Notice for Parents/Caregivers of Bus Students

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School Bus Arrangements for 2022

Next year will see some changes to our school transport as the Ministry of Education transitions to a new contract with bus operators. We are working closely with our school bus operators, Petricevich Buses, Ritchies and the Ministry of Education to ensure that the transition to the new school bus operator changes goes well.

To make sure that the start of the school year goes as smoothly as possible, please familiarise yourself with the information below.

As always, please either stay with your children while they are waiting for their school transport in the morning or keep in contact with them to make sure that they are picked up safely.

School Bus Routes:

While the school bus routes for 2022 remain the same, there is a change of bus operator on some of the routes shown below:

Kaitaia College Gym bus bay (Pukepoto Road)
Te Hapua - Sand Safaris 
Te Kao - Sand Safaris 
Ngataki - Sand Safaris  
Pukenui - Sand Safaris 
Kaimaumau service to and from Waiharara  - Ritchies
Paparore (Sweetwater Road, Waipapakauri Ramp) - Ritchies
Paparore (Imms Road) - Ritchies 
Kumi Road (Oturu) - Ritchies
Sandhills Road (Gills Road), Wireless Rd, Bells Rd) - Ritchies
Kaingaroa - Ritchies (Duncans Road - change bus at Kaingaroa School)

C Block Bus Bay (cnr Redan and Pukepoto Road)
Fairburn - Ritchies
Victoria Valley - Ritchies
Snelgars/Church Road - Ritchies
Diggers Valley - Ritchies
Takahue - Ritchies
Ahipara (Foreshore Road) - Ritchies
Ahipara (Okahu, Roma Road) - Ritchies
Manukau (via Ahipara Village) - Ritchies
Herekino - Ritchies
Mangonui Private Service - Ritchies
Karikari Peninsula Private Service - Ritchies

Eligibility for School Transport Assistance:

We often get questions about whether students qualify for school transport assistance i.e., a place on a school bus. 

The Ministry of Education has three criteria that students must meet in order to qualify for school transport assistance. They are:

1. The student must attend their closest state or state-integrated school.
2. The student must live more than a certain distance from the school:
   - Years 1-8: At least 3.2 km
   - Years 9-13: At least 4.8 km
3. There must be no suitable public transport options.

The Ministry of Education has a handy video on their website that explains the eligibility criteria for school transport assistance.

Responsibility of Caregivers

To ensure a safe environment for bus loading and unloading caregivers should:

• Not park in bus bays.
• Adhere to the speed limit (20 km/h while passing a stationary school bus on either side of the road).
• Try to eliminate the need for children to cross the road.
• Ensure that children get to and from the bus stop safely.
• Teach children to not run across the road.

Please note: If you currently have a private arrangement with your bus operator, you will need to contact your bus operator to confirm that your arrangement will continue in 2022. 

School transport queries

If you have any queries about our school transport, please contact Sue Flanagan our Bus Controller. She can be contacted on 021 251 1274, 408 0190 x 708 or sflanagan@kaitaiacollege.school.nz