Wanaka and Hawea Flat school pupils will no longer have to stand outside in the rain to catch the bus, thanks to a building company’s nationwide initiative.

The Totalspan Undercover Kids Bus Shelter Programme has seen five new school bus shelters erected in the area, with three more to be installed when the shelters arrive from Christchurch.

The Bus Shelter Programme, launched by Totalspan in 2008, ensures more than 100 bus shelters a year are erected in rural areas to protect school children from traffic and the weather.  

Queenstown Lakes District Council Transport Service Engineer David Knowles said the installation of the shelters had been very much a community effort.

“Locations for the shelters were selected after consultation with schools, school bus drivers, school safety co-ordinators and adjoining landowners,” he said. “Negotiations are continuing with Totalspan for the supply of a further 8 shelters for possible sites in the Cardrona Valley, Luggate and Hawea.”

Bus shelters have been installed so far in Orchard Road, Riverbank Road, Morris Road, Aubrey Road and Cemetery Road with the remaining three shelters to be installed at Faulks Road, Kennels Lane and Camphill Road.

“The shelters are portable so if needs change in the future, we have the flexibility to move them to other sites,” Mr Knowles said. “To see the kids using them will be a great measure of success.”

Geoff McPhee of Totalspan said the company was delighted to add Wanaka and Hawea Flat to the list of communities that have benefited from the Undercover Kids Programme.

“It’s our way of saying thanks to the communities we do business in, “he said, “ We’ve enjoyed working with all the groups involved in getting the shelters installed and we hope the end result helps keep our school children drier and safer.”

ENDS

By: Jo Blick