Let the kid on the bus: ACT commitment for rural families

Manawatū-based ACT MP Andrew Hoggard has announced an election commitment to fix inefficiencies in rural school transport, including an ‘Open Seat Rule’ to ensure no bus passes a waiting child with empty seats.

“In my neck of the woods, in places like Ōpiki and Tokomaru, I’ve been hearing a common story. A school bus drives past with empty seats while a parent follows behind in a ute, burning fuel to get their kid to school. There are similar situations in Hawke’s Bay and the East Coast,” says Mr Hoggard.

“Fuel isn’t cheap, time isn’t free, and rural families have better things to be doing than running a second transport system because of a Wellington rulebook.

“ACT would introduce an ‘Open Seat Rule’ so any child living along an existing school bus route can use it, if there’s space available, regardless of which school they attend.

“The bus is already running. The seat is already paid for. Let the kid on. We should be using what we’ve already got, not making families pay taxes for a bus that leaves their kid stranded.

“The current ‘nearest school’ rule is out of step with how rural communities actually live. Families choose schools for all sorts of reasons, where siblings go, where there’s better support, or what fits around work and farm life."

The policy will not require additional spending in most cases, as it makes better use of existing capacity. Where demand on specific routes increases, additional buses can be provided.

“If a route fills up, we’ll put on more buses and fund it from within the Ministry of Education’s existing budget by cutting waste. Money should be getting kids to school, not tied up in Wellington bureaucracy," says Mr Hoggard.

“It doesn’t need another review or working group. It just needs a bit of common sense. Kids get to school, families save money, and farmers can get on with the job. We want diesel in tractors, not wasted on school runs that shouldn’t be needed. This is a straightforward change that will take pressure off rural communities at a time when every dollar counts.”