School Transport Assistance Program for Students with Disabilities

Overview for parents and caregivers

As a parent, you have responsibility for providing or arranging your child's transport between school and home. If you are experiencing difficulty in getting your child to school, you are able to request that an assessment be undertaken to determine eligibility for transport assistance. This is a formal assessment undertaken at the school by a trained school transport assessor. To be eligible, a student must have a disability that necessitates the provision of transport assistance. The factors that are taken into account in determining eligibility for this assistance are:

attendance at the nearest school or the nearest school with a specialised program in the area of the student's disability/disabilities
the student's ability to travel independently between school and home
your capacity to provide transport for your child.

The School Transport Assessor will explain the assessment process to you as you go through the process with them.

If your child is eligible for transport assistance, the school transport assessor will recommend one of two types of assistance:

Category 1 transport assistance which includes either:

an allowance which may be paid if you drive your child to school;
passes for public transport.

Category 2 transport assistance involves:

contracted taxi or minibus services. This may be available if your child is unable to use public transport and you have no means of driving your child to school. You will need to complete a parent application form for this type of assistance.

If your child has a severe disability and is unlikely to ever develop the skills to travel independently, the school transport assessor will acknowledge this extreme hardship for your family and special consideration will be applied in relation to contract transport.

There are limitations on contract transport and the school transport assessor will explain these to you.

The School Transport Assessor is only able to make a recommendation within the parameters of the school transport program and this recommendation then needs to be approved by the Principal Advisor, Education Services at the local regional office.

If approved, regional office staff will liaise with Department of Transport and Main Roads about the availability of appropriate transport. It is not always possible to arrange this transport, especially in some rural areas where there are limited contract vehicles available. If there are difficulties finding an available vehicle, staff at the district office will work with you to explore possible solutions.

If you accept an offer of assistance under this program, the School Transport Assessor will provide you with further information about your responsibilities as a parent.

The following links are provided to assist you with information in relation to applications for School Transport Assistance for Students with Disabilities.

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School Transport Assistance Program for Students with Disabilities

Overview for parents and caregivers

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