The Hawaii Department of Education (HIDOE) restored previously suspended school bus routes that will benefit many student-riders at a Maui intermediate school.
Before the school year started, HIDOE had suspended 147 school bus routes in Central Oahu, East Hawaii Island and Central and Upcountry Maui due to the current shortage of school bus drivers and vehicles. According to local news reports, the service interruption reportedly affected around 3,720 student riders.
A statement released by HIDOE on Monday confirms that so far, the department has reinstated 118 previously suspended routes, which represents 86 percent of previously impacted routes. The latest restored bus will service routes operated by school bus contractor Ground Transport, Inc., for Samuel E. Kalama Intermediate School. Efforts to restore the remaining 20 suspended routes are ongoing.
According to the statement, Ground Transport is actively recruiting new school bus drivers, taking advantage of Gov. Josh Green’s Aug. 2 Proclamation Relating to School Bus Services, which lifted the restriction that only school vehicles may transport students and included specific provisions within employment-related law to allow for qualified drivers to serve in a student transportation capacity.
The proclamation also allows drivers with a commercial driver’s license and a “P” endorsement permitting them to transport passengers to operate school buses temporarily, instead of the “S” endorsement specifically required for school bus drivers.
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