![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/250326TOMRUTHERFORD.jpg\")
Bay of Plenty MP Tom Rutherford. Photo \/ Alex Cairns<\/p>\nDozens of P\u0101p\u0101moa College students were left stranded for more than an hour on Monday after a school bus failed to show, prompting safety concerns.<\/p>\n
An anonymous Facebook post said up to 40 students were left without transport and others were crammed on to an overcrowded bus, leaving families scrambling and raising renewed questions about pressure on the rapidly growing school\u2019s transport network.<\/p>\n
It said the one available bus was \u201ccrammed beyond capacity … kids packed in far too tightly\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cParents and students were put in a stressful and potentially unsafe situation.\u201d<\/p>\n
One student commented, \u201cIt\u2019s genuinely not safe for students to board\u201d.<\/p>\n
They said buses were \u201calways full\u201d and an extra bus was \u201cextremely important\u201d for student safety.<\/p>\n
A parent commented, \u201cEven the first stop in the morning leaves no seats some days.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy kids had told me since the start of term, there\u2019s been days the bus driver has had to drive past kids waiting because they\u2019re so crammed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another commented, \u201cMy son didn\u2019t get home until 4.15 as [there were] no buses.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the teachers were not informed either.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople are really worried about it \u2013 and rightly so,\u201d Bay of Plenty MP and P\u0101p\u0101moa resident Tom Rutherford said.<\/p>\n
Rutherford stepped in after parents raised concerns in late February about overcrowding, unreliable services and inconsistent morning and afternoon buses.<\/p>\n
Bay of Plenty MP Tom Rutherford. Photo \/ Alex Cairns<\/p>\n
P\u0101p\u0101moa College also contacted him, saying it had repeatedly flagged roll growth and bus capacity issues throughout 2025.<\/p>\n
He said the regional council added a dedicated morning and afternoon bus to ease pressure, monitoring capacity daily and prioritising safety.<\/p>\n
This had been in place for the past month.<\/p>\n
No major timetable changes were planned until \u201cat least Term 3\u201d.<\/p>\n
Rutherford reached out to them again after a bus didn\u2019t show on Monday.<\/p>\n
He said it wasn\u2019t communicated to families or the school, leaving students \u201cwaiting around for an extended period of time\u201d.<\/p>\n
The school supervised students until they got alternative transport.<\/p>\n
\u201cA huge credit to P\u0101p\u0101moa College for the way they handled it,\u201d Rutherford said.<\/p>\n
Bay of Plenty Regional Council acting transport director Jen Proctor said the council had been monitoring bus boarding levels and, based on the information available at the time, \u201cthe additional afternoon support was stood down from Monday\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, Monday\u2019s demand was then higher than previous afternoons had been, therefore the new arrangement did not work as intended.\u201d<\/p>\n
The additional afternoon support bus has been \u201ctemporarily reinstated\u201d as demand is further monitored, Proctor said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will continue working with the school and operator.\u201d<\/p>\n
P\u0101p\u0101moa College planned to meet with the regional council this week and said it would have more information available after the meeting.<\/p>\n