School bus no-show

Angry parents are demanding answers after a school bus failed to show up today, leaving students stranded by the roadside while many returned home.

Russell Smart's daughter was dropped off at the Cheyne Road bus stop at about 8am by his wife, who was on her way to work.


Students were left by the roadside after a school bus failed to show up this morning. Photo: File.

He was called about 8.30am by friend who said, ‘there were kids walking all over Cheyne Road and Waterside Drive' because the buses hadn't turned up.

'So I rang the bus company and they said ‘oh yeah they are three-quarters-of-an-hour behind',” says Russell.

'Half the parents had gone to work by then and according to the lady who answered the phone, there was a problem with their new ticketing service.

'They've had a long time to sort out - over a term. So it was just crazy.

'My daughter has been going on that service all term, but all of a sudden, now that they have got to pay for it, it's all turned to cr*p.

'They've got these cards that you need to get charged. You've got to go to the office on Wharf Street or pay on the bus.

'I charged my daughter's card a month ago. It was all ready to go, but the bus didn't even turn up.

'So there was a whole lot of students on Waterside Drive who were just heading home. And their parents would have been in the same boat as us, going to work.”

However, the managing director of the company who run the service insisted today's problem was not related to ticketing.

Bayline managing director Justin Allan says: 'It wasn't an issue with the ticket system.

'The ticket machines are running for the first time today, but that's not what caused the delay on the bus. I think the ticket machines went off reasonably well today, actually.

'I'm not sure on the detail, but I know that bus was running late this morning. There was a message to say that bus was running late and we had a few calls about it.”

Justin is unsure how late the bus was running, but added that the driver did pick up children and drop them off at school.

'But I'm not sure what the situation with some of the kids is,” he adds.

Chair of the Public Transport Subcommittee and Bay of Plenty Regional Councillor Lyall Thurston says there were a few reports of buses running late this morning.

'All services did run, and a few were held up by the crash on Takitimu Drive,” says Lyall.

'Despite our best planning, there were also a few technical problems which affected individual buses and we're looking at them this afternoon to find out what caused them.

'We'll be watching to see if fare processing delays buses over the next few days, in which case we'll look at changing route timings.”

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17 comments

The wheel on the bus didn't go round

Posted on 20-04-2015 15:00 | By Road Ranger

I believe this affected a number of buses due to the accident on the expressway. Not always the bus companies fault.


surprise, surprise

Posted on 20-04-2015 15:13 | By NZgirl

Now that they paying customers!! do they get a refund on pre paid cards


Oh what a surprise...

Posted on 20-04-2015 15:33 | By simple.really

School bus service a debacle yet again. The Welcome Bay bus was also 45 mins late, no apology or explanation at all from the driver. Expressway accident just before 8am so can't blame that. Maybe we should buy these drivers alarm clocks and give them maps ....


No show?

Posted on 20-04-2015 16:20 | By YOGI BEAR

Like that happens lots, change times change routes but not bother to tell anyone. Result the bus sails down the road an no one to pick up ... surprise ...


Liars

Posted on 20-04-2015 16:47 | By AngryStudent

"It wasn't an issue with the ticketing system" what a load of bull! I was on the Cheyne road bus this morning, it was half an hour late and we were let on for free because the driver could not work the machine. This afternoon I took a different Cheyne road bus in an attempt to get home quicker. I actually arrived home later because the driver went the wrong way! This time, only some students were charged but eventually all were let on for free because of repeated failed scans. Think I'll bike to school from now own!


Tuedsay

Posted on 20-04-2015 16:58 | By NZgirl

will be fun day on the buses as most colleges were off today for a teacher only day


I'd just like to say

Posted on 20-04-2015 17:10 | By How about this view!

I told you about the very high probability of this happening MANY months ago. There are transport office "Managers" that appear to be unable to run a bath, there are sixty, seventy and eighty year old drivers that are new to driving large vehicles and struggle to work their own phones, let alone a computerised ticket machine (That's IF they have had any training) and everyone on the roads at 7am to 8am is in a mad rush, intolerant and often pig-headed when it comes to buses on the roads. The kids will sort it out and I suspect that those of us that travel on the yellow buses will have to put up with the inadequacies of others, as our buses fill with frustrated kids that want to travel with drivers that know what they are doing and are mostly really nice people.


