HONOLULU — The Hawai‘i State Department of Education (HIDOE) announced today that four previously suspended school bus routes in Central Oʻahu and East Hawaiʻi Island will be reinstated starting Monday, Sept. 30, restoring service for more than 70 student bus riders at three schools.
The latest restored routes will be serviced by bus service provider Ground Transport Inc. Parents and guardians of student riders will be notified directly of restored routes and any necessary route modifications.
The following school bus routes will resume service, effective Monday, Sept. 30.
OʻAHU
ʻAiea-Moanalua-Radford Complex Area: 2 routes
- Moanalua Middle - HR18B, HR23B
HAWAI‘I ISLAND
Ka‘ū-Keaʻau-Pāhoa Complex Area: 2 routes
- Pāhoa Elementary, Pāhoa High & Intermediate - SR09A, SR09B
Following the restoration of the four routes next Monday, a total of 100 routes will have been restored. Efforts to restore the remaining 38 suspended bus routes are ongoing.
Ground Transport is working to restore a route to the Kahakuloa area on North Maui that services Waiheʻe Elementary, ʻĪao Intermediate and Baldwin High.
Ground Transport is actively recruiting new drivers, leveraging the governor’s emergency proclamation to streamline the hiring process. The proclamation allows drivers with a commercial driver's license (CDL) and a "P" endorsement – permitting them to transport passengers – to operate school buses temporarily, in lieu of the "S" endorsement specifically required for school bus drivers. The company is also exploring partnerships with other tour bus operators to further expand capacity.
More updates will be provided as additional bus routes are restored.