DOE restores some suspended school bus routes
The state Department of Education said 34 of 147 previously suspended school bus routes on Oahu, Hawaii island and Maui will be restored starting Monday.
On July 1, just days before the start of the school year, the DOE announced that “workforce shortages” had prompted the suspension of 108 routes in Central Oahu and East Hawaii island affecting nearly 2,900 students. The next day it another 39 more routes in Central and Upcountry Maui also would be suspended, affecting an additional 820 students.
The DOE announcement this afternoon said service would be restored for approximately 1,200 students at 23 schools. Efforts to restore the remaining 113 suspended bus routes are ongoing, it said.
“In partnership with its contractor, Ground Transport Inc., the HIDOE has secured additional drivers and buses through a new direct contract with Roberts Hawaii. This week-to-week arrangement, enabled by Gov. Josh Green’s emergency proclamation, will continue until Ground Transport can fully restore services on all impacted routes,” the department said in a press release.
The school bus routes in Central Oahu, Central and Upcountry Maui, and East and South Hawaii Island will resume service Monday, with 29 of the 34 restored routes serviced by Roberts and five serviced by Ground Transport.
“We understand how crucial reliable transportation is for our students and their families, and we are committed to doing everything possible to restore these bus routes quickly in working with our contractors. Our top priority is ensuring that students have safe, dependable access to school. We are grateful for the ongoing support from Governor Green and our county leaders as we work to resolve this situation and get all of our students back on the bus,” Superintendent Keith Hayashi said.
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Hayashi has requested assistance from the Hawaiʻi National Guard to support student transportation needs. Additionally, HIDOE has been collaborating with the mayors of Hawaiʻi, Maui, and Honolulu counties to increase capacity on public transportation routes that students can use to get to and from school.
The governor’s emergency proclamation allows drivers with a commercial driver’s license (CDL) and a “P” endorsement – permitting them to transport passengers – to operate school buses temporarily, in lieu of the “S” endorsement specifically required for school bus drivers. Ground Transport is also exploring partnerships with tour bus operators to further expand capacity.