Poor form

Posted on 20-04-2015 19:29 | By Paddle

My daughter's account matches AngryStudent and simple.really. This had nothing to do with the accident on the express way. The driver was struggling with the ticket machine and told the students they had not had much training. We just had two weeks of school holidays to sort that out Bayline. Poor service once again.


other cities

Posted on 20-04-2015 19:46 | By simple.really

Other cities like Hamilton, Wellington and Auckland don't have issues like Tauranga does, and we're smaller! Honestly fail to comprehend why buses can't run to time between 7-8am, and why drivers constantly seem to get lost on the routes! Please please explain ! Every day I start work at 8am in the city, and every day I there on time without getting lost!


just

Posted on 20-04-2015 20:58 | By Capt_Kaveman

use the hoppers if the bus set for this is late and they can just pickup whos left


Bus Drivers

Posted on 20-04-2015 22:15 | By YOGI BEAR

A big challenge is to find a driver and enough of them. Most people don't want a job of 2 hours from 7-9 am and then again from 230-430 or so. It is a real pain and some. End result you get drop kicks, oldies looking for pocket money and something to do. Sadly that is how it is, pay peanuts get monkeys.


Your turn

Posted on 21-04-2015 08:00 | By Ankle

To all you experts out there how about having a go at driving these buses yourselves.Complaining about the age of drivers is poor when many able bodied people can't be bothered working themselves.Most of these drivers work because they want to and they top up their income nicely.They have no control over traffic issues or new systems. Remember everyone has to learn and the more we age the harder it is to pick up technology. So to you wised up people have a go!


Regular problem

Posted on 21-04-2015 11:53 | By YOGI BEAR

Two weeks ago the bus came down the road 30 minutes early and with great surprise there was actually no kids out on the street to pick up, but the driver seemed to know where the stops were and diligently stopped. The funny thing is that no one was told of the earlier times so no surprise that the driver got too the end of the line and had no passengers, no students and so went home ... result no kids got to school. Not sure what planet this outfit is on, but clearly they expect everyone to be a mind reader, as there was no other way to know the bus was going to be 30 minutes early. Perhaps this is just the typical mode of operation of the average Council outfits, they don't expect any better from anyone else. The results then unravel without any surprises right.


correct training

Posted on 21-04-2015 12:07 | By rosscoo

All other buses were running fine only School bus service running late was Bayline/Uzabus. Maybe company did not allow there drivers any ticket machine training?. These machines are simple to use we have used them for last 7 or so years, sure there have been small problems occasionally


Good on AngryStudent

Posted on 21-04-2015 13:29 | By BullShtAlert

Of all the comments I like AngryStudent's best. Saying he or she might bike to school from now on is the way to go. When I was young we all used to bike to school rain, hail or shine. We crossed roads, road through puddles, hail and sleet, but we still got through. Total opposite of todays wimpy mollycoddled bunch with their whiney parents.


Still not fixed today.........

Posted on 21-04-2015 16:04 | By Smilarkie

........ it took my daughter 20mins just to get onto the buss today as the driver couldn't work out the machine to swipe their cards. Someone else had to go to his aid so the kids could get on the buss. Sort it out buss company and train your staff.


Stupid system....

Posted on 25-04-2015 22:41 | By Opinionated123

I am a student, i live 7 minutes drive away from the school and yet i am made to get on the bus an hour before school starts. Making me leave the house at 7.25 to get to the school bus on time. I am happy to do so, but the fact that my bus does a double run this results in me getting to school at 8.05am. This is 30 minutes before school starts. This i have found is earlier then most of the teachers. I am ok with this, appart from the fact that in the afternoon i yet again have to wait at school for half an hour to 45 minutes before leaving school to get home. This adds on another hour onto my day. what i dont understand is why i am the first route in the morning and 2nd in the afternoon.


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