Back to school: GoBus make alterations to Hamilton boy's transport

Hamilton boy Justin Hills, 14, was left stranded after an audit of his wheelchair found it was too heavy. However, GoBus has now made the alterations to his bus. Photo / Supplied

A disabled Hamilton boy is getting back on the bus after being abruptly stranded by operator GoBus.

Trevor Hills says he was left blindsided by the company last week after being told it would not longer be able to take his son, Justin, to school at Fraser High.

GoBus had carried out an audit of its fleet and discovered Justin's wheelchair was outside the recommended weight limit.

Justin, 14, is the only person in New Zealand to suffer from the rare, inherited, congenital neuromuscular disorder called nemaline rod myopathy.

It means he has little if any muscular strength in his body - along with the inability to swallow and breathe without assistance - and is completely reliant on his parents for everyday tasks. He also requires an electric wheelchair for mobility.

But today, Trevor Hills received some good news - an altered bus will be ready by Thursday at the earliest, or Monday at the latest.

It means he will no longer have to take Justin to school by trailer.

"I'm pretty stoked that Justin can to go school like any other normal kid and he doesn't have to go in a trailer."

Hills and wife, Karen, had been lifting their son into their car and towing his wheelchair on the back of a trailer. It was an embarrassing predicament for his son, he said.

"Yesterday when I took him to school he said 'can you unload me around the corner?'. But it's just too dangerous to unload him on the side of the road. He didn't like being a bit of a spectacle."

GoBus has been approached for comment today. On Monday, chief operating officer Nigel Piper, told the Herald the company accepted full responsibility for what he dubbed a "communication breakdown".

"GoBus takes responsibility for the problem that occurred with Justin's transport, and we sincerely apologise for not communicating with his parents in a timely fashion. This should not have happened, and was the result of human error."

Piper said they decided to stop transporting Justin on health and safety grounds.

He added the company would "not surprisingly" be given government funding for the period it was not intending to transport Justin.

"That said, we will work will Justin's family to cover their costs while we work towards getting Justin back on his normal van to school."