We petition the Ministry of Transport and Hunter Valley Buses to fund and facilitate the extension of the school bus route between Avondale School in Cooranbong, and Gwandalan & Summerland Point.
Currently approximately 10 children are driven 10km each way to Lake Munmorah, (the nearest stop on the existing Bus 40), provided by Hunter Valley Buses.
Additional students from Gwandalan and Summerland Point are likely to be attending the school and requiring this service next year.
Previously, the bus company has been reluctant to provide this extension, based on potential disruptions to the pick up and drop off times of other children on this bus.
It needs to be noted that the current Lake Munmorah stop is the first pick up point in the morning and the final drop off point in the afternoon.
The bus could start in Gwandalan for a single pick up in front of the primary school, (which has a bus turning circle which is not in use at the times Bus 40 would require it), and could drop the children at the same location in the afternoon. This change would not impact on the existing schedule for the other children on the bus.
This has been a long standing issue for residents of Gwandalan and Summerland Point.