Children could find themselves left out in the cold if the Ministry of Education does not keep pay rates for school bus drivers in step with the rest of the industry, drivers warn.
Transport Minister Michael Wood announced on Sunday the Government would spend $61 million to boost public bus driver wages and address the driver shortages that have caused disruption in Dunedin and throughout the country.
Education Minister Chris Hipkins said this would "flow through" to increases in funding for school buses, but did not say when this would occur or how much it would be.
Allocated in this year's Budget , the $61million would be spent over four years to lift base wage rates towards $30 an hour for urban services and $28 an hour for regional services
However the funding would not apply to school bus drivers, as that responsibility lies with the Ministry of Education.
One school bus driver, who did not wish to be named, said he enjoyed his job but did not feel valued for his work.
"I’m very tempted to say, ‘I’ll stop being a school bus driver. I’ll just go back to urban driving thank you very much’."
A social conscience motivated him to stay on.
"There are some kids who live out in the country, and not everybody who lives on a farm is wealthy. I see that as I drive round."
At one home, the curtains were always closed in the mornings and he believed the child who lived there got ready for school by himself.
"If it wasn’t for the school bus being there, kids would miss out on an education."
Another school bus driver, who also did not wish to be named, said the funding announcement made him want to leave the school run.
This was not what bus operators wanted, as there was also a shortage of school drivers, he said.
However school drivers drove the same buses for the same operators, and should be paid the same as other drivers.
"It’s just the same thing."
Dunedin Tramways Union president Alan Savell said the union was trying to support its school drivers and had written to Mr Hipkins, but had received no reply.
He believed the Ministry of Education had no choice but to increase funding as there was no justification to pay them less than other drivers.
"I don’t think anyone will accept that New Zealand school children are of lower value than any other passenger," he said.
"We’re confident that the issue will be resolved fairly quickly."
Mr Hipkins said the Government valued the work of school bus drivers.
"Increases . . . will flow through to an increase in the labour cost component of funding paid to school bus operators," he said.
"We will continue to monitor the flow on effects on school bus drivers' wages."
The ministry awarded points to operators who committed to improving school driver conditions when evaluating proposals, he said.
A response to the union was expected shortly.
