Gov. Josh Green has extended emergency provisions使夏威夷州教育部能夠繼續解決導致學生交通服務中斷的校車司機短缺問題。這些規定使得該部門能夠在過去兩個月內實施替代交通方式並恢復暫停的公車路線，確保學生能夠安全往返學校。
“Education of our keiki is an absolute priority,” Governor Green said. “Getting our keiki to their classrooms has always been a state responsibility and remains so, despite challenges brought about by wildfires, other natural disaster, or in this case, a workforce shortage. We enacted the Emergency Proclamation to ensure our children have no barriers to receiving their education.”
自 8 月初新學年開始以來，該部門 恢復100條公車線路 位於歐胡島、毛伊島和夏威夷島。受影響的學生中有 88% 已經恢復服務，佔總學生人數的 3,720 名，共 3,263 名。目前，我們正在積極努力恢復另外 38 條航線。
“We are deeply thankful to Governor Green for extending the 緊急聲明, which has been crucial in mitigating the school bus driver shortage. Thanks to this flexibility, we’ve been able to deploy multiple solutions to restore routes. We also extend our gratitude to the affected schools and parents for their ongoing patience and understanding as we continue to work toward full resolution,” Deputy Superintendent Randy Moore said.
這 緊急聲明 allows for the temporary use of tour buses to transport regular education students, a solution that has enabled school bus contractor Ground Transport Inc. to subcontract with such providers as Polynesian Adventure Tours. This collaboration has been instrumental in filling transportation gaps.
這 proclamation also provides critical flexibility with procurement rules, allowing the Department to contract directly with additional providers like Roberts Hawai‘i to supply buses and drivers in shortage areas.
It further permits Ground Transport to place drivers on school buses before they have fully completed their licensing process. Although full licensure —commercial driver’s licenses with a “P” endorsement to drive passengers and an additional “S” endorsement to drive school buses — is still required for permanent positions, these provisions help speed up the availability of drivers in the short term.
這 緊急聲明, which has played a vital role in maintaining student transportation services, has been extended through Nov. 30, 2024.
