This Student Transportation booklet contains information to assist you when applying for school bus services for your child. After reading the information, cut off and complete the form located on page 9 of this booklet if you want your child to ride the school bus on a daily basis.
If you want your child to ride the school bus on a space available basis, cut off and complete the form located on page 11 of this booklet.
You are responsible for paying for your child’s bus pass once you turn in the application, unless your child is approved for free transportation (see eligibility criteria on page 5 of this booklet).
The completed form should be returned to your child's school office for certification, processing, and forwarding to the Student Transportation Services Branch office.
If your child is eligible for curb-to-curb transportation services because of a special need or a disability, please work with your school’s special education department. This booklet does not apply to you.
Please keep this booklet for future reference.
FOR PARENTS AND GUARDIANS –
WELCOME TO THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION'S STUDENT TRANSPORTATION SERVICES
In accordance with Hawaii Administrative Rules 8-27-5, students are eligible to ride the school bus if they ride the bus on a daily basis, attend their home school as determined by their legal residence, and reside one mile or more via the shortest walking distance from school. Transportation is limited from student's legal home address to school and return, and is provided to students during the regular school year on instructional days.
The Student Transportation Services staff looks forward to your support as we provide safe transportation for your children. Transportation is a partnership between parents, your child’s school, and the Department of Education's Student Transportation Services Branch. The safety of our children involves parents knowing the State's safety rules and discussing them with their children so that they understand how to ride our school buses safely. We hope you will feel free to communicate with us at any time regarding transportation issues. Information on how to contact us is on page 8 of this booklet.
Eligibility & Selection
Students who are eligible for transportation:
ride from student's home to their home school and return.
Transportation home is only after the regular school day has ended and NOT after "post-school" activities such as A +, voluntary study hall, athletic practices, or other school activity participation.
reside a mile or more via the shortest walking distance from school.
are provided transportation on normal school days, and not on holidays, teacher institute day, or other non-instructional days of the individual schools' calendar.
ride on a regular basis each school day either one or two ways
The program is available to all eligible children on a nondiscriminatory basis. For students with special needs or disabilities who require curb-to-curb services, please work with your school's special education department. These procedures do not apply to you.
Students who are not eligible for transportation:
live less than a mile from school,
do not ride the bus on a regular basis,
do not ride to and from home,
attend schools or programs of choice such as:
Charter schools
Magnet schools
Learning centers
Schools outside of their home school attendance area (Geographic exceptions).
Registration
When registering your child to ride the school bus, you must complete and submit to the school an Application For Student To Ride School Bus Form(Form ST-70 on page 9 of this booklet).
If your child is not eligible for transportation services, but you would still like him/her to ride the bus, you must fill out and return to the school a Request for Student to Ride on School Bus on a Space Available Basis Form (Form CS-101 on page 11 of this booklet).
Students who apply for space available transportation will be notified by the school when they may ride on a space available basis.
Students who are accepted on a space available basis based on the above conditions do not qualify for free bus passes, and will need to pay to ride the bus. Students who are accepted on a Space Available Basis may have that acceptance revoked if the seats on the bus are all taken by regular bus riders. If the Space Available pass is revoked, we will refund any prepaid amount for which service will not be provided.
If your child is accepted to ride on a space available basis because your child does not ride regularly, you will need to purchase one-way bus coupons from your child's school office. One-way bus coupons are sold ten to a sheet for $2.50. One-way bus coupons are good only for School Year 2007-08 and are non-refundable.
Program Fees and Payments
Fees
All students will be charged the transportation fee, no matter how many days a child participates in the program. There will be no refunds for unused days or for periods of time when the student does not ride the bus because he/she is participating in after-school activities, for example. When applying, that student’s slot is reserved and busing requirements are determined accordingly.
Payments
Parents must prepay the bus pass fee either on a quarterly payment plan or an annual plan. The annual payment choice includes a 5% discount.
