School Travel
Blue Mountains Bus Company provides a network of school services from Penrith to Lithgow.
School students travel on regular route and dedicated school services. These services are identified by a 2 digit or 3 digit route number displayed in the front window of the bus.
Most students residing in New South Wales are eligible to apply for free travel to and from school. This transport is provided only after presentation of a current and appropriate travel pass to the driver upon boarding the bus.
Applications for travel by Students Who are Eligible
Parents/Guardians must apply for a new travel pass when a Student:
- Has changed schools
- Has changed residential address
- Is moving from Year 2 to Year 3
- Is moving from Year 6 to Year 7
- Repeats a year of school
A form called “Application for Subsidised Travel and Update of Student Details” form is available from your school or our office. After obtaining the signatures of a parent/guardian and the principal of the school, the completed application is processed by our Company on behalf of the Ministry of Transport. After processing, our company then issues a travel pass to the appropriate school for distribution.
Conditions for Eligibility
To be eligible for subsidized travel under the School Student Transport Scheme (SSTS), students should:
- Be 4 years and 6 months of age, or older;
- Be an infant, ie attending kindergarten, year 1 and 2 classes, irrespective of the distance from home to school;
- Be a primary student (year 3 – 6) and reside more than 1.6 kilometres (radial distance) from the school attended measured on a radius from the centre of the school site, or 2.3 kilometres or more by the most direct practicable walking route to the nearest point of physical entry to the school.
- Be a secondary student (year 7-12), and resident more than 2.0 kilometres (radial distance) from the school attended, measured on a radius from the centre of the school site, or 2.9 kilometres or more by the most direct practicable walking route to the nearest point of physical entry to the school.
- Be enrolled at a registered day school.
Use of Free Travel Pass
School travel is only available between home and school for school attendance and is available on school days only.
Passes are not transferable and must be shown on demand. Therefore all students must carry their travel pass, with the Tcard, on all school days. Students must present their pass and Tcard to the driver upon boarding and to an inspector when requested.
Withdrawal of Free School Pass
The Ministry of Transport reserves the right to withdraw a travel pass if investigation shows the student to be ineligible. Following notification to the parent/guardian, any issued pass must be surrendered to the school principal or Blue Mountains Bus Company and subsidized travel cease immediately.
Read more on specific details relating to the SSTS system below.
What is SSTS
SSTS is a scheme run by the Ministry of Transport NSW in conjunction with schools and transport companies to enable eligible students to travel to and from school at no cost to the parents or guardians.
Eligibility Criteria
The table shown below details the eligibility criteria for free travel under SSTS.
| Kindergarten – Year 2 | All Eligible | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Than | |||
| Years 3 to 6 | 1.6 km Radius | 2.3 Walking | Health or Safety |
| Years 7 to 12 | 2 km Radius | 2.9 Walking | Health or Safety |
The eligibility criteria are applied in sequence. IE, the year that the student is in is reviewed first.
If the student is in Kindergarten to Year 2 they are, regardless of any other factors, eligible – as long as they are traveling to and from their home address.
If the student is in a year greater than Year 2 the Radial Distance is then examined. If the Radial Distance is greater than shown in the table, then the student is eligible.
The application needs to be sent to the Ministry of Transport, with a letter.
If the Radial Distance is less than that shown in the table, the walking distance is reviewed secondly.
If the Walking Distance is greater than that shown in the above table, then the student is eligible.
Health or safety criteria only need to be examined when the age or distance criteria are not satisfied.
For more details on the following – please click here to view the Ministry of Transport website.
Eligibility, Applications, Student Responsibilities, Operator Responsibilities, Complaints, Improving the Scheme, Frequently Asked Questions, Enquiries
Also Available:
- SSTS Booklet in PDF Format
- SSTS Appeals Process
- Student Behaviour on Buses and in PDF format
- Guidelines for Managing School Student’s Behaviour on Buses in PDF format
- Eligilibity for Students Temporarily Resident in Australia in PDF Format
NOTE: The best thing to do is complete the Application Form and if after we have checked, you don’t qualify on the distance criteria, we will contact you to discuss other alternatives. The Company checks distance qualification criteria thoroughly.
How Do I Obtain A Pass?
You must complete an application form. The application form can be obtained from the school, or by contacting our company office.
Application Form Notes:
- This allows for entry of the required data into the form.
- In section 9, the Bus Company Details are:
- Blue Mountains Bus Company
25 Great Western Highway, Valley Heights, NSW 2777
- Return both copies of the completed form to the school.
When the form is signed by the school, it will be forwarded to us and the pass will be printed and sent to the school for collection.
Do I need to reapply each year?
No.
A new application is only required if there is a change of:
- Students moving from year 2 to year 3
- Students moving from year 6 to year 7
- School, or
- Home address, or
Name of the student - Passes will be distributed by the school at the start of the new school year.
What do I do if the Pass is lost?
Replacement passes can be issued by our office at a cost of $10.00, or by clicking the following link to download the form and post it back to our company, we will then post you a replacement Travel Pass. Please click here to download the required form.
What do I do if my child is not eligible and I still want them to catch the bus?
Purchasing a Student Travel Pass is the most economical option, which provides a minimum discount of 20% from the daily cash fare (and usually higher).
For further details see Student Travel Passes.
If your child/children are traveling more than three (3) days per week a Student Travel Pass is very cost effective.