Ministry brings transport services in-house

The Ministry of Education has decided to bring school transport services in-house, after contracting out the work for decades.

In a letter to schools, the ministry says it will not be renewing contracts for two school service agents, North Island-based Cognition Education Ltd and South Island-based School Support Ltd, when contracts expire on June 30.

The service agents liaise with the ministry, with schools, and with bus companies to ensure school transport is provided.

They also manage school bus routes, with School Support Ltd managing about 700 routes.

School Support Ltd general manager of transport Graeme Bond said five South Island-based staff members, including one in Invercargill, would no longer have jobs when the contract expires.

‘‘We’ve got the ‘don’t come Monday’ ... none of us applied for one of the three roles they offered,’’ he said. ‘‘The lights go out on June 30.’’

Ministry head of education infrastructure service Kim Shannon said she was confident the changes would lead to a better service.

‘‘We believe we can provide a better service to school communities by managing the transport administrative functions ourselves and so have decided to bring those functions in-house.’’

Shannon said there was no ability to extend the ministry’s commitment to the two service agents because an open tender would be required if it stayed with the current model.

Bond said he had been in his role for 37 years, and School Support Ltd had ‘‘run the system very well’’.

The system had ‘‘carried on’’ without much change since the 1980s, he said.

His staff were focussing on being professional and getting the job done until the contract ended, and it would be a matter of waiting to see what happened from there, he said.

Shannon said there would be no changes to bus routes, bus companies or to the way students were transported to and from school.

‘‘Nor will there will be changes for students and their families who make private arrangements with transport companies.’’

The ministry letter sent to schools says the ministry would work with the service agents during the transition process to ensure ‘‘as little disruption as possible’’, and that funding agreements with schools would be unaffected.