A Mid Canterbury rural advocate has called the government’s proposed bus route funding cuts counterintuitive.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) is reviewing school bus routes nationwide, which could see funding cuts to rural transport for students.

The Methven Bus Group, which provide buses for students at Methven Primary, Lauriston School, and Our Lady of the Snows Schools, expect to lose about 17% of their funding.

Lauriston School board chairperson Craig Wiggins said the Ministry of Education’s claims of “overfunding” the routes has no ground.

“The fact of the matter is, we’ve got a lot more people requiring bus runs now,” he said.

Funding cuts won’t necessarily mean buses get cancelled, Wiggins assured.

“We’ll do our best to make it work, but at this stage, we don’t know how that affects which runs.”

The Ministry’s reshuffle of proposed routes look great on paper, but don’t work logistically, he said.

Many students will no longer be eligible for a ride, as school enrolment zones won’t line up with transport entitlement zones.

“The way the funding’s been mapped, they have a formula that requires at least four students to be at a location before they pick them up.

“It is just laying information on a map and designing entitlement zones around the numbers.”

Funding cuts would disproportionately affect migrant children, who now make up a sizable portion of Mid Canterbury’s students, he said.

Some migrant workers struggle to convert foreign licences, lack the resources to learn to drive in New Zealand, or only have one qualified driver in the family.

“And that person will be the breadwinner, and can’t get time off to bring the kids to school.”

The proposal comes as a surprise considering the Government’s pledge to increase school attendance, Wiggins said.

“Now they’re trying to take the ability away from these people to get to school.

“If you want attendance to come up,and carbon footprint to go down, the worst thing you can do is cut funding to rural buses.”

National MP for Rangitata James Meager has received letters from the Bus Group and wider community about how funding cuts would harm local students.

“The particular challenges faced by farming families working non-traditional hours, and migrant workers who may not hold New Zealand licences, need to be carefully weighed.

“Our region presents unique challenges. We cover a vast geographical area, with many students travelling long distances on rural roads, and have a high proportion of agricultural and migrant worker families who rely heavily on these services."

He said he’d work with Minister of Education Erica Standford to ensure rural needs were considered.

“My focus is on finding a solution that both ensures responsible use of public funds and maintains reliable access to education for our rural students.

“It's crucial that any changes to school transport support, rather than hinder, our Government's broader goals of improving educational access and attendance.”

By Anisha Satya