School bus fares may go up

By Jennifer Hiller
Advertiser Education Writer

The cost of a ride on a school bus would double to $1 per day under a plan being considered by the Board of Education.

"We do anticipate reaction," said Cynthia Kawachi, acting manager for student transportation services at the Department of Education. "It's understandable in these economic times, but we need to do something to address the deficit."

Students now pay 25 cents each way for a ride on the school bus. If the board approves the plan, students would pay 50 cents each way.

By comparison, a one-month city bus pass costs $13.50 for students.

The board will hold public hearings across the state starting May 14 in Hilo.

The last school bus fare increase was in 1995, when the fare rose from 10 cents to 25 cents.

The school bus program has a $22 million annual budget, but will have a $2.8 million deficit this year, Kawachi said. Each child's ride costs the district about $2.50.

"People don't realize that paying the 50 cents doesn't actually pay for the cost of the ride," she said. The state makes up the difference.

All students must live at least a mile from campus to ride the bus, a distance that the plan would increase for older students.

Middle school students would need to live 1.5 miles from school, and high school students would have to live two miles away, to be able to ride. For elementary school students, the minimum would stay at one mile.

The new plan also would create a bus pass system that would give parents a 5 percent discount.

The bus passes would prevent students from poor families, who now use a pass to ride for free, from being easily identified by their classmates.

An estimated 16,000 to 17,000 regular education students ride the bus every day.

But that figure is expected to drop if the fares increase, Kawachi said.