School bus fares could double
By Jennifer Hiller
Advertiser Education Writer
The state Board of Education tonight will consider doubling the cost of a school bus ride, a proposal that has been unpopular with Hawai'i parents, but that some school officials say is unavoidable.
The Department of Education wants to raise the fare from 25 cents to 50 cents per ride to help make up part of a projected $4 million deficit in its transportation program, which will cost nearly $26 million this year.
The proposed fare increase and changes in bus service could affect up to 30,000 public school students who pay fares or ride for free.
An additional 3,300 special-education students also ride free but would not be affected by the plan.
A proposal to increase the distance requirements to ride the bus has been dropped.
The problem of how to deal with rising transportation costs has beset schools nationwide. Labor, gasoline and insurance costs were already driving costs higher — an average 3 percent to 4 percent annual increase nationwide for years — but the drop in tax collections that followed Sept. 11 proved to be a critical loss that sent many school districts scrambling to start or raise fees to make up their shortfall.
Hawai'i's school transportation costs have been rising by about 2 percent annually for labor and 1 percent to 2 percent more for fuel, according to the DOE.
Today, the average cost of a one-way ride to school is $2.50, according to the DOE.
In public hearings held in May and June, only one person testified in favor of the increase; 53 people testified against the measure. Some opponents said higher fares will mean fewer students will ride school buses, which a recent national study showed is the safest way of transporting students.
Rising costs and a reduction in state money in Hawai'i have been aggravated by the soaring cost of transporting special-education students as well as free rides for 12,000 regular education students from low-income families, according to Cynthia Kawachi, acting DOE student transportation services manager.
It costs nearly as much to bus Hawai'i's 3,300 special-education students who require transportation as it does to bus the other 30,000 regular public school students — $11 million versus $13.7 million, respectively.
Hawai'i is required by state law to provide bus service to public school students.
If approved, the new transportation policy would also require students to carry some type of bus pass instead of paying in cash to go to and from school.
The last school bus fare increase was in 1995, when the fare rose from 10 cents to 25 cents.
The school board meets at 7 p.m. at Mililani Middle School.
