HIDOE to restore one additional school bus route for Kalama Intermediate School on Maui starting Monday

HONOLULU - The Hawai'i State Department of Education (HIDOE) announced today that one previously suspended school bus route serving Samuel E. Kalama Intermediate School will be reinstated starting on Monday, Jan. 13, restoring service for approximately 31 student bus riders.

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 route will resume service, effective Monday, Jan. 13.

Baldwin-Kekaulike-Kūlanihākoʻi-Maui Complex Area: 1 route

• Kalama Intermediate - UR14A

Following the restoration of this route, a total of 118 routes will have been restored, representing 86% of previously impacted routes. Efforts to restore the remaining 20 suspended bus routes are ongoing.

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.

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