Disabled teen’s transport predicament stuns family
A Hamilton family say they were left in the lurch after the bus company responsible for taking their disabled son to school axed his transport.
And Trevor Hills says if he hadn’t rung GoBus on Thursday about a separate issue, he doubts they would have learned the bus wouldn’t be picking up his son, Justin, for the first day back at school yesterday.
GoBus chief operating officer Nigel Piper said they had to pull from service the bus used for Justin’s transport after an audit found the teen’s wheelchair was outside the recommended weight limit. He admitted they should have communicated with the family earlier.
The family will now have to take Justin to school, using a trailer and ramp.
Justin, 14, is the only person in New Zealand to suffer from the inherited, congenital neuromuscular disorder, nemaline rod myopathy.
He has little if any muscular strength, inability to swallow and breathe without assistance and is reliant on his parents for everyday tasks. He also requires an electric wheelchair for mobility.
“He’s on a respiratory machine 16 to 18 hours a day,” Hills said. “He lasts probably about three hours off the machine and then he’s got to go back on again.”
But it’s a routine with which the family and his school, Fraser High, are familiar. He used his machine during breaks to get him through the day, Hills said.
“He’s absolutely determined to stay at school. Going to school is the only place where he can get away from his parents because every other facet of his life we’re there.
“So school is his one real escape and he loves it.”
GoBus receives Ministry of Education funding to get him to school and back.
Hills said he called the bus company on Thursday to talk about their family van going in for repairs when he was told Justin wouldn’t be getting picked up.
“They said ‘our vans don’t meet compliance any more so we can’t pick him up’. And we said, ‘when were you going to tell us that?”’
He’d been told the issue had come down to new compliance rules around the strength of the straps which hold Justin and his electric wheelchair in place in the van.
Piper apologised to the family for a “communication breakdown”.
“GoBus takes responsibility for the problem that occurred with Justin’s transport, and we sincerely apologise for not communicating with his parents in a timely fashion.”
Piper said they decided to stop transporting Justin on health and safety grounds.
“We have suggested an alternative transport arrangement option and options for obtaining alternative funding.”
Piper added the company would work with Justin’s family to cover their costs “while we work towards getting Justin back on his normal van to school”.
The Ministry of Education’s Kim Shannon said they learned from Justin’s father last Thursday there was an issue: “GoBus advises their anchoring is limited to an 85kg wheelchair (exclusive of passenger) but Justin’s wheelchair is in the order of 165kg, which has rendered the anchoring non-compliant for that particular wheelchair.”
The family would receive an allowance to take Justin to and from school while GoBus refitted the vehicle, she said.