Welcome to School Bus Services
Welcome to School Bus Services
Student Transport Assistance Program – Apply Now for 2025
School Bus Services have started to receive applications for the 2025 school year. We encourage families to submit applications before 15 November 2024 in order to save a seat for 2025. Applications received after this date may be delayed, which may affect allocation onto a bus in time for the commencement of Term 1, 2025.
Note that families do not need to reapply if there are no changes to their current circumstances and they are currently receiving transport assistance by the way of bus or conveyance allowance.
School Bus Services endeavours to process Transport Assistance Applications within 10-15 business days from the date the application is received. A large volume of applications for Transport Assistance are typically received prior to the end of the school year, which results in extended processing times.
School Bus Services are making every effort to process all Student Transport Assistance Applications before the commencement of the 2025 school year.
Applications submitted by 15 November 2024 are being given priority. While we strive to process all applications received after this date, high volumes may result in delays. Families whose applications are not processed before the start of Term 1 are advised to arrange alternative travel for the beginning of the term.
To ensure operators can finalise service routes and timetables for the new school year, limited changes to service routes or new stop requests will be possible between 24 January and 14 February 2025.
Department of Education Term dates are available here.
Student Transport Assistance Policy
Changes to eligibility for regional families to access transport assistance are being applied for the 2024 school year following recommendations from the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee's Bus Fair Report published in 2022.
A summary of key eligibility changes is available here.
The Student Transport Assistance Policy has been updated to reflect a number of the recommendations in the Report.
Transport Application Processing Delays
We apologise for any inconvenience caused by the extended wait times you may be experiencing. Please be advised that School Bus Services currently has staffing shortages, which are impacting our ability to maintain our usual level of service. We are actively working to address this issue which will take some time to resolve and appreciate your patience and understanding during this challenging time. Rest assured, we are committed to resolving these delays as quickly as possible. Thank you for your continued support.
If you do have a question regarding the process of your application, please refer to our FAQ sheet in the first instance. We receive a large volume of calls during this period which detracts from staff processing applications.
Please allow at least 15 working days from your submission date before making contact regarding your application. Making contact prior to this or sending multiple requests, will not speed up the application process.
Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding.
Please note:
• If your child is changing schools or residential address, a new application is to be submitted.
• Each child requires their own application for school bus services.
Applications can be submitted by pressing the ‘Apply Now’ button above or clicking here.