A union has expressed "grave concern" after the Ministry of Education rebuffed its concerns over school bus safety, saying it was disappointed parents had been "unduly alarmed".
(File image). Photo: kzenon/123RF
The ministry said in a letter to First Union it was disappointed that parents across New Zealand had been unduly alarmed when there was no evidence to substantiate the concerns.
The union said the ministry's dismissal of its concerns was of "grave concern".
The union had called for a delay in the tendering of thousands of school bus routes - all the routes are up for grabs for the first time in a decade.
The ministry had called for a delay, saying this was only to address the industry's commercial concerns.
In its letter to the union however, the ministry said safety was a top priority and it took measures - including the GPS tracking of buses that could determine how fast they went, and hard braking, and a team that went around the country to inspect school buses.
Its industry briefing showed the ministry planned to reduce the maximum allowable age of a school bus from 26 to 23 years, and require all children to be seated by 2021 - at present they are allowed to stand in the aisle.
The ministry told the union its statements "created a perception that school bus services are unsafe. This is not the case".
It said the union had not provided specifics of unsafe buses "despite our prior request that you do so".
The "very limited" information provided had been investigated and it had "not found anything to substantiate your statements", the ministry told the union.
"What is of particular concern is that many parents across New Zealand will have been unduly alarmed by what they heard", the ministry said in an RNZ report on Monday.
However, the union said it had attempted multiple times to raise school bus safety concerns since mid-2018, to no avail. Dismissing bus drivers' comments about unsafe buses "certainly does not reflect a willingness to listen and address systemic issues with the current and proposed tendering processes".
"The current process for monitoring safe buses is completely inadequate," the union said in a letter to the ministry.
The union points to the inconsistency of the massive school bus tender round taking place at the same time as the government is reviewing the closely related public transport operating model.
Both types of tender ground down wages and conditions, it said.
Associate Education Minister Jenny Salesa is now offering to meet with First Union representatives to talk about safety concerns around school buses.
First Union has been asking for the meeting for months.
Ms Salesa has previously said its safety concerns have nothing to do with the delay in awarding school bus contracts, which is due to commercial concerns.
The Education Ministry has now extended all existing school bus contracts for another year while it redesigns the tender process.
Ms Salesa said in a statement she has confidence in the ministry's handling of the tender.
As incoming Transport Minister in 2017, Phil Twyford said he thought bus drivers' wages and conditions had been depressed by the drive for competition.
In May this year, Mr Twyford repeated that, saying the competitive tendering process was driving down wages and conditions, and ordering a review. That review is due to report back in September 2020.
Prior to the delay called last month, the ministry had shown no sign of budging in the face of small bus company concerns that the way the tenders were rejigged would force them out.
The Ministry of Education has today extended all school bus contracts by a year to end in December 2021, rather than the end of next year.