This reexamination of Hawaii's student transportation service program revealed that student safety is a concern despite improvements over the past 12 years. One problem is continued use of pre-1977 school buses that do not meet federal safety construction standards. Students also travel in unsafe van-like "type-III" school buses and in other vehicles granted statutory or administrative exemption. Hawaii lags behind other states in not requiring stop signal arms for all school buses. The number of Department of Education inspections and drivers has diminished in the past 2 years, and the department lacks an information system for tracking school bus vehicles and drivers. Authority for school bus aides to help special education children has also lapsed. More attention must be given to student training and discipline and the handling of school-related transportation. Private schools are not required to have safety training for students, and public school measures need to be improved. Factors such as school bus routes, stops, and schedules receive little attention. Major recommendations include eliminating pre-1977 buses, phasing out "type-III" buses, and narrowing exemptions for nonstandard school buses. The Department of Transportation should require all school buses to have stop signal arms, intensify enforcement activities, develop a supportive information system, and establish regulatory control over special education school bus aides. Several improvements in training and discipline are also recommended. An appendix contains suggested ameliorative legislation. (MLH)