“This bus service is owned and operated by the school, and isn’t a Ministry contracted service”.

“In that incident the driver drove his auto across the road into a parked vehicle”. But we contacted the school as soon as we became aware of what happened.

UPDATED 1.45pm: A Cambridge bus driver caught driving drunk with a bus filled children is among a number of drivers caught over the limit on the school run in Waikato.

District Road Policing Manager Inspector Freda Grace said a 68-year-old female driver had been stopped in the Cambridge area and had blown a breath test of 468mgs – the legal limit is 250mgs – while she was carrying a busload of young passengers.

The bus was full of school children.

Getting used to walking, busing or cadging a lift is how Waikato Police describe two offending drivers caught travelling at excessive speeds on local roads over recent days. “How would you feel if it were your kids?” “We have no further comment to make other than to state that the safety and wellbeing of Kaipaki School pupils remains our top priority”.

However, the principal Steve Dunsmore had no comment when school broke on Tuesday afternoon.

The woman was driving the Kaipaki School bus when she was stopped yesterday.

“I think that you get a gauge of how people are driving”, Grace said.

Her result was one of many to shock police recently.

Mrs Grace said another woman stopped on SH3 on her way to work in Waitomo returned an alcohol reading of 738mgs while a man stopped on SH1 returned a result of 440mgs.

Kim Shannon, Ministry of Education’s head of education infrastructure, said she was “extremely” concerned that a bus driver had been drinking and was over the drink drive limit.

It is the latest in a string of incidents on Waikato roads.

“And of course, as we mentioned earlier today a motorist stopped yesterday morning travelling at 137km/h in the 70km/h restricted speedzone outside Whitikahu School also had his license suspended”.