'Let the kid on': ACT wants children to be able to hop on any passing school bus

The ACT Party wants children to be able to hop on any passing school bus as long as there's space onboard.

Under existing rules, students can use the free bus transport only if they attend the nearest school they can enrol at. They must also live more than 3.2km from their primary school or intermediate or more than 4.8km from their high school.

ACT MP Andrew Hoggard said some families in rural areas were "burning fuel" driving their children to school despite the bus on the road in front of them having empty seats.

"Fuel isn't cheap, time isn't free, and rural families have better things to be doing than running a second transport system because of a Wellington rulebook."

Hoggard said the existing settings were out of step with the realities of rural living, where families chose schools for all sorts of reasons beyond location.

"The bus is already running. The seat is already paid for. Let the kid on. We should be using what we've already got, not making families pay taxes for a bus that leaves their kid stranded."

If the routes filled up and extra buses were required, the Education Ministry could fund them out of its existing budget, Hoggard said.

"It doesn't need another review or working group. It just needs a bit of common sense," he said.

"We want diesel in tractors, not wasted on school runs that shouldn't be needed."

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