Ground Transport Inc.

What Ground Transport Inc. does

Ground Transport Inc. is a Hawaii-based, founder-owned school bus transportation company founded in 1990 and led by President Louis Gomes. The company provides daily student transportation primarily under contract with the Hawaii Department of Education across three Hawaiian islands (Oahu since 1991, Maui since 2017, and Hawaii Island since Fall 2024), serving public schools with regular-education buses plus specialized ambulatory and wheelchair vehicles staffed with trained aides for special-needs students. Ground Transport complements its contracted DOE work with private charter bus services for nonprofits, churches, private schools, senior centers, and community organizations.

The operating fleet consists of 140+ school buses equipped with GPS tracking, video surveillance cameras, and two-way communications systems for driver-dispatch coordination, supported by more than 200 employees including CDL-certified drivers, van aides, mechanics, and an in-house training program. Technology is operational and safety-focused rather than data- or AI-driven; there is no proprietary software platform, mobile app, or public API.

The business model is sales-led with two principal revenue streams: (1) recurring, contract-based public school transportation revenue from the Hawaii DOE, structured around school-year routes with charter add-ons for field trips; and (2) transactional charter bus rental revenue priced on a quote basis for community and nonprofit groups. Go-to-market relies on direct relationships with government procurement, school administrators, and community organizations, supported by radio, newspaper, and social media outreach primarily for recruitment rather than demand generation. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is negotiated per contract or per charter engagement.

Name

Ground Transport Inc.

Legal name

Ground Transport Inc.

Website

https://groundtransportinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Ground Transport Inc. is a Hawaii-based, founder-owned school bus company providing daily student transportation under contract with the Hawaii Department of Education across Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii Island, plus charter bus services for community organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

School Bus Transportation Services

NAICS

School and Employee Bus Transportation (485410), Special Needs Transportation (485991), Charter Bus Industry (48551)

SIC

Local & Suburban Transit & Interurban Hwy Passenger Trans (4100)

akta.pro primary industry

School Bus Transportation Operations (Home-to-School, Field Trips, Athletics) (EDAEADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

School & Student Demand-Responsive Transport (THAIAHAF), School & Youth Group Charters (Non-Route) (THAIAIAD), Wheelchair-Accessible & Lift-Equipped School Transportation (EDAKAOAB), Transportation Operations (Routing, Eligibility, Bus Compliance) (EDAJAHAI)

Keywords

• School bus transportation
• Charter bus rental
• Student transportation services
• Special education transport
• Student transit services

Headquarters

HQ city

Honolulu

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Public School Transportation Contracts: Contract-based transportation services for Hawaii Department of Education public schools on Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii Island, providing daily bus services as well as charter services for field trips
2. Charter Bus Rental Services: Private charter services for non-profit organizations, churches, senior centers, youth clubs, and other groups for special events, field trips, and excursions
3. Special Education Transportation: Specialized transportation services for students with disabilities, including ambulatory and wheelchair vehicles with trained aides

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ground Transport Inc. provides daily school bus transportation for Hawaii public school students, including regular education and special education routes, under contract with the Hawaii Department of Education. The company also offers private charter bus rentals to non-profits, churches, senior centers, youth clubs, and other community groups for field trips and special events, and operates special-needs van services with trained aides and wheelchair-accessible vehicles.

