School Bus Services

Regular Education School Bus Applications

The 2023-2024 school year (SY) application is available on the Hawaii State Department of Education’s “Riding the Bus”webpage, as well as the School Bus Transportation (SBT) Support resource page.

Applications can also be accessed and submitted online by families via eTrition—(https://hi.etrition.com/busapplication) starting on July 17, 2023.

Quarterly Bus Pass Application Periods

All school bus applications must be submitted, reviewed, and approved on a quarterly basis per the schedule provided below:

Quarter 1: July 17, 2023 –August 31, 2023

Quarter 2: September 18, 2023 –October 31, 2023

Quarter 3: November 27, 2023 –January 31, 2024

Quarter 4: February 19, 2024 –April 30, 2024

This applies to both paid and free-qualified student riders.

· Any applications that have not been paid or are pending approval after the end date will automatically be denied and cleared from the application queue.

· Any applications submitted before the new period opens or after the period has closed will also automatically be denied.

Quarterly Pass and Payment Information

Only quarterly bus passes (roundtrip or one-way) will be available for purchase.

· $72 roundtrip (AM and PM)

· $36 one-way (AM only or PM only)

All students are required to pay $5 for a replacement hard pass to the school office (cash only).

Coupons and annual passes are suspended.

· Please turn in all unused coupon sheets to the Student Transportation Services Branch Administrative Office.

Payment Options

For school bus applications submitted online via eTrition, parents/guardians will be prompted via email to submit payments online using EZSchoolPay once the application is approved in SBT by school office personnel. 

The payment receipt acts as the temporary bus pass.  It has the child’s name, school, and assigned route number that can be printed at home.  Payments must be made prior to the start of bus service or the application will be cancelled in SBT.

For families who filled out paper applications, payments are only accepted upon application approval. 

· Once payment is processed, the receipt acts as the temporary bus pass. 

Refunds 

The Student Transportation Services Branch will continue to provide refunds to families whose active routes are suspended due to driver shortages during the current academic year.  Refunds can be requested online here.

However, if rider privileges are revoked by the school or the STSB for failure to comply with the Student Behavior Code or Bus Pass Procedures, refunds will not be approved.

**IMPORTANT UPDATE –BUS PASS PROCEDURES**

All students are expected to display their bus pass to the bus driver upon entering the bus and on demand. 

For both AM and PM services, if a student is unable to display their valid pass because it was lost/misplaced/forgotten, the bus driver is expected to check the rider manifest to confirm the student’s eligibility status (Hawaii Administrative Rules ڎ-28-3). 

If the student is found to be riding in the AM with only a one-way PM pass, they will be reported by the driver to the school and Student Transportation Administrative Office. 

If the student does not have their pass for the PM trip and is not on the rider manifest, they may be denied service.

If any student attempts to ride without a valid pass, no matter the grade level, up to three (3) times consecutively, the Department reserves the right to revoke rider privileges up to a semester or for the rest of the year if applicable.

Further bus pass procedure updates are listed below:

High School Students

• If a student fails to display a valid bus pass in the morning, the driver may refuse bus service. 

• If a replacement pass is required, the student must provide proper identification for name verification on the rider manifest and will be required to purchase a replacement pass at school. 

• The receipt will act as the temporary pass until the hard pass is made available at the school. 

• If the student is not on the rider manifest, they will be denied service.

• If the student needs to upgrade their current PM one-way pass to a round-trip pass, this will need to be taken care of before the end of the school day or the parent/guardian will be responsible for taking their student to school the next day.

No Grace Period

There will be no grace period as all riders will need to show their temporary bus pass (receipt) to the drivers prior to riding the bus at the start of the school year.