The State Government announced in June 2013 that more than $200 million would be spent installing seatbelts on rural and regional buses dedicated to school runs over a 10-year period.

More than a year after the promise was made, school students are still travelling to areas north of Milton, including Little Forest, Conjola, Fishermans Paradise and Bendalong, without seat belts.

The Times contacted Member for South Coast Shelley Hancock last week requesting a timeline for the seat belt roll-out for local buses.

“Contract A school buses travelling to Bendalong, Conjola and the southern Shoalhaven areas are included in the NSW Government’s 10 year program and have been identified for replacement commencing in the 2016/17 financial year,” Mrs Hancock said.

Despite outrage from parents, buses travelling to Bawley Point and Kioloa have not been included in the 10 year plan because they also carry members of the public.

Mrs Hancock confirmed the Contract B buses, travelling the southern school bus runs would be fitted with belts in a second round of funding yet to be announced.

“Other school buses operated in the general area are provided under a Contract B and the maximum speed of school buses with standing students is restricted to 80 kilometres per hour,” she said.

Belt Up for Safety (BUS) action group president Glenda Staniford said safety experts claimed buses were the most dangerous way to travel and believed it was unequitable that some school students would travel in buses with seat belts, while other would not.

“North of Milton Ulladulla are contract A routes, but southern routes are contract B, so they'll have to wait more than 10 years unless there's a change of heart from the government,” she said.

“It's a strange situation and not equitable, as children are being treated differently depending on where their parents choose to live, not based on risk at all.

“A bus crash can occur north or south on the Princes Highway or on a side road, such as Bawley Point road or Bendalong road, all of which have 100 kilometre per hour speed limits.”

Mrs Staniford said the only way to fix the “discrimination issue concerning children's safety” was to attract more funding.

“We just need seat belts on all buses travelling outside country towns, at high speed, plus ban standing, which is estimated to cost $5 million,” she said.

“This is small bickies in the NSW budget pie.

“This small expenditure will benefit thousands of children in NSW and will be offset by a reduction in Motor Accident Authority claims.

“Possible death while standing, especially for a lightweight primary aged child, is high and to do nothing is negligent.   

“To act on this issue is to acknowledge the importance of a child's life, which I think everyone would agree is more important than some of the other things the government spends money on.”