How long is a piece of string?
The answer to that seems the same as how long 11 "interim" school bus services will remain in play in the Whakatipu.
As part of the Ministry of Education’s school bus service review, one bus service was axed as of Monday, seven services were redesigned, and the 11 interim services introduced — eight of those go to Wakatipu High School, from Arrowtown, Arthurs Point, Lake Hayes Estate, Lower Shotover and Quail Rise, while two go to KingsView School and one, from Arthurs Point, to Queenstown Primary.
In a statement to the Otago Regional Council (ORC) dated March 20, MoE school transport group manager James Meffan said a "wide-ranging review" of the ministry’s transport policy settings had been approved, and while that work "gets under way", further area-wide route reviews have been paused.
Mountain Scene asked Meffan if that meant the interim services would remain in place until the review is completed.
He responds: "The interim school bus services in the Queenstown area have been put in place while we work with [ORC] on a long-term, sustainable plan for the areas these routes serve.
"A decision on how long the interim routes will remain in place will be made once these plans have been finalised.
"It is important to note that while the Transport Policy Review is under way, schools are still able to request reviews of their school bus services if there are changes in the number or location of eligible students.
"These requests will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
"The ministry will also continue to review school bus routes where contractual agreements or local issues require."
