Meeting to discuss pupils having to stand on buses

WANAKA Primary School’s board of trustees will meet a delegation from the Ministry of Education in about two weeks’ time to discuss the issue of children standing on school buses travelling up to 80kmh.

Board chairman Andrew Howard said a letter sent by the board to the ministry on the issue had ‘‘caught their attention’’ and the meeting would be ‘‘good progress’’ towards the goal of not allowing pupils to stand on school buses because of safety issues.

Earlier this week, the board questioned the ‘‘certificate of loading’’ system used by the ministry and the NZ Transport Agency, which allows school buses to be loaded to the point where some pupils are required to stand.

The ministry’s head of education infrastructure service, Kim Shannon, told the Otago Daily

yesterday it was not uncommon for pupils around the country to stand on school buses.

Both Ms Shannon and an NZTA spokesman said all buses in the area were fitted with handrails for pupils forced to stand, enabling them to travel safely.

But Mr Howard said that logic was ‘‘absolutely absurd’’.

‘‘I find that excuse they give absolutely unbelievable.

‘‘Who in their right mind thinks that when a bus travelling 80kmh hits a car travelling 100kmh a child could hold on to a handrail and not fly through the windscreen?’’

He said the legislation was ‘‘fundamentally flawed’’, as it allowed pupils to stand but not adults, which made ‘‘no sense’’.

While pleased to have the opportunity to discuss the issue with the ministry, he would not stop pushing for change.

‘‘I’m determined to keep the issue going until we see some real changes.’’