Increased pupil tardiness and falling attendance figures are just two of the factors worrying officials ahead of sweeping changes to Tauranga City's school bus system.

From 2015, thousands of Western Bay of Plenty students will have to pay to catch the bus to school as the Ministry of Education withdraws its funding for Tauranga's urban school bus routes.

Mount Maunganui College students getting off a Ministry of Education funded school bus. Photo: Bruce Barnard.

To plug the gap, Bay of Plenty Regional Council will provide replacement services through a new network called Schoolhopper – where children will be charged $1.15 for concessionary travel and $1.60 for cash fares.

Currently, the Ministry provides for 70 free buses used by about 5200 of Tauranga's estimated 23,000 students.

Ahead of the changes SunLive spoke to principals from primary, intermediate and secondary schools to see what their perspectives are and the effect the changes may have.

Welcome Bay School principal Nik House says this week's drop-in information session shows a level of unrest and anger from some parents about having to pay for a bus service that traditionally has been funded.

Others are also wary of some of the existing bus routes changing, placing added pressure on parents getting their children to the nearest routes.

And while Nik will not be drawn into whether the changes will help or hinder, he acknowledges some will undoubtedly feel the effects.

'I think there will be implications on some families,” he says.

'I would hope it doesn't affect attendance and I would hope it doesn't affect tardiness. That's speculation and we will have to wait and see.”

However, Otumoetai Intermediate School principal Henk Popping says if anything, the changes are a positive for the school's bussing population.

He says the schools 150-200 students currently using bus services already pay for the service – at what he understands is a higher rate than 2015's.

'We are hoping it will have little effect on our students,” he says. In some cases the BayHopper services will cost less than what they are currently paying.

'It's per term and they currently pay anything up to $400 a year, so for some it will be less expensive.”

He says as long as the Schoolhopper network sticks to the current routes, then the school won't be greatly affected.

Mount Maunganui College deputy principal Ady van der Beek concedes as a city Tauranga has been 'lucky” having the free service - partly because there wasn't the capacity within the public bus service in the past.

Now this option is gone students and families will have to sit down and consider what is the best option for them economically, but until the new term starts schools and the bus company won't be educated on these individual changes.

He says: 'I can't judge on the finances of families except to perhaps think of how people are surviving in other areas and people will have to make decisions around it.

'Some may decide to travel with family going to work because the timing suits and saves money.

'We might find an increase in bikes on the road and we may well find some seniors might be making an economic decision about whether they will put that ticket money into a petrol tank and use a scooter or car.”

Ady's main push ahead of 2015 is for students and families, if they opt for the bus service, to think smart and invest in a concession card.

He adds: 'We want students and families to get the concession card rather than having people standing at the driver's seat to buy tickets. That might hold up the service and make buses late for school.”