The Ministry of Education will now require all school bus contractors to prove drop off and pick up locations are safe, after safety concerns about a Hawke's Bay stop were ignored.
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Community members from Elsthorpe, in central Hawke's Bay, complained that a proposed new school bus stop was unsafe but those fears were dismissed by the bus company, Nimon.
In July last year, Elsthorpe School principal Sandy Crawford wrote to the ministry calling for the bus stop not to be moved as the new stop "is on a dangerous blind corner, whereas the current one is safe and serves the community well".
The ministry's head of infrastructure Kim Shannon said a check by the ministry and police confirmed the site was not safe.
"In this case, the contracted transport provider assessed the 1234 Kahuranaki Rd bus stop as being safe. When concerns were raised, the ministry and NZ Police inspected the site together and agreed it was not safe," Shannon said.
She said the ministry had strengthened requirements on transport providers who must now give evidence of how the NZTA guidelines for pick up and drop-offs are being applied.
"If any contracted transport provider is not compliant then we will carry out regular follow-up inspections until compliance is met."
