Bus Application

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.

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.

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 §8-28-3).
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 Procedures

If a student fails to display a valid bus pass in the morning, the driver will notify the
Student Transportation Administrative office and the school. Although services will be
provided to the school in the AM, proper measures must be taken depending on the
situation.
If a replacement pass is required, the school is responsible to instruct
student/family/guardian that this must be taken care of before the end of day or they
will be responsible for picking up their student at school for PM service.
If 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 day or the family/guardian will be
responsible for taking their student to school the next day.