EDITORIAL: Bad bus behaviour dangerous

Grant Harding W HEN I was at Hastings Intermediate in the 1970s a fellow pupil died when he fell through the doors of a bus.
From memory there was some fooling around involved, but it was viewed, quite rightly, as a tragic accident.
Even though I never travelled to school by bus, I've never forgotten that incident and even remember the youngster's name.
My Year-10 daughter has used school buses since Year 7.
There was a good deal of bad behaviour on the bus in the early stages of her first year at intermediate, and the school moved quickly to eradicate it.
They called a meeting of parents, made the children sign good-behaviour contracts, and ultimately removed some pupils from the service. Everything settled down to a manageable level.
Last year when collecting my daughter from a bus stop I saw high school students - a girl and boy - fighting at the back of the bus. The boy put the girl in a head-lock that was so tight I worried that she could be choked.
As I got out of my car to go to the bus the driver came into view, broke them up, and told the boy to move to the front. He did, but not before throwing one more punch at the girl.
So this week, when a mother complained to Hawke's Bay Today that her unruly 11-year-old son had been manhandled by a Napier bus driver, I wondered what the reaction would be.
Judging by the texts to Hawke's Bay Today it is overwhelmingly in favour of the bus driver.
While I wouldn't condone the action he is alleged to have taken - grabbing the boy, holding him against a window and gesturing as if to strike him - it's quite likely I would have done the same had I got on that bus last year.
What all children who travel on buses, and all parents of children who travel on buses, need to understand is that the driver has a huge responsibility.
Not only is he steering a large vehicle, but he is also in charge of the welfare of a sizeable group of young people who are precious to their parents.
These drivers can handle the chitter-chatter of young people, but bad behaviour that forces them to divert attention from the road in front is downright dangerous.
Therefore, there is a need for a reasonable level of self-discipline from the children, regardless of their age.
Even having over-excited or agitated students exiting a stationary bus is dangerous, as there is potential for someone to cross a road in front of the bus, and without careful assessment of traffic.
The Metro bus driver might have gone a bit far with the young Tamatea Intermediate School student, but what would parents be saying of him if unruly behaviour led to the death of a pupil from his bus?