Choice
Pass Type
Payment Plan
Price
Payment(s) Due
A
Two-way pass (both to school and from school)
Annual
$ 85.50
July 26, 2007 only
B
Two-way pass (both to school and from school)
Quarterly
$ 22.5
#1 - July 26, 2007
#2 - October 8, 2007
#3 - January 14, 2008
#4 - March 31, 2008
C
One-way pass (to school and from school only)
Annual
$ 42.75
July 26, 2007 only
D
One-way pass (to school or from school only)
Quarterly
$ 11.25
#1 - July 26, 2007
#2 - October 8, 2007
#3 - January 14, 2008
#4 - March 31, 2008
Fees are payable at your child’s school office. You may pay by cash, check, money order, or cashier's check made payable to “Department of Education.” There will be a $15.00 service charge for all returned checks. The service charge must be paid by cash, separate money order, or separate cashier’s check made payable to “Director of Finance.”
Non-Payment
If you are delinquent in the payment of the bus fare, or if you fail to pay any outstanding fees (e.g., bounced check fees, duplicate pass fees, etc.), your child may not be allowed to ride the bus, and your delinquent account balance may be turned over to a collection agency. If your account is turned over to a collection agency, you will be charged a $15 collection fee. Your child may re-enroll when the bus pass fee and all other outstanding fees are paid in full. During the period that your child does not have a bus pass, you must make alternate transportation arrangements and assume responsibility for getting your child to school and home.
Free Bus Pass
Bus passes are free for students who meet one of the following criteria:
Student is qualified for a free school lunch. Students qualified for reduced price lunches are not eligible for free bus passes.
Student is a foster child.
Student is in a family with four or more children, and three older siblings are fare-paying school bus riders.
If your child is eligible for a free bus pass, you must still complete and submit the application on page 9 of this booklet!
Bus Pass
All students that have been qualified to ride the school bus must carry the official Department of Education bus pass and present it to the driver each time the student boards the bus. In some schools, the bus pass may be your child's school identification badge. If your child refuses to show the driver his or her bus pass or identification badge, he or she may be denied a ride.
If your child transfers from one public school to another, and you have already paid for your child's bus pass, obtain a Request to Transfer Bus Pass form (Form ST-74) from the school you are transferring to . When you complete and submit this form to the new school, your child will be issued a new pass. If your child is transferring to another school and you have not applied and paid for a school bus pass, you may fill out a new application form (Form ST-70 on page 9 of this booklet).
Lost Bus Pass
If your child attends a school where the school identification card serves as the bus pass, and your child loses the school identification card, your child will need to go to the school office and get a new identification card, paying whatever the school charges for a new school identification card.
If your child attends a school where the bus pass is different from the student's school identification card, and your child loses the bus pass, your child should go to the school office immediately and pick up a Request for Duplicate Bus Pass form (Form ST-73) when he or she realizes that they have lost their permanent school bus pass. The parent or guardian should fill out the form and deliver the completed form with the $5.00 duplicate pass fee to the child's school office.
The school administration will verify that your child is a regular rider that has paid for the quarter or year, and issue a temporary bus pass good for fifteen (15) calendar days. If you do not pay the duplicate bus pass fee before the temporary bus pass expires, you will need to provide alternate transportation for your child .
Discipline
Students who misbehave on a bus may be denied rides and shall be subject to disciplinary action as defined in Chapter 19 of the Board of Education's Hawaii Administrative Rules. If the school receives a School Bus Incident Report (Form ST-15) on your child, the principal will perform an investigation of the incident and notify you of the outcome.
§8-28-6 Passenger Safety Code, Hawaii Administrative Rules
All students riding school buses shall abide by the following requirements:
1) At the designated school bus stop and while boarding, students shall:
not bring children who will not be passengers on the bus or animals to the bus stop;
be on time at the designated school bus stop to help keep the bus on schedule;
stay off the road while waiting for the bus and conduct themselves in a safe manner while waiting;
not talk loudly at bus stops which may disturb nearby residents;
not litter or deface public or private property at bus stops;
not trespass on private property while waiting at bus stops;
line up in an orderly, single file and wait until the bus comes to a complete stop before attempting to board the bus;
walk on the side of the road facing traffic to get to the bus stop if there are no sidewalks;
not bring articles on the bus that may cause injury to passengers or carry on articles which cannot be stored safely under the seat; and
use the handrail and watch their step when boarding the bus.
