Jo Raphael: Free school buses great news

Free school buses will be a game-changer for some families, writes Jo Raphael. Photo / NZME

OPINION

I didn't take the bus to school. We always lived near enough to either bike or walk.

If it rained, we got dropped off and picked up, otherwise, me and my brother usually had to make our own way to school.

This meant getting out of bed at a reasonable time, breakfast, dressed, bags packed and lunches made and out the door.

And more often than not this also usually involved a lot of gentle or not-so-gentle cajoling from our parents.

I'm sure this is a familiar scene for many families that has not overly changed over the years - it becomes a routine.

But I've noticed over the years that more and more people are choosing to drive their kids to school, contributing to traffic congestion.

The reasons vary: The very real fear of letting kids walk to and from school alone, they could live too far to bike or walk, or it could be just the convenience.

Whatever the reasons, the high number of cars on our roads is causing gridlock, stress and higher carbon emissions.

Which is why the Bay of Plenty Regional Council's decision this week to make school buses free to school children in Rotorua and Whakatāne, and also extend the successful trial for Tauranga, is an exciting move.

The $1.4 million per year cost is expected to be offset by a targeted rates increase that translated to $24 in Tauranga, $4 in Rotorua and $1 in Whakatāne.

That's a very small price to pay per year to make sure kids are getting to school.

Regional councillor Lyall Thurston, who also supported the move to make buses free of charge for those with a disability last year, urged his colleagues to be brave.

"To me, there's a herd of three elephants in this room – transport, climate change and carbon emissions. To me, they are the real big issues we need to address. We must stand up to be transformational."

He's absolutely right, and one way to try to tackle all three at once is to get cars off the road.

Regional councillor Paula Thompson said the free fares for school students in Tauranga had already proven to be a success and continuing or extending the programme was a "no-brainer".

It is.

The move is also expected to relieve financial pressure on families who are currently paying for the service or open up possibilities for children who live some distance from their preferred school to be able to bus across town.

And, the sooner we get those extra cars off the roads, the sooner we'll free up congestion. Which is what we all want.