It’s no longer standing room only for Glendowie College and Sacred Heart College students after Auckland Transport agreed to supply an extra afternoon bus to transport students.
In July, when changes were made to the school services as part of the new central bus network, some dedicated school services were removed in favour of using public services and route changes.
The changes resulted in students from the two schools having to share a bus on the 417 route – causing major concerns for parents, students and the school.
“It was a flawed decision because the bus was overcrowded which was a dangerous situation, and caused timing issues for the students who had to connect with other routes,” says Ōrākei ward councillor Desley Simpson.
“After talking with both schools and Auckland Transport we have been able to get AT to agree to put on an extra bus to serve Glendowie College, going back to what they had before.”
Glendowie College Deputy Principal Gordon Robertson is naturally pleased with the outcome.
“The extra bus means all students can now be seated rather than being on a bus that was dangerously overcrowded.
“We are really grateful to councillor Simpson for facilitating a meeting between ourselves and Sacred Heart College and for working with Auckland Transport to achieve this outcome.”
Councillor Simpson says the outcome is a logical one and she has applauded Auckland Transport’s willingness to listen and respond to the schools’ concerns.
