Subj : Re: Auckland students stranded, left to walk to school as bus overcrow
To   : Major Queen
From : Widgit
Date : Tue Feb 25 2020 08:07 pm

On 25 Feb 2020, Major Queen said the following...
 
 MQ> 
 MQ> Students are having to walk to school and arriving to classes late amid
 MQ> reports of overcrowded buses.
 MQ> 
 MQ> Green Bay High School's buses, 005 and 007 which service Glen Eden,
 MQ> Titirangi and Oratia in West Auckland, are turning away students because
 MQ> they are too full.
 MQ> 
 MQ> There are two school buses in the morning and three in the afternoon but
 MQ> all buses are always full, parents say. 
 MQ> 
 MQ> The school and concerned parents have lodged numerous complaints with
 MQ> Auckland Transport since the start of the school year but no solution has
 MQ> been reached.
 MQ> 
 MQ> Michele Ballinger said the solution wasn't rocket science, "just add more
 MQ> buses to the route".
 MQ> 
 MQ> "It's a month into school now and our children are still facing this
 MQ> problem," Ballinger said.
 MQ> 
 MQ> "There are a lot of kids affected, and are not being picked up. We just
 MQ> want our kids to get to school safely, early and on time."
 MQ> 
 MQ> Lauren Oliver said the problem has been on going for far too long.
 MQ> 
 MQ> "I'm just getting real sick of the drama of trying to get kids to
 MQ> school," Oliver said.
 MQ> 
 MQ> Her son had been left behind at school twice because the buses have been
 MQ> too full.
 MQ> 
 MQ> "This isn't ideal when parents work, how are they supposed to get home?
 MQ> It's terrible."
 MQ> 
 MQ> Green Bay High School principal Fiona Barker said 353 students live in
 MQ> the area of the two bus routes.
 MQ> 
 MQ> Not all those students rely on the school buses but a fair number of
 MQ> them do, she said.
 MQ> 
 MQ> "It is causing unwanted disruption to students and their parents," Barker
 MQ> said.
 MQ> 
 MQ> "Some students have had to Uber to school or walk. Students are stranded
 MQ> at different places and sometimes parents are not aware of where their
 MQ> kids are. It is challenging for everyone involved."
 MQ> 
 MQ> Barker said they have had constant contact with AT to come up with timely
 MQ> resolutions.
 MQ> 
 MQ> The school suggested using a bigger bus, a double decker, but the routes
 MQ> did not meet safety requirements, she said.
 MQ> 
 MQ> "We're not feeling like this is a priority to them as much as it is to
 MQ> us."
 MQ> 
 MQ> AT spokesman Mark Hannan said adding more capacity to the routes,
 MQ> including possible extensions of public routes, is being looked at.
 MQ> 
 MQ> "We will look to rectify this as soon as possible," he said.
 MQ> 
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poor kid 

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