Nearly 2,900 students throughout the islands — including some on the Big Island — who signed up to catch a school bus to make their way to classes will begin the 2024-25 public school year without a guaranteed ride.
Bus contractors continue to face shortages of school bus drivers with the required commercial driver’s licenses, so the Hawai‘i Education Department, which outsources bus services, temporarily suspended a total of 108 bus routes in Central O‘ahu and East Hawai‘i.
The Hawai‘i Education Department, which outsources bus services, has temporarily suspended a total of 108 bus routes in Central O‘ahu and East Hawai‘i on the Big Island. (File photo)
The routes are being suspended to prioritize transportation for students with disabilities, whose services will not be impacted.
“The shortage of school bus drivers across the nation continues to impact our schools and requires the temporary reduction of bus routes to ensure that bus services can continue for our special education students,” said Randy Moore, deputy superintendent of operations for the state Department of Education. “Working with our contractors to restore the bus routes is critical to support our students’ attendance at school and their learning.”
The suspended routes in East Hawai‘i are for all grades in the Hilo-Waiākea and Ka‘ū-Kea‘au-Pāhoa Complex Areas. Middle/intermediate and high school students in the ‘Aiea-Moanalua-Radford and Leilehua-Mililani-Waialua Complex Areas on O‘ahu also will be affected.
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The bus providers in those complex areas did not have sufficient numbers of drivers in place as of this week.
An estimated 87 additional drivers are needed throughout the state to fully staff school bus routes. Since last school year, 175 school bus drivers quit.
The state Education Department will continue to work with school bus contractors to restore routes and notify families when routes are restored.
Students in East Hawaiʻi can ride Hawaiʻi County’s Hele-On bus system for free with no pass.
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Impacted high school riders on Oʻahu will be offered HOLO cards to ride the City and County of Honolulu TheBus system for free.
Mileage reimbursement applications will also be available for parents and guardians who drive their students to and/or from the impacted schools, which will distribute information about mileage reimbursement and refunds to families who paid for school bus service.
Bus service contractors are continuing to offer hiring bonuses, pay incentives and increased benefits to attract new drivers. For employment opportunities, see here.
The state’s after-school care programs for elementary students also continue to experience employee shortages.
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Of the 163 school sites throughout the islands, 46 have waiting lists for the Afterschool, or A+, Plus program.
A+ contractors notified families if their child is on the waitlist, and during the first month of school they will provide families with weekly updates.
Contractors providing A+ programs are actively recruiting staff throughout the state.
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