To make sure that the start of the school year goes as smoothly as possible, please familiarise yourself with the information below.
As always, please either stay with your children while they are waiting for their school transport in the morning or keep in contact with them to make sure that they are picked up safely.
Eligibility for school transport assistance
We often get questions about whether students qualify for school transport assistance i.e., a place on a school bus.
The Ministry of Education has three criteria that students must meet in order to qualify for school transport assistance. They are:
- The student must attend their closest state or state-integrated school
- The student must live more than a certain distance from the school:
- Years 1-8: at least 3.2 km
- Years 9-13: at least 4.8 km
- There must be no suitable public transport options
Responsibility of caregivers
To ensure a safe environment for bus loading and unloading, caregivers should:
- not park in bus bays
- adhere to the speed limit (20 km/h while passing a stationary school bus on either side of the road)
- try to eliminate the need for children to cross the road
- ensure that children get to and from the bus stop safely
- teach children to not run across the road