1. Check Your Eligibility
Take the Eligibility Questionnaire
To navigate to the ‘How to Apply’ page, scroll down to the very end of this page and click the relevant button.
How do I organise the right bus (or other public transport) to use?
Current information may be available from...
the following organisations or their web sites:
- Translink.com.au - Journey planner. (You may wish to select "More options" and scroll down to tick most options including "School".) (Telephone: 13 12 30).
- Your school
- Local bus companies (or via your local government).
- The Department of Transport & Main Roads. Please review our web site below for further information about how to contact the Department and the items you may wish to check with them.
Do you have a student with a disability?
To qualify for Students With Disability (SWD) transport assistance under NSSTAS, the student must have a disability that necessitates transport assistance to and/or from school by motor vehicle and/or public transport.
The student with a disability must meet the following eligibility criteria:
has been included (or awaiting inclusion) in the latest Commonwealth Census as a student with a disability who requires supplementary, substantial or extensive adjustments…
The student has been recorded by their school on the latest submission of the Australian Government’s Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD) as receiving a reasonable adjustment to address the functional impact of an NCCD category of disability: cognitive, physical, sensory or social/emotional.
Or the student is awaiting inclusion as they are a Prep student or were not included in the latest Non-Government Schools Census for the NCCD. The school would have identified by the end of Term 1 that there is evidence the student has a diagnosed disability that requires adjustments consistent with the descriptors under the NCCD’s highest 3 levels of adjustment:
- Supplementary: Student receives adjustments supplementary to the strategies and resources already available for all students within the school for particular activities at specific times throughout the week.
- Substantial: Student has substantial support needs and receives essential adjustments and requires considerable assistance to the usual educational program at most times, on most days.
- Extensive: Student has very high support needs and is provided with extensive targeted measures and sustained levels of intensive support at all times.
has a Personalised Learning Plan or equivalent (PLP) (or awaiting plan) which confirms transport needs, assessed by the school, that are demonstrably different to those of their same age peers by reason of their disability …
The student has a Personalised Learning Plan or equivalent (PLP) (or awaiting plan) which has appropriate adjustments for the student as being eligible for travel assistance due to the functional impact of the student’s disability in the areas of: curriculum, communication, social participation/ emotional wellbeing, health and personal care, safety, learning environment/ access
(refer:Students with Disability Program for Non-State Schools Policy ).
has a Travel Capability Rating (TCR) of C, D, E or F
| A – Independent |
The student can negotiate all public transport services
(Not Eligible)
.
|
| B – Supported Independent |
The student is able to wait at the appropriate place for transport and travel safely to the destination
(Not Eligible)
.
|
| C – Semi-Independent |
The student is supervised while waiting at the appropriate place for transport. Once on board, the student can travel unaccompanied but may be met at the destination by a responsible person. The driver may assist the student to alight at the destination.
|
| D – Travel Assisted |
The student can travel only when accompanied by a responsible adult.
|
| E – Dependent |
The student is not able to use buses, ferries or trains to travel, because of their disability, but can travel in a vehicle that does not require modification.
|
| F – Most Dependent |
The student has a physical disability and can only travel in an approved modified vehicle (see Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads requirements); this includes a privately owned motor vehicle, taxi, share ride or mini bus.
|
View the Travel Capability Rating in more detail.
or meet exceptional circumstances eligibility ...
The exceptional circumstances category is designed to cover a student who may have a serious condition or disability not covered under the NCCD disability categories and has transport needs similar to those outlined in the Travel Capability Rating scale of C, D, E or F. They must have their medical condition confirmed in writing by a medical practitioner and the report must be provided to the school’s learning support team. The medical condition could include, but is not limited to, anorexia, cystic fibrosis, broken limbs or recovery from surgery. This support would be for a specified period of time, as defined in the medical practitioner’s report.
be a Queensland resident
This Scheme is only available to residents of Queensland.
Residents of New South Wales (NSW) may apply to the NSW Department responsible for Transport given inter-state cross border agreements.
and meet other criteria as outlined in our Students With Disability (SWD) Guidelines.
Please discuss all of the above with the learning support staff who are involved in these processes at your school. If you think your student may be eligible, review the information below and apply. Many parents/carers of Students With Disability receive an allowance for students to travel by car, bus, ferry and/or rail.
If a Taxi transports your student to a non-state school, we recommend you apply for the Queensland Government’s Taxi Subsidy Scheme (TSS) as well as our Scheme to receive the maximum financial assistance available to you. A TSS application will need to be submitted in your child’s name. For information regarding the TSS, please search online for ‘taxi subsidy qld’ in your web browser.
Travel assistance with Taxis through our Scheme (above the allowance paid for car travel) is limited to students with a Travel Capability Rating of E or F - check what rating your student is with the learning support staff at your school.
If you have only one student eligible under both Students With Disability (SWD) and Bus Fare Assistance Program (BFAP) ....
Apply only for SWD travel assistance as this ensures you receive the maximum rebate.
If you have several students in your family and some are eligible under Students With Disability (SWD) and Bus Fare Assistance Program (BFAP) ....
You may wish to contact us before applying so we can help you determine which program(s) (BFAP and/or SWD) best suit your family.
This Scheme pays for one car journey to and from the SWD’s school attended (or public transport pick up point) – irrespective of the number of students in the car.
If all the students travel by BFAP eligible bus (and no SWD car journey is involved), complete one BFAP application if your BFAP students’ fares are above the threshold. If in doubt, complete one SWD application for the SWD students and one BFAP application for the non-SWD students.
Separate payments are made for each application type.
For students NOT eligible for Students With Disability, check your eligibility under the Bus Fare Assistance Program.
You may be charged cheaper bus fares if your student catches a contracted bus service subsidised by the Department of Transport & Main Roads (DTMR) through their School Transport Assistance Scheme (STAS).
To ensure you receive the maximum benefit possible through the two school transport assistance Schemes, please check with your local DTMR School Transport office:
-
If your student will be catching a bus, ask what are the most suitable bus options (between home and school) eligible under STAS, and
-
Can you receive other assistance directly from STAS with:
- Safety-Net - if you hold a valid concession card,
- Train/rail travel assistance – if applicable, and
- Isolated assistance – if applicable.
Phone your nearest DTMR School Transport office or, phone 13 QGOV (13 7468) and ask for your local School Transport office. More information at qld.gov.au/schooltransportassistance
SWD applicants are asked not to apply to DTMR for Conveyance Allowance (driving to a bus stop or school) as this is already covered through our Scheme when you apply with us (NSSTAS).
DMTR may suggest you phone us, but there is no need as we only accept online applications via this website.
