A family advocacy group is suggesting that parents affected by the public school bus driver shortage go to the state Board of Education to voice their frustrations and concerns.
Sherrie Galdeira, a spokeswoman for Hawaii Children’s Action Network Speaks!, said Friday that notification by the Department of Education it was suspending 52 East Hawaii bus routes during the first week of school came too late for most families to seek alternative transportation.
The suspended routes left 1,313 students in the Hilo-Waiakea and Ka‘u-Keaau-Pahoa complex areas without bus service.
“When were they aware that this was an issue? Because they had to have known,” said Galdeira, who has a son at Mountain View Elementary School. “And for them to have no preparation announcement — none, zero, that this is what’s coming down the pipeline — ‘be prepared to take your kids to school on the first day of school.’ You know, we could’ve probably had time to implement something like a carpool organization within and amongst our communities to help.
“But nothing was mentioned to any of us at any point in time. The only time we were made aware was the very first day of school.”
In an online press conference Friday, DOE Superintendent Keith Hayashi said he didn’t learn about the severe shortage of Commercial Driver License bus operators until July 30, from data provided by the bus contractor, Ground Transport Inc. Hayashi said the following day, he went to Gov. Josh Green to request an emergency proclamation.
A press release was issued by the DOE on Aug. 1 detailing the suspension of the East Hawaii bus routes, and Green announced the emergency proclamation on Aug. 2.
“I understand the impact that this has had on our students, their families and our school communities …,” Hayashi said. “Reliable transportation is not just a service, it’s a core function that ensures our students have consistent and safe access to their education. The bus driver shortage has been a persistent challenge. One of our contractors has even been flying drivers over to the neighbor islands each week to cover bus routes.”
The DOE announced Thursday that 14 of the previously suspended Hawaii Island bus routes will have service starting Monday, with Roberts Hawaii providing drivers and buses to Ground Transport. The restored routes include five in the Hilo-Waiakea Area Complex and nine in the Ka‘u-Keaau-Pahoa Area Complex.
“This temporary solution was made possible thanks to Gov. Green’s emergency proclamation, which has been instrumental in helping us navigate this complex situation,” Hayashi said.
Randy Moore, DOE deputy superintendent for operations, said the agreement with Roberts “is not a long-term solution.”
“The beginning of school has always got glitches,” Moore said. “The shortage is a statewide problem. It’s a national problem. And this is a temporary fix.
“The objective of the contractor is to hire their own drivers to take care of their needs,” he continued. “Drivers are in regular turnover — they retire, they decide to move to Las Vegas, a number of personal reasons. They are voluntary employees. Contractors are in constant recruitment and training. … The driver needs a (CDL) to drive the big buses. Then they need an endorsement on that license to drive passengers and a further endorsement to drive students. And then once they’re fully qualified from a license standpoint, they’re run through a background check … . So, it is a process. The contractor has a number of people in the queue, so to speak, in various stages of that process. They are continuing to recruit, continuing to train and get licensed.”
Hayashi said the DOE is “working diligently to restore all suspended bus routes.”
“We’re exploring partnerships with tour bus companies to tap into their drivers, as well, and other CDL drivers in other industries,” he said. … We’re committed to resolving it as quickly as possible, and we are grateful for the patience and understanding of our students, parents and school staff during this challenging time.
“We notified parents (on Thursday) that we are implementing a streamlined refund process, so that families don’t have to do anything on their part. Families utilizing the restored routes will be issued a refund from the time their service was suspended — along with an added week for the inconvenience this has caused.”
Galdeira said she, and most parents she knows, don’t want the refund.
“We want the school bus system restored,” she said. “Use that compensation money to get the drivers you guys need, create programs that can create more CDL drivers so that the bus routes can be served.”
“My family was all CDL school bus drivers, all of them.” Galdeira continued. … “I’m well aware of how long it takes for one CDL driver to go from no license to CDL licensed, ready to go.
“So, this is what I propose. The government hook up with these private bus companies. They create a program that incentives new hires. The bus companies, under that program, are able to bring new hires in, train them — it takes about three months to train them through licensing. They don’t have to go through the hiring process because they came in under the program that hires and trains through the private bus companies.
“And then, they can move into the bus and right back on to the road.”
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.