(BIVN) – Workforce shortages will impact school bus transportation for two Hawaiʻi island complex areas to start the school year. 

The Hawaiʻi Department of Education announced on Thursday that due to an “ongoing shortage of school bus drivers”, bus routes will be suspended for all grade levels in the Hilo-Waiākea and Ka‘ū-Kea‘au-Pāhoa Complex Areas. 

Hilo-Waiākea and Ka‘ū-Kea‘au-Pāhoa Complex Areas will join the ‘Aiea-Moanalua-Radford and Leilehua-Mililani-Waialua Complex Areas on Oʻahu where routes are also being suspended. 

From the Hawaiʻi DOE news release:

Student Transportation

Due to anticipated service gaps because of bus contractors’ ongoing shortage of school bus drivers with the required commercial driver’s licenses, the Department is temporarily suspending bus routes in Central O‘ahu and East Hawai‘i Island to prioritize transportation for students with disabilities.

A total of 108 routes will be temporarily suspended, affecting nearly 2,900 students who signed up for bus transportation. Bus routes for students receiving transportation as part of their special education services are not impacted.

The suspended routes on O‘ahu are for middle/intermediate and high school students in the ‘Aiea-Moanalua-Radford and Leilehua-Mililani-Waialua Complex Areas. The suspended routes in East Hawai‘i Island are for all grade levels in the Hilo-Waiākea and Ka‘ū-Kea‘au-Pāhoa Complex Areas. The four impacted complex areas were ones where the contracted bus provider did not have sufficient drivers in place as of this week.

Among six bus service contractors statewide, an estimated 87 additional drivers are needed to fully staff school bus routes. Over the last school year, 175 school bus drivers have vacated their positions.

The HIDOE will continue to work with the school bus contractors to restore bus routes and will notify families when routes are restored.

“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,” Randy Moore, deputy superintendent of operations, said. “Working with our contractors to restore the bus routes is critical to support our students’ attendance at school and their learning.”

Impacted high school riders on Oʻahu will be offered HOLO cards to ride the City & County of Honolulu TheBus system for free. High school riders at East Hawaiʻi schools are able to use the Hele-On county bus system for free with no pass needed. For more information, please visit https://bit.ly/HIDOE-EXPRESS.

Mileage reimbursement applications will also be available for parents and guardians who drive their students to and/or from the impacted schools; schools will be distributing parent notifications with information on mileage reimbursement and refunds for families that have paid for school bus service. Each student may select one option: subsidized county transportation via EXPRESS or mileage reimbursement.

Bus service contractors are continuing to offer hiring bonuses, pay incentives and increased benefits to attract new drivers. For employment opportunities, see here.

After-school care

HIDOE’s after-school care programs for elementary students continue to experience workforce shortages as this school year opens. Of the 163 school sites, 46 schools have waiting lists for the Afterschool Plus (A+) program. A+ contractors have notified families if their child is on the waitlist, and in the first month of school they will provide families with weekly updates.