Extra buses put on for school runs in Bay of Plenty

The Bay of Plenty Regional Council has added extra buses to school routes starting from Monday. Photo / File

From Monday four additional school buses contracted by Bay of Plenty Regional Council will run to provide extra capacity for some Tauranga students.

These buses will be operated by GoBus on routes 701, 801, 806 and 903 and allow for an extra 55 students per route, the council said in a statement.

The new contract has come about because of the bus driver shortage being experienced by Tauranga Bayhopper contractor NZ Bus.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council chief executive Fiona McTavish said the regional council had been working over the last week to find a solution for what is a short-term fix.

"This is an emergency interim solution and we will continue to work with NZ Bus and other bus operators to improve services for the western bay community.

"All travel on routes 701, 801, 806 and 903 will be free of charge for students for the two weeks of this emergency solution."

This short-term solution finishes at the end of Friday March 1.

Route details

• 701 to Aquinas College - the extra bus will start from Bayfair Stand A at 7.30am, and will travel via Farm St, Concorde Ave, Oceanbeach Rd, Girven Rd, State Highway 29A and Maungatapu Rd to Aquinas College. It will stop at all official bus stops along the route. The afternoon route will be the same as the current one, so students can use either bus.

• 801 to Tauranga Intermediate, Tauranga Primary and St Mary's Catholic School. Students can use either bus in the mornings, just look for 801 displayed on the front. In the afternoons, there will be one 801 bus that picks up students at Tauranga Primary and St Mary's, and a second 801 bus that will pick up from Tauranga Intermediate at 3.10pm.

• 806 to Tauranga Girls' and Boys' Colleges, St Mary's Catholic School and Tauranga Intermediate. Students can use either bus in the mornings, just look for 806 displayed on the front. In the afternoons there will be one 806 bus that will pick up at St Mary's Catholic School and Tauranga Boys' College, and a second 806 bus that will pick up at Tauranga Primary and Tauranga Girls' College.

• 903 to Tauranga Girls' and Boys' Colleges. Students can use either bus in the mornings, just look for 903 displayed on the front. In the afternoons there will be one 903 bus that will pick up at Tauranga Boys' College, and a second 903 bus that will pick up at Tauranga Girls' College.