Guidelines for School Bus Travel

Free school bus services are set up under a set of guidelines to ensure that a fair and equitable service is available. It is the policy of the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) that a parent may choose to send their children to a school of their choice.  Free bus travel is provided only to the nearest appropriate school.   Furthermore, free bus travel is provided only when a student resides 4.8 kilometres or more from the school (front gate to front gate).

How do I know if my children are eligible?

Under normal circumstances government school students in years Prep to 10 will be eligible for bus transport only to their nearest school.  For students in years 11 and 12 access to comprehensive curriculum may be considered to determine the nearest appropriate school.Non-government school students will be granted permission to travel to the nearest registered school of the appropriate denomination offering a program at that level.

The Principal of the Bus Coordinating School is responsible for coordinating all applications for permission to travel on a school bus service, including students attending both state and registered schools. It is recognised there will be circumstances that warrant special consideration where a student does not meet the rules for eligibility to travel.  In such cases the parent must seek the approval of the Regional Director, to travel on the school bus service.  If the approval is given such students would be treated as ‘eligible’ in future decisions about that bus service.

A government or non-government school student attending the nearest appropriate school for which admission is available and who resides less than 4.8 km from that school may be able to travel at no cost on the school bus. The coordinating principal may approve an application to travel subject to all of the following conditions:

• the student lives at least 1.6 km from a public transport service that could provide convenient access to and from their school at appropriate times
  seating is available on the service after all eligible students have been accommodated
  the student and the student’s parent/guardian accept the conditions of travel and the authority of the coordinating principal
• the student intends to use the bus service daily
  PTV incurs no additional cost
• a parent/guardian provides a written undertaking to the coordinating principal that other transport arrangements will be made if seating becomes insufficient due to an increase in the number of students with a higher priority of access or a smaller vehicle is engaged for the service.

How do I arrange school bus travel for my children?

1. Contact the Bus Coordinator at the relevant coordinating school to determine if your child is eligible for free transport on the school bus.  (Yarrawonga College P-12 is the coordinating school for the Yarrawonga area, telephone 03 5744 1751 – Mrs Kellie Thorp).
2. If your child is eligible, complete an ‘Application to Travel’ form, available from the school. Your child will then be allocated a seat on the relevant school bus.
3. If your child is not eligible for free bus travel you will need to check with the school bus coordinatorIf there are seats available on the relevant bus.

   The cost of the fare for travel on that bus.

4. Then, once an ‘Application for Travel as a Farepayer’ form has been completed and the fare for the next term has    been   paid, your child will be allocated a seat on the relevant bus for the next school term.

For further information contact:
Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (Hume Region)

PO Box 403 (Arundel Street)

Benalla   3672

p:  (03) 5761 2100

e:  hume.region@education.vic.gov.au

w: http://www.education.vic.gov.au/aboutschool/lifeatschool/traveltoschool.htm#2