PRESS RELEASE
Local Bus Companies Axed by Government
Three local bus companies have been axed by the government as part of a nationwide shake-up of school bus routes.
National Party Candidate for Rotorua Todd McClay said that he is shocked the government had turned its back on
longstanding local businesses in the Rotorua District having opted to put economics before support of local communities.
As part of the Ministry of Education's school bus tendering procedure, Todd McClay said that locally owned and operated
bus companies, Reesby Coachlines in Rotorua, Nirvana Coaches in Reporoa and Cave Coachlines in Rerewhakaaitu had been
told that their service was no longer needed.
He said that the dumping of Cave's and Nirvana by the government had put the future of these two great local businesses
at risk.
These three longstanding local companies have been caring for children in our district for many years. Reesby's have
been driving children to school in Rotorua since 1965 and Cave Coachlines have been in operation for 21 years.
The Labour Government's drive for centralisation has again got it wrong. They should be supporting local businesses and
communities not looking outside the district McClay said.
Todd McClay said that driving children to school was not just about economics. It was about supporting local
communities, local business and local families. The Ministry of Education seemed to have offered school bus contracts to
a select group of large companies around the country with reports of more than 40 small local businesses having been
dumped.
Mr McClay said that the government had done an injustice to our rural communities and they now needed to reopen the
tendering procedure and show support to local businesses.
ENDS