Gov. Josh Green extended emergency provisions Tuesday to allow the state Department of Education to continue addressing the school bus driver shortage.

The first emergency proclamation was signed by Green Aug. 2 and took effect Aug. 5 after DOE announced that a shortage of bus drivers would temporarily suspend 108 routes, affecting 3,720 students.

By the end of September, 100 routes had been reinstated across Oahu, Maui and Hawaii island, restoring service for 88% of affected students. Efforts are still underway to restore 38 more routes, DOE said.

Green’s second emergency proclamation signed Tuesday extends the emergency relief period through Nov. 30.

DOE said the emergency provisions have enabled the department to adopt alternative transportation means and restore suspended bus routes over the past two months, ensuring students can travel safely to and from school.

“Education of our keiki is an absolute priority,” Green said in a news release. “Getting our keiki to their classrooms has always been a state responsibility and remains so, despite challenges brought about by wildfires, other natural disasters, or in this case, a workforce shortage. We enacted the Emergency Proclamation to ensure our children have no barriers to receiving their education.”

The proclamation allows the temporary use of tour buses to transport regular education students, a solution that has enabled school bus contractor Ground Transport Inc. to subcontract providers such as Polynesian Adventure Tours.

The DOE described the collaboration as “instrumental in filling transportation gaps.”

“We are deeply thankful to Governor Green for extending the emergency proclamation, which has been crucial in mitigating the school bus driver shortage. Thanks to this flexibility, we’ve been able to deploy multiple solutions to restore routes. We also extend our gratitude to the affected schools and parents for their ongoing patience and understanding as we continue to work toward full resolution,” Deputy Superintendent Randy Moore said in a news release Wednesday.

The proclamation also allows DOE more flexibility with procurement rules, enabling direct contracts with providers like Roberts Hawaii to supply buses and drivers in shortage areas.

It further permits drivers to be placed on school buses before they have fully completed their licensing. While full licensure — commercial driver’s licenses with both “P” and “S” endorsements — is still required for permanent positions, the provisions help accelerate the availability of drivers in the short term.