The bus driver accused of ploughing into five schoolgirls outside Auckland's Rangitoto College has been restricted to light duties and is expected to be formally charged this week.
The five Year 10 students were rushed to Starship Hospital on June 27 after the Ritchies bus the 46-year-old was driving accelerated
out of control up on to the curb, running them over.
An investigation by transport authorities has ruled out any mechanical fault with the vehicle.
Police have issued the driver with a traffic infringement notice and are expected to lay charges this week.
One of the girls, Hayley Fenton, is still in Starship Hospital but the others have since been discharged.
Ritchies' spokesperson Andrew Ritchie confirmed last week the driver had been put on "light duties", such as cleaning buses, following the crash. However, he had no concerns about the driver's competence: "From what I'm told he's a good driver.
"Accidents do happen... it looks like it was just a poor judgment call," he said.
Mr Ritchie also defended the company's training procedures, saying the driver had been put through an external course to get his heavy vehicle licence and passenger endorsement and then had received further internal training from the company.
"It [the training] would be the highest in the industry by far, with the exception of nobody," said Mr Ritchie.
Vanessa Koningham, mother of crash victim Eleanor Koningham told the Herald on Sunday she was still upset about the incident and had raised questions about the standard of training offered by Ritchies.
She said Eleanor was slowly recovering from the crash and hoped to be back at the college after the school holidays next week.
"She realises she's got to rest - she can't go running around with her friends. You hope she will make a full recovery, but you don't know because they [the girls] aren't themselves."
Meanwhile, a Fenton family spokesperson said Hayley was showing considerable improvement and was "much better than she was last week".
