Schoolgirls crammed in like 'sardines' on Auckland school bus

Wednesday, 14 November 2018

Parents fear for the safety of their children on an overcrowded Auckland school bus.

Parents fear a child will die or be severely injured on an overcrowded school bus on Auckland's North Shore.

Mary Wills' two daughters Éabha,16, and Alannah,15, use Auckland Transport's number 47 bus to get to and from Carmel College from Manly each day.

Mobile phone footage shows many children standing and sitting in the bus aisle.

'My daughter Alannah got cut in the door from overcrowding, and still has marks on her,' Wills said.

One parent said pupils were crammed on the bus 'like sardines'.

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According to Éabha, there are a string of problems.

She said: 'Something always happens. It's either really late or doesn't come or out of petrol.

'The bus doesn't stop when you press the button. Kids get dropped off at Gulf Harbour when they're supposed to get off at Manly.

Éabha and Alannah Wills are frustrated with on going issues with the number 47 bus.

'Drivers constantly change and new drivers don't know the routes or pass children by because they don't recognise the uniforms.

'I started catching the public express bus, but that was cancelled at the end of September so I'm now back on the number 47 bus, and problems just keep happening,' Éabha said.

Parents and pupils claim a list of problems plagues the number 47 bus.

Wills said she had approached AT many times over the past six years but she never gets a satisfactory response.

'During a scary incident, the doors flew open on the motorway, putting the students' lives at risk. Once the bus took the wrong route and blocked a whole road, and police were called.

'AT knows about all these issues,' Wills said. 'Every day the girls come home and say 'guess what's happened today'.'

'It just keeps getting worse. At the beginning of this term there was a big bendy bus in the morning and a small bus on the way home. Some students couldn't get on and there was overcrowding on the way back.'

Another parent, who didn't want to be named, said students on the bus were 'always standing, sitting on the floor or crammed like sardines'.

Students pay more than $40 a week for a return trip bus pass.

The bus starts its journey at Gulf Harbour, picking up students for Carmel College, Rosmini College, Westlake Girls and Westlake Boys.

Cath Copley's daughter Ella, 14, a Year 10 student at Carmel College, suffered a bruise on her back after being pressed against the ticket machine, due to overcrowding.

'AT needs to do something before a child gets injured or killed,' she said.

Riana Jones said her daughters had travelled the route for seven years and there had been many incidents, including doors flying open on the motorway.

'The kids were unloaded on the side of the motorway when the bus broke down. The bus is usually over capacity with the sign saying 'no more than 18 standing' but often 30 are without seats.

'It's not a free bus. When we complain to AT we just get a computer-generated reply,' Jones said.

AT spokesman James Ireland said issues raised about the quality of the vehicles had been fixed.

He said AT actively monitored student numbers on school buses to prevent overloading and when issues of overcrowding were raised, they were investigated, and if necessary changes were made.

The Regional Public Transport Plan says AT will: 'Provide safe public transport access for school students to and from their zoned and/or nearest school.'

'We are confident buses are operated within the safety standards set by NZ Transport Agency,' Ireland said.

'There is absolutely enough capacity on North Shore buses for everyone to get where they need to go.

'Sometimes, not everyone gets a seat on a bus, but it is perfectly safe to stand,' he said.

Carmel College didn't respond to a request for comment in time for publication.