Tranzit loses local school bus routes in Southern Tararua

A Tranzit school bus arriving at Tararua College last Friday.

By Steve Carle

Coach company Tranzit has lost its local school bus routes to an Australian-owned operator, which has been a "devastating" blow.

From January 1, 2022, all Ministry of Education school bus runs in the Wairarapa will be run by another bus operator, GoBus, which is owned by Australian-based Kinetic Group. This includes the Tararua townships of Woodville, Pahiatua and Eketāhuna.

Go Bus will more than double its contracted services after being selected as the preferred supplier for 679 school routes in new regions Wairarapa, Manawatu and Marlborough.

Tranzit Group sales and marketing director, Jenna Snelgrove, said the loss of the Wairarapa routes was "devastating". She is part of the fourth generation of the family company started by Albert Snelgrove as Grey Bus Service in 1924.

"We've retained our other areas and we've picked up some fabulous new areas, but we've lost where it hurts the most because this is our heart and soul in Wairarapa," she said.

Tranzit will continue to cover the majority of Wairarapa schools until the end of the year.

Wairarapa MP Kieran McAnulty said the MoE tender system was independent of MPs and ministers. "The system has been in place for many years. It takes into consideration things such as pay rates, workers' conditions and total cost and delivery of the service. But, as the local MP, I had to stay right out of it," he said.

GoBus now wants to talk to Tranzit's drivers. As part of the new operator's recruitment drive, GoBus will ask Tranzit's current school bus drivers to apply for driving roles.

Chief executive Calum Haslop said GoBus would contact each driver personally from Term 3, beginning July 26.