buses,” operated by the county’s Maui Bus, would not be enough to accommodate the hundreds of affected students.
Arakawa met with representatives of the DOE and Roberts Hawaii, which formerly held the Wailuku, Kahului and Kihei routes, on Friday in an unsuccessful bid to secure service for the affected schools by Monday. Ground Transport was not included in the meeting.
Roberts, which still holds the contract for Upcountry school routes, filed a complaint with the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs disputing the awarding of contracts to Ground Transport but that, along with a subsequent appeal to Circuit Court, were denied.
Meanwhile, staffing shortages on Kauai have prompted a temporary
consolidation of routes serving the Kapaa and Waimea Complex Areas.
For updated bus schedules and rider information for these routes, visit 808ne.ws/2vyZXCU Opens in a new tab (Kapaa Complex) or 808ne.ws/2vBoFTU Opens in a new tab (Waimea Complex).
The DOE said school administrators will make adjustments to ensure that students affected by these transportation delays will have adequate time for school breakfast and are not penalized for tardiness. Parents are advised to call the Get on Board Hotline at 586-0161, available Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., if they have questions or concerns.
