Child on bus

Press, 8 October 1987, Page 12

Child on bus

Sir,—On September 8 a 7-year-old girl travelled alone for nine hours on a N.Z.R. Road Services bus from Invercargill to Geraldine; return trip on September 13. When booking seats two weeks previously, her mother was assured she would be adequately cared for and placed in a forward seat as requested. She was, in fact, seated near the rear and, on arrival, complained of having felt nauseated for the first time while travelling. On September 10, I rang our local agency, again requesting a forward seat I found at boarding time that she was seated second from the rear beside an emer-

genftr exit, and expected to find' the seat unaided. This is unfafafa factory and unsafe. Small girls could be* at*’risk seatedsofar from the driver who must; surely, have fame degree »of responsibility for children travelling alone. Have booking staff and agencies obligations to adhere to sensible customer requests? — Yours, etc., J. A. WHITEN. September 13, 1987.

[Mr A. B. Coombs replies for the regional passenger manager; “I have been able to examine the passenger waybills for September 8. These indicate that the passenger was reserved in a front row seat and there is no notation that she did not occupy it Geraldine is serviced by a local connection from Timaru and she may have sat anywhere in that vehicle. However we must question the wisdom of allowing 7-year-old girls to travel long distances unaccompanied. will do what they can, but their prime task is to operate the vehicle safely over the highway. That must always take precedence. At stops en route the driver is required to deal with passengers boarding and alighting as well as attending to their luggage and also to parcels traffic. Ha is not always able fa dp these things and also watch unaccompanied children?*] < :