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If you would like us to check your child's eligibility for Free School Travel. Click Here
What is the School Student Transport Scheme (SSTS)?
It is a scheme run by the Ministry of Transport in conjunction with schools and transport companies to enable eligible students to travel to and from school at no cost to the parents or guardians.
Eligibility Criteria - School Students
The table below summarises the eligibility criteria for free travel under SSTS.
| K - Year 2 |
All Eligible
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Greater Than
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| Years 3 - 6 |
1.6 km Radius |
2.3 km Walking |
Health or Safety |
| Years 7 - 12 |
2 km Radius |
2.9 km Walking |
Health or Safety |
The eligibility criteria are applied in sequence. That is, the year that the student is in is examined first.
- If the student is in Kindergarten to Year 2 they are eligible regardless of any other factors.
- If the student is in a year greater than Year 2 the Radial Distance is then examined.
- If the Radial Distance exceeds that shown in the table, then the student is eligible.
- If the Radial Distance is less than that shown in the table, the Walking Distance is then examined.
- If the Walking Distance exceeds that shown in the table, then the student is eligible.
- Health or Safety criteria only need to be examined when the age or distance criteria are not satisfied.
Click Here to see a more detailed explanation of the School Student Transport Scheme from the Ministry of Transport
Click Here to obtain a printer friendly version in PDF format (255 kb)
Click Here to print the Medical Certificate in PDF format.
- If free travel is denied on the above criteria there is also an appeals process.
There are also special rules governing students who are temporarily resident in Australia (28 kb PDF).
TAFE Students
To be eligible a TAFE student must be under 18 years of age on 1 January of the year of application, and
- enrolled in a full-time TAFE course for a minimum of 20 hours per week.
- not employed
- living more than 3.2 kms from the college by the most direct practical walking route and
- attending the college closest to their home where enrolment is available.
IMPORTANT
Do not be overly concerned about whether you qualify on the distance criteria since the Company has sophisticated software to check this.
The best thing to do is complete the Application Form and if after we have checked, you don't qualify on the distance criteria, we will contact you to explain the other alternatives.
How do I obtain a pass?
An application form must be completed.
These may be obtained from the school or by contacting us.
Return the completed form to the school.
When the form is signed by the school, the pass will be printed and posted to your home address.
Do I need to reapply each year?
No!
A new application is only required if there is a change of
- school, or
- home address, or
- name of the student
A new application is also required at the start of year 3.
Passes will be posted to your home address prior to the start of the new school year.
What do I do if a pass or Tcard is lost?
Full instructions are set out on the
replacement pass form.
What do I do if my child is not eligible and I still want them to catch the bus?
The best solution is to buy a Term Pass which provide a minimum discount of 20% from the daily cash fare (and often significantly higher).
For further details visit the Term Passes page
School Students Behaviour on Buses
Travel by bus for all students is subject to them conforming to the Code of Conduct.
This information is also available in a printer friendly version (42 kb PDF).
If you are interested in the Guidelines for Managing School Student’s Behaviour on Buses (68 kb PDF), this is also available.
Some of the downloads require the free Acrobat Reader
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PDF Printing Hints
When printing, use the Acrobat printer icon on the toolbar and not the browser printer icon. Ensure the box "Shrink to Fit" is checked on.
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