KEAʻAU — The Hawai‘i State Department of Education (HIDOE) announced today that one previously suspended school bus route serving Keaʻau Middle School will be reinstated starting on Monday, March 10, providing service for approximately 11 student bus riders.
The latest restored route will be serviced by bus service provider Ground Transport, Inc. Parents and guardians of student riders will be notified directly about restored routes and any necessary route modifications.
The following school bus route will resume service, effective Monday, March 10.
Kaʻu-Keʻeau-Pāhoa Complex Area: 1 route
- Kea’au Middle – SR21A
Following the restoration of this route, a total of 123 routes have been restored. Efforts to restore the remaining 15 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.
