Next year will see some minor changes to our school transport as the Ministry of Education transitions to a new contract with our current bus operator, Bayes Coachlines. To make sure that the start of the school year goes as smoothly as possible, please familiarise yourself with the information below.

As always, please either stay with your children while they are waiting for their school transport in the morning or keep in contact with them to make sure that they are picked up safely.

School bus routes, timetables and bus stop information

To see the details of the Bus route run by the Ministry of Education (as opposed to Auckland Transport) click here

In the menus at the top of the website select the bus route.

• The old 1517 from Kaukapakapa is now D020201AM/PM (or 201 for short)
• The old 1596 from Warkworth is now D20211AM/PM (or 211 for short)

Auckland Transport Bus information can be found here

Private bus services run by Ritchies information can be found here

Eligibility for school transport assistance

We often get questions about whether students qualify for school transport assistance i.e. a place on a school bus.  The Ministry of Education has three criteria that students must meet in order to qualify for school transport assistance. They are:

1. The student must attend their closest state or state-integrated school.
2. The student must live more than a certain distance from the school:
   • Years 1-8: at least 3.2 km
   • Years 9-13: at least 4.8 km
3. There must be no suitable public transport options.

The Ministry of Education has a handy video on their website that helps explains the eligibility criteria for school transport assistance.

Responsibility of caregivers

To ensure a safe environment for bus loading and unloading caregivers should:

• not park in bus bays
• adhere to the speed limit (20 km/h while passing a stationary school bus on either side of the road)
• try to eliminate the need for children to cross the road
• ensure that children get to and from the bus stop safely
• teach children to not run across the road

Please note: if you currently have a private arrangement with your bus operator, you will need to contact your bus operator to confirm that your arrangement will continue in 2022.

School transport queries

If you have any queries about our school transport, please contact Graham Atkinson, our Bus Controller. He can be contacted at gatkinson@carmel.school.nz or 09 486 1132 ext 751.