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The Fiji Bus Operators Association says it sees no reason why school bus schedules should change to accommodate a change in school hours.
Association president Zane Dean told FijiLive that school buses arrived at schools mostly after 8.30 a.m. He said this fit perfectly with the school starting time being shifted to 9 a.m.
“What used to happen before was that we used to get complaints from schools about school buses arriving late, but with schools starting an hour later, buses now arrive just in time for classes,” Dean said.
He also suggested that if buses did arrive early for some areas, students always had the option of getting on the next available bus as there usually were five to 10 minute interval between departures.
Fiji’s Education Ministry announced last week that school would begin from 9am instead of 8am from today.
Education Minister Filipe Bole said the changes had to be made because of the extended daylight savings in place that is affecting school children and their parents who have to prepare for school while it is still dark.
Bole said this was especially so for those who reside in interior places, who could be at risk because they travel to school under near dark conditions.
