Many of Hawaii’s public school students will pay twice as much to ride a transit bus to school starting in August. The state Board of Education voted last week to approve fare increases in the wake of a $9.6-million cut in student transportation.
On Aug. 1, student bus fares will increase 50 cents to $1.25 for a one-way ride, while the cost of a quarterly pass will increase to $72 from $60, and an annual pass will rise to $270 from $225. The Department of Education confirmed that unexpired bus passes bought beforehand would be honored.
Kenneth LeVasseur, a long-time school bus driver, a project administrator at private contractor Gomes School Bus Service and a former state lobbyist, said middle-class families will feel the pinch the most because children from low-income homes already receive free transportation services.
“Charging students more only decreases ridership and increases traffic congestion around schools,” said LeVasseur, who added that the department should use a cost-benefit analysis when reviewing fares rather than financial analysis. “They know what they’re doing. For every dime you ask families to pay, you lose a certain number of children.”
Despite the predicted 5-percent drop in ridership because of the price hike, the department states the fare increase will generate an additional $1 million annually. As the costs of providing student transportation escalate, education officials will also consider other cost-savings measures, such as eliminating routes. In the current fiscal year, transportation costs are expected to reach $74 million, or $2 million more than the previous year.
This is the second time the department has more than doubled student bus fares, with the last hike implemented in January 2010, when one-way fares rose from 35 cents to 75 cents. Approximately 37,000 general-education public school students statewide ride school buses, with about 54 percent low-income students riding for free. Nearly 4,000 special-education students also receive free curb-to-curb bus service.
LeVasseur said he opposes not only the rate increases but also the very idea of school children riding transit buses alongside unscreened passengers who may pose a threat. He also noted that the drivers are not professionally trained to transport students, another safety risk.
“It is unconscionable for the Department of Education to force children, because of economic pressure, to ride a city bus which does not screen its drivers nor its passengers,” said LeVasseur. “The system is failing because of improper management.”
LeVasseur added that he is hopeful that the DOE “may turn around.” However, because of the recent vote to switch from an elected school board to one that is appointed by the governor, “who can now be held accountable for the performance of the school board.”
