SCHOOL BUS SERVICE

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 58, Issue 4187, 22 May 1939, Page 5

SCHOOL BUS SERVICE

TESTED THIS MORNING. NEW TRAFFIC DIFFICULTY. With the opening of the new Te Awamutu District High .School the transport arrangements for the collecting of children from outlying districts were put to their first test this morning.' Members of the committee and the mechanic-drivers and teacher-drivers were on duty from 7 o’clock this morning, and the arrangements went as well as could be expected. There was only one bus seriously behind time, that on the Ngahape Road route which did not arrive at the school until 9.45. This was due to the fact that the bus, being new, was cut down to 25 miles an hour, and on hills the speed was very slow. There appears to be only one serious difficulty to be handled now, and that is the congestion of the road outside the school. At one period this morning seven private cars and sixbuses were, parked outside the school. At onq spot ..this left a bare six of clear road to handle the heavy motoring traffic of bakers’ cans, bicycles and workers hi the town travelling by private car. It constitutes a serious element of danger to the children embarking and disembarking, especially as many of them are most inexperienced in traffic. What the position will be like with stock traffic on sale days is best left to the imagination. It is a problem for the traffic authorities. It was noticed that the footpath outside the school is used by race; horses going to and from training. A horse this morning showed considerable nervousness when passing the parked buses and groups of chattering children, and could quite easily have caused an accident. It is a danger which no doubt neither the School Committee or traffic authorities will tolerate.

It has been suggested by Mr G. B. Melrose that a meeting be called in about a week or ten days’ time of the committee and drivers of the buses to discuss details of the timetable when more experience of the running will enable slight difficulties and adjustments to be settled with finality.. As far as is known only one misunderstanding resulted in two or three children being left behind this morning. As there is still a considerable amount of minor finishing work to be done by the contractor, and much to be done in the way of settling desks and equipment and school material, the headmaster, Mr W. G. S. Smith, and his staff have some heavy work ahead of them before the pupils can get down to their routine studies. A large number of the boys ' this morning were employed in straightening up the class rooms.