Check Your Eligibility
Do you qualify for Bus Fare Assistance?
To qualify for Bus Fare Assistance you must answer "Yes" to all of the questions below.
Does your family spend in school bus fares more than $33 per week (or $25 per week if you are a current Health Care, Pensioner or Veterans Affairs Pensioner card holder)?
Your family must spend more than the weekly threshold on eligible fares. The weekly threshold for Semester 1 2015 is $33 per family per week ($25 per concession family per week, for applicants who hold a current Health Care, Pensioner or Veterans Affairs Pensioner card) on eligible bus fares to and from school.
Does your student(s) attend a Non State school that is outside the Brisbane City Council boundary?
Your school can advise if you are not sure.
Does your student(s) live at least 3.2km for Primary or 4.8km for Secondary from their school?
You can use Google Maps or similar to check this.
Is the travel on a Department of Transport and Main Roads "contracted bus service" OR if that is not available, on a publicly available bus (NOT owned, leased or chartered by a school or a body associated with a school)?
Your claim must be only for eligible fares. That means travel on an eligible bus. It must NOT be for travel on a bus that is owned, leased or chartered by a school or a body associated with a school. Please contact your local Department of Transport and Main Roads (DTMR) School Transport office:
- Ask if your child should be catching a particular "contracted bus service", to be eligible under their School Transport Assistance Scheme (STAS) and/or our Non State Schools Transport Assistance Scheme (NSSTAS). Some restrictions apply depending on the location of your nearest state school.
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Also ask them if they can give you other help directly with:
- Conveyance Allowance - if you drive to a bus stop or school,
- Safety-Net - if you hold a DVA or Centrelink Concession Card,
- Rail assistance – if applicable, and
- Isolated assistance – if applicable.
Click here for the phone number of your nearest DTMR School Transport office or, phone 13 QGOV (13 7468) and ask for your local School Transport office. qld.gov.au/schooltransportassistance refers.
Do you have a Student With Disability?
To qualify for Student with Disability transport assistance under NSSTAS:
The student must have a disability that necessitates transport assistance to and/or from school by motor vehicle and/or bus and:
- have been verified and deemed eligible for an Education Adjustment Program (EAP) profile by the school,
- have an Individual Education Plan (IEP)/Support Program with transport needs that are assessed by the school as being eligible for travel assistance including a Travel Capability Rating (TCR) of C, D, E or F (click here to view these ratings in a separate web page.),
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have at least one of the impairments listed in the following categories
- Autistic Spectrum Disorder
- Hearing Impairment
- Intellectual Impairment
- Physical Impairment
- Social Emotional Disorder
- Speech Language Impairment
- Vision Impairment
and/or comply with the conditions of having an Exceptional Circumstance (please see Section 3.2.5 of the SWD Guidelines).
- Other criteria as outlined in our SWD Guidelines. Click here for details.
Please discuss all of the above with the learning support person who is involved in these assessments at your school. If you think your child(ren) may be eligible, please review the information below and apply. After they apply, many parents of Students With Disability receive an allowance for students travel by car, bus, ferry, and/or rail. Assistance with Taxis is extremely limited (to students with a Travel Capability Rating of E or F.)
If you only have one child eligible for NSSTAS and that child is eligible under both Students With Disability (SWD) and Bus Fare Assistance (BFAP) programs
Please only apply for SWD assistance as this helps ensure you get your maximum rebate correctly.
If you have several children in your family and some are eligible under both Students With Disability (SWD) and Bus Fare Assistance (BFAP) programs
you may wish to contact us before applying so we can help determine which program(s) (BFAP and/or SWD) best suit your family. This is because:
To apply for Bus Fare Assistance for students NOT eligible under SWD, click here.
To ensure your proper entitlement, please also contact your local Department of Transport and Main Roads (DTMR) School Transport office to:
- Ask if your child should be catching a particular "contracted bus service", to be eligible under their School Transport Assistance Scheme (STAS) and/or our Non State Schools Transport Assistance Scheme (NSSTAS) if your child catches a bus.
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Also ask them if they can give you other help directly with:
Click here for the phone number of your nearest DTMR School Transport office or, phone 13 QGOV (13 7468) and ask for your local School Transport office. qld.gov.au/schooltransportassistance refers.
