Here’s the latest update on changes to bus routes in the eastern half of the Dome School Transport Network.
Waikaia to Lumsden service
This route commences on Monday 12 February and will travel from Waikaia and through the Longridge area to Lumsden. Students living on and near Biggar Road and Walker Road will travel on this service. Parents should note that the times shown on the EasyBus website are estimates and will be updated after a few days of operation.
East 1 change
From Monday 12 February the Longridge section of this route will be removed. The route times will remain unchanged for a day or two until we confirm the running time of this service between Balfour and Lumsden. We will also be considering whether this route should collect more of the students around the Sandstone area.
Students from outside of the Balfour transport zone
Unfortunately, Ministry of Education rules prevent us from collecting students inside the Riversdale transport zone. What this means for a number of Balfour families, including those that live on a secondary school bus route, is that they must travel to a place inside the Balfour transport zone before boarding the bus.
Due to safety concerns raised by parents, the pickup place for these students will be shifted from Crooked Road to Mandeville-Kingston Crossing Road starting Monday 12 February. The location chosen is the site of the old railway station, just near School Road. We believe that this location will provide enough space for several cars and the bus to meet safely away from traffic. This change affects East 1 AM and East 3 PM.
Private extensions
One of the Network’s main aims is to deliver a consistent level of service across the Network. In situations where the rules do not provide the level of service that a family needs they are able to apply for a private extension and pay an additional fee. In situations where these extensions have been approved, they are indicated in EasyBus using a white route marker. The purpose of this is to show all families across the district that school buses are being provided in a fair and consistent manner.