Plan doubles The cost of a one-way ride on a school bus may double to 50 cents in the next school year, one of a number of proposed changes to help the financially strapped school bus program.
school bus fares
Rising program costs force
discussion of raising the 1-way
fare to 50 cents next yearBy Lisa Asato
lasato@starbulletin.comThe proposed fare increase may affect about 60 percent of the estimated 25,000 students who participate in the school bus program, said Al Suga, the assistant superintendent for business services. But before any changes can happen, the Board of Education will hold 13 statewide public hearings starting May 14 in Hilo.
The increase would only affect paying riders, Suga said. Special-education students and those from poor families do not have to pay. To get an idea of how many students may be affected, Suga said that in the 1999-2000 school year, there were 28,063 riders, of which 16,381 were paying and 11,682 rode free.
The last time the fare increased was in 1995, when it cost 10 cents a ride.
The fee has stayed constant while costs of fuel, drivers' salaries and ownership costs have gone up, he said.
Cynthia Kawachi, acting student transportation services manager, said the program has been running a growing deficit for at least four years, with a projected deficit this year of $2.8 million.
"(We) realize that economic times being what they are, it will be a difficulty, but there's a deficit that needs to be addressed," she said.
Kawachi said transportation costs $2.50 a day per student, but the department collects 50 cents a day from paying students. The school bus program serves the neighbor islands and the Central, Leeward and Windward districts on Oahu.
Sonja Okesene said she likes sending three of her children to Aiea Elementary School on the school bus because she considers it safe. But, she said, "Whatever (the increase is), I'm going against it."
With the increase, her family would be paying $60 a month, she said, and she can find better things to do with her money, like buying her children clothes or paying $20 for gas to drive them to school herself.
Decreased ridership is a concern of Leatrice Gomes, manager of Gomes School Bus Service Ltd., which is contracted to serve schools from Kahuku to Aiea. The fare increase, she said, may put more cars on the road, defeating the purpose of public transportation.
Board of Education member Keith Sakata said the increases "cannot be helped" because "some way or another, we have to pay for it."
"My main consideration is that you should be paying an adequate amount so you do not take away money from general education, from the rest of the kids," Sakata said.
Other proposals by the state Department of Education to help the bus program include starting a prepaid bus pass system, giving 5 percent discounts to those buying bus passes for a period greater than an academic quarter, raising distance eligibility requirements for Oahu middle and high school students and increasing the income threshold for those qualifying for free bus rides.
Board Chairman Herbert Watanabe said he is not happy with the distance eligibility requirement that would affect Oahu middle and high school students. Students now have to live a mile from school to qualify for service. The proposal would increase the distance to two miles for high school students and 1 1/2 miles for middle school students.
Not all areas have safe walkways, he said, adding, "If you expect the kids to walk two miles, my question has always been, You have a sidewalk? That keeps the kids from getting hurt."
BOE hearings
The Board of Education plans to hold 13 public hearings -- eight in May -- on proposed changes to the school bus transportation program, including increasing the one-way fare to 50 cents from 25 cents.>> May 14: 7 p.m., Hilo High, Big Island
>> May 15: 7 p.m., Baldwin High, Maui
>> May 20: 7 p.m., King Intermediate, Windward Oahu
>> May 21: 6:30 p.m., Wilcox Elementary, Kauai
>> May 23: 7 p.m., Aiea Elementary, Central Oahu
>> May 28: 7 p.m., Kealakehe Elementary, Big Island
>> May 29: 7 p.m., Kapolei High, Leeward Oahu
>> May 30: 7 p.m., Washington Middle, Honolulu
>> June 6: 7 p.m., Pahoa High, Big Island
>> June 8: 10 a.m., Kaunakakai Elementary, Molokai
>> June 10: 7 p.m., Mililani High, Central Oahu
>> June 13: 7 p.m., Waimea Middle, Big Island
>> June 17: 7 p.m., Waianae Intermediate, Leeward Oahu
State Department of Education