School bus service changes to Hilo route raise student safety concerns

For several years, school bus drivers had been picking up and dropping off students living off of the winding, two-lane Kaiwiki Road that goes up a hill in Hilo. But a week before school started this year, some parents were informed that the bus would no longer service the full route, going only as far as the Wainaku Gym at 30 Aikane Loop.

“After purchasing bus passes, we learned that our kids would be required to find a way home from the Wainaku Gym, which is 3.5 miles downhill from our home,” said Michelle Kratel, a parent of two students using the bus.

Ground Transport Inc. picked up the bus contract for that route last year.

“We were given no real reason as to why they suddenly decided that they wouldn’t service the full route any longer,” said Kratel, who is among the parents also concerned about the safety of their children.

The bus transports students attending Hilo High School, Hilo Intermediate School and Haʻaheo Elementary School to and from the Wainaku Gym. But Kaiwiki Road extends four more miles and ends at a significant elevation.

Ground Transport began servicing the route about two to three weeks into the last school year and did not report any issues with dropping students off further up the road, according to Lissa Moats, a parent of three girls using the bus.

“There were never any indications about not servicing the area (last year),” Moats said. About a week before school began this year, the Hilo High School website mentioned there would be changes, but did not provide details. Haʻaheo Elementary School did not know about the change and was never notified. This was very poorly communicated to families.”

Since she said she was not notified, the Haʻaheo Elementary after-school program filled up, and Moats could not enroll her child.

“It is not acceptable to have these kids walk home,” Moats said. “There is no shoulder on this road, people speed, and there are blind corners all the way up. We have been lucky enough to carpool with another family, so between the four parents, we take the kids to and from the Wainaku Gym every day.”

Moats voiced her frustrations in an email to the Department of Education Student Transportation Services Branch, stating that her children had been utilizing an established bus route that provided door-to-door transportation due to safety.

In response, the Student Transportation Services Branch stated, “The services offered by the Department are optional resources made available for families. Please note that the Department is not mandated to provide transportation for regular education students. We understand that this may not be ideal for your particular situation; however, participation in these services is not required.”

According to Michelle and Axel Kratel, Ground Transport cited safety concerns with a lower wooden bridge that crosses the stream. However, the bridge is rated for 12 tons, and the full-size school bus drove up the road for years.

“It does not feel like they are looking out for safety; in fact, this has greatly reduced safety and comes off as a money-saving measure,” Axel Kratel said. “These kids are left miles from home, asked to walk up a hill without a sidewalk, and forced to dodge fast-moving traffic in the mornings and afternoons. I’m appalled that this is an issue, especially since it never was before.”

Up until 2024, Roberts Hawaiʻi covered some of the routes on the Big Island, Oʻahu and Maui that Ground Transport was unable to serve.

In 2024, JoAnn Erban, Roberts’ vice president of sales and marketing, stated that the company had sufficient bus drivers and would be willing to take on more routes for the rest of the school year, according to a Civil Beat article.

But the offer was not taken, and Ground Transport took on 91 new schools and expanded to the Big Island for the first time in 2024.

According to Department of Education Interim Superintendent Randy Moore, routes are not awarded to contractors with the lowest prices, but for their safety procedures, future plans for zero-emission buses, and efforts to recruit and retain drivers.

“When Roberts Hawaiʻi had the contract, we had one bus driver, Julie, who drove the kids up the hill and she became part of the community,” Axel Kratel said. “She waved to everyone and assured her managers that she could drive the bus safely up the hill.

“With the dismissiveness of this new contractor, it just seems like they do not care for the community and won’t compromise for a solution. They would rather save on gas.”

Roberts Hawaiʻi and Ground Transport did not respond to messages from Big Island Now as of Tuesday afternoon.

“You have families that are missing work or changing their schedules to work later hours just because of this situation,” Moats said. “I think we all just want some transparency at this point. These are our children, and their safety is always going to come first.”