Anger over loss of rural school bus routes

The Ministry of Education will stop nine rural bus runs and restructure three others that transport students from a rural community to schools in Napier and Hastings.

The loss of these routes will impact over 350 students, though they will continue running until the end of the year.  

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Locals in Te Pōhue, around 40 minutes’ drive from Napier, are angry at the decision, which they say wasn’t made in proper consultation with the community.  

“They’re making me decide whether or not my 17-year-old daughter goes back for last year because we don’t have that bus now,” said local mother Michelle Codd.  

“Our rural communities depend on [buses], especially if our kids can’t go to a boarding school,” said Johnella Condon Orr.  

Sandra Hazlehurst, Mayor of Hastings, said she was unhappy with the lack of consultation done by the Ministry. She believed they should consult with the community to create effective solutions rather than instating “blanket cuts for the sake of it.” 

The Ministry of Education said that the buses they provide are a last resort, and said students in Te Pōhue are not going to their nearest school, or they have other means of transport available.  

According to the Ministry, William Colenso College in Napier is the closest school to Te Pōhue. Other schools where Te Pōhue students are currently enrolled are a few minutes further away.  

James Meffan from the Ministry of Education said it was their policy to deliver bus services “only to eligible students, so we apply a range of eligibility criteria. 

“Wherever we draw a line… some people will not win and others will. It’s always disappointing to be on the wrong side of that line.” 

Meffan said that the eligibility criteria for bus routes is clear, therefore there has been no consultation with the community for changes to bus routes.  

On their website, the Ministry of Education noted that routes may be moved or shortened if location of eligible students changes. Routes may also be stopped if the Ministry of Education “establishes that the service isn’t viable anymore.” 

Eligibility criteria for school transport assistance, including the use of Ministry funded school buses are:  

1. The school must be the closest state or state-integrated school where the student can enrol.
2. Students in years 1 – 8 must live at least 3.2 km from the school using the shortest public road or pedestrian route from their home’s roadside gate to the school’s front gate. Students in Years 9 – 13 must live at least 4.8 km from the school.
3. There must be no suitable public transport that travels within 2.4 km of the student’s roadside gate and 2.4 km of the closest appropriate school.

Students may be eligible for a daily conveyance allowance if they meet all three criteria and there is no school bus available, or they live more than 2.4 km from the nearest school bus route.  

Around 1400 daily bus routes are contracted by the Ministry of Education across the country. According to 1News, 130 have been reviewed this year.