Product overview

Ground Transport Inc. operates as a single, unified school bus transportation service with complementary charter offerings. The company's core product is Public School Transportation Service, providing daily bus routes for regular and special needs students across Oahu, Maui, and soon Hawaii Island. Supporting this core service is the Charter School Bus Rental product, offering private charter services for nonprofits, churches, and community organizations. The company also provides Special Education Van Services with specialized vehicles and trained personnel. Together, these services serve public and private schools, nonprofits, church organizations, senior citizens, and private individuals. The company operates over 140 school buses and employs more than 200 staff members, differentiating through safety standards, technology investments (GPS and cameras), comprehensive driver training programs, and competitive employee benefits.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Public School Transportation Service Contract-based daily bus transportation service for Hawaii Department of Education public schools on Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii Island. Provides regular AM/PM routes for regular education students and is expanding to Hawaii Island for Fall 2024. Service is contracted through the DOE rather than sold to individual consumers.
• Charter School Bus Rental Quote-based private charter bus rental service for non-profit organizations, churches, senior centers, youth clubs, preschools, and community groups across Hawaii. Used for field trips, extracurricular activities, corporate retreats, and special events at affordable rates with professionally trained drivers.
• Special Education Van Services Specialized transportation for preschool through 12th grade students with mobility and developmental disabilities, using ambulatory and wheelchair-accessible vehicles with trained aides on curb-to-curb routes. Service is provided under the public school transportation contract and to private school special education programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 81 new school buses delivered to Maui in 2017 to launch operations
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Make-A-Wish FoundationminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 22 April 2025Ground Transport supports the Make-A-Wish Foundation through charitable contributions and community involvement. Louis and Cheryl Gomes actively support the organization's mission to grant wishes for children.
• Pearlridge CenterminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 July 2019Ground Transport partnered with Pearlridge Center for the 'Stuff the Bus' campaign to collect school supplies for Hawaii's approximately 3,000 homeless students. Donations were distributed directly to HIDOE for homeless families.
• Hawaii Department of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2017Ground Transport secured a contract with Hawaii DOE to provide school bus services to public schools. The company was awarded routes for three Maui school complexes (high schools and their feeder schools) and currently services hundreds of schools across Oahu, Maui, and is expanding to Hawaii Island.
• A-Z Bus Sales / Blue BirdminorOthers · 1 January 2017Bus manufacturer partnership for procurement of 81 new school buses with safety features including video surveillance cameras, GPS, and two-way communications systems. Blue Bird manufactured buses that were shipped to Hawaii.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Durham School Services: Durham School Services is one of the largest U.S. student transportation contractors, operating thousands of school buses nationwide under contract with public school districts. It is a direct competitor for Hawaii DOE-style multi-school district contracts, with comparable fleet-based operating model.
• National Express / Student Transportation of America: National Express is a U.K.-headquartered public transit and school bus conglomerate whose North American subsidiary (formerly Student Transportation of America) is among the largest U.S. school bus operators. Direct competitor for contracted student transportation services at similar scale to Ground Transport's HIDOE work.
• Roberts Hawaii: Roberts Hawaii is Hawaii's largest locally owned ground transportation company, offering charter buses, tours, and group transportation across the Hawaiian islands. Direct competitor for Ground Transport's charter bus segment, with shared island geography and customer overlap (nonprofits, schools, senior groups).
• First Student: First Student is the largest school bus transportation services provider in North America, operating a fleet of ~40,000 buses serving school districts across the U.S. and Canada. It directly competes for large public school district contracts like Ground Transport's Hawaii DOE relationship, though at significantly greater scale.
• MTR Western: MTR Western is a school and student transportation contractor operating bus fleets across the Western U.S. (Pacific Northwest, California). Direct competitor in contracted school bus operations with similar mid-sized regional fleet model.
• Alpha School Bus Company: Alpha School Bus Company is a family-owned student transportation provider serving school districts on the West Coast. Mid-sized direct peer with comparable business model — contract-based school bus service with safety-focused operations.
• E Noa Corporation: E Noa Corporation is a Hawaii-based tour and ground transportation operator offering charter services, airport transfers, and group excursions across Oahu and other islands. Direct competitor for Ground Transport's charter bus segment in the Hawaii market.

Broad incumbents

• Coach USA: Coach USA is a large national charter, tour, and scheduled bus operator with multiple regional brands. Competes with Ground Transport's charter bus business as a broad incumbent in the group transportation space, though not specialized in school transportation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/GroundTransportSchoolBuses
• Xx.com/GTIHawaii

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ground Transport Inc.