Transport for NSW will continue funding a bus route used by Hunter Sports High School students, despite Wallsend MP Sonia Hornery suggesting the service would be discontinued.
Ms Hornery issued a media release on Tuesday calling for the NSW government to reinstate funding for a Hunter Valley Buses-operated route used by students from Glendale and Cardiff.
The bus, 2471 in the morning and 2472 in the afternoon, transports about 20 students from the suburbs between Lowry Street in Cardiff and the Gateshead school.
Ms Hornery said from February 8 the students would have to travel via Charlestown, a journey that would take at least 20 minutes longer and involve transferring buses.
She likened it to a situation in Sydney where the government announced last year it would pull funding for the Lane Cove ferry service used by 120 private school students. It planned to use buses instead, which would have saved tens of thousands of dollars annually but added 20 minutes to students' trip. After public pressure, the government backflipped last month and announced the ferry would continue to run.
"The minister needs to come clean on this one and explain why there is one rule for private school students and another for public school students," Ms Hornery said.
"Cutting this service will now see students take twice as long to get to school or parents forced to drive their children to school on already congested local roads."
However, after questions from the Newcastle Herald on Tuesday, a Transport for NSW spokesman said the bus would continue to run.
"There have been no changes to local bus services for Hunter Sports High and a direct school bus service remains in place for students travelling from Glendale and Cardiff," he said.
Ms Hornery said it appeared the government had decided on Tuesday to fund the service.
"This is a win for students who will be able to continue to take the same bus to school without the need to change buses," she said.
"It's good to see that common sense has prevailed."
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