2) While on the bus, students shall:
keep hands and heads inside the bus at all times;
not scream, talk or laugh loudly, engage in horseplay, or otherwise behave in a manner that may divert the driver's attention and result in an accident;
treat bus equipment as valuable furniture. The offender or the offender's parent shall pay for damage to seats, windows, and other equipment;
not eat or drink any beverages on a regular trip to and from school unless necessary for medical reasons;
not tamper with the bus or any of its equipment;
keep books, packages, coats, and all other objects out of the aisle;
remain in the bus in case of a road emergency, unless directed to do otherwise by the bus driver;
not throw anything out of the bus window;
remain in their seats while the bus is in motion;
not smoke, drink, gamble, fight or engage in any other behavior that may endanger health or morals; and
obey the driver.
3) When leaving the bus and crossing streets, students shall observe the following procedures:
leave the bus only at regular bus stops, unless proper authorization has been given in advance by the school principal;
use the handrail and watch their step when getting off the bus;
cross at nearby crosswalks or intersections at bus stops where the activation of the four red alternating flashing lights on the bus is prohibited by State law. If there is no crosswalk or intersection nearby, students shall avoid crossing at curves or hills or locations where visibility of on-coming vehicles is limited; and
at bus stops where the activation of the four alternating flashing lights on the bus is required by State law or county ordinance, students shall walk twelve feet in front of the bus and look to see if alternating red lamps on the top portion of the school bus are flashing. If the lamps are flashing, they shall look at the driver and wait for the driver to give the signal to cross. If the red lamps are not flashing, students shall not cross the street and shall notify the driver that the red warning lamps are not working and ask the driver for assistance in crossing the street.
Students shall ride designated buses at specified times and locations as assigned.
Each student must show his or her bus pass to the driver prior to boarding. A student who has lost his or her bus pass must get a temporary pass from the school office before boarding the afternoon bus.
Bus passes are not transferable and will be confiscated if they are given to another student.
Students who are precluded from riding the school bus by the school principal for misbehavior are not eligible for refunds on the unused portion of the bus pass.
Contacting Us
Billing and payment information ( Honolulu main office)
586-0170
From neighbor islands, call the toll-free number below:
Big Island
974-4000 ext 60170
Maui
984-2400 ext 60170
Molokai and Lanai
1-800-468-4644 ext 60170
Kauai
274-3141 ext 60170
For local information or to report service complaints, please call your district transportation officer:
Honolulu District
235-9181
Central District
622·0537
Leeward District
677-6684
Windward District
235-9181
East Hawaii
974-6411
West Hawaii
327·9500
Maui
984·8025 ext 252
Molokai
1-800-468-4644 ext 48025 ext 252
Kauai
241-7120
For information on routes, bus stops, and schedules, please call the bus contractor.
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
STUDENT TRANSPORTATION SERVICES BRANCH
APPLICATION FOR REGULAR EDUCATION STUDENT
TO RIDE SCHOOL BUS FORM ST-70 (Separate form required for EACH student)
PART 1:
Student's legal name:
Last name __________First name__________
Home Phone: _______________
Home Address: ____________________________________________________________
Street no. Street name Apt no. (if any) City Zip Code
Mailing address (if different): __________________________________________________
Street no. Street name Apt no. (if any) City Zip Code
SY 2007-2008 School & Grade: ________________________________________________
Parent(s)/Guardian(s) Names:
Last name _________First name_________ Last name _________First name_________
PART 2: Please complete this section if applying for FREE transportation under one or more conditions below:
Receiving free lunch
Foster child
For families with more than 3 children, this child is eligible for free a bus passes because 3 OLDER siblings are paying riders
Names, schools and grades of 3 oldest children riding the school bus and paying the bus fare:
PART 3: Payment selection (you must complete this section unless you are applying for free transportation).
I select the following payment plan for my child who is a regular daily rider.
$ 85.50 annually in advance – morning and afternoon ride
$ 22.50 quarterly in advance – morning and afternoon ride
$ 42.75 annually in advance
morning only or
afternoon only
$ 11.25 quarterly in advance
morning only or
afternoon only
By signing this application, I confirm I have read and understand the procedures under which my child may ride the school bus that are set forth in the Student Transportation booklet, and I have explained to my child the requirements for students that are set forth on pages 6-7 of the Student Transportation booklet.
Parent or guardian _____________________________
Date ______________________
FOR SCHOOL USE ONLY:
Student qualifies for free bus pass because:
free lunch
foster child
fourth or younger in family; three older siblings pay bus fare
school-directed
Student ID number ______________________________________________
Reviewer's signature _____________________________________________
Reviewer's school _______________________________________________
Date __________________________________________________________
