School Transport Assistance Scheme
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The Department of Transport and Main Roads provides assistance under the School Transport Assistance Scheme (STAS) in situations where access to education is impeded by distance, income or isolation. You can download the policy for more information (PDF, 529KB).
The following information is a summary of types of assistance available.
Find out more about eligibility and how to apply.
General eligibility
All types of STAS assistance require that a student:
- have parents/guardians who reside in Queensland
- attend an approved school
- are 18 or younger
Type of assistance available
- Bus and ferry assistance
- Rail transport assistance
- Conveyance allowance
- Drought assistance
- Assistance for isolated students
- Assistance for students living in shared care arrangements
Find more information on other school travel assistance schemes.
Bus and ferry assistance
There are 2 types of assistance available to students travelling to school on bus or ferry services.
Distance based assistance
Students without a state school in their local area may be eligible for distance-based assistance if:
- their nearest state primary school is more than 3.2km away
- their nearest state secondary school is more than 4.8km away
- non-state school students must live the required distance from both the nearest state and non-state school.
Safety-net assistance
If students reside too close to their school to qualify for distance-based assistance, they may still be eligible for STAS assistance if they are listed as a dependent on the applicants:
- Health Care Card issued by Services Australia (or hold their own Health Care Card)
- Pensioner Concession Card issued by Services Australia or Department of Veterans’ Affairs
- Or if they are under a Child Protection Order by Child Safety Services
Students are unable to claim any other STAS assistance while receiving safety-net assistance.
Applications must be in the name of the cardholder and require evidence of eligibility. The cardholder must also agree to data-matching being performed with Services Australia.
Rail transport assistance
Rail transport assistance is available to eligible students who travel on the Queensland Rail Citytrain network or Gold Coast light rail tram network (G:link).
To be eligible, students must be listed as a dependent on the applicants:
- Health Care Card issued by Services Australia (or hold their own Health Care Card)
- Pensioner Concession Card issued by Services Australia or Department of Veterans’ Affairs
- Or if they are under a Child Protection Order by Child Safety Services
Applications must be in the name of the cardholder and require evidence of eligibility. The cardholder must also agree to data-matching being performed with Services Australia.
Eligible students receive government funded travel between the closest station to their home and the station closest to their school. A STAS go card will be issued for school travel.
Conveyance allowance
Available for families who must make private arrangements to transport their children to and from school, or to and from a bus stop or train station.
Students may be eligible for conveyance allowance if:
- their nearest state primary school is more than 3.2km away
- their nearest state secondary school is more than 4.8km away
- non-state school students must live the required distance from both the nearest state and non-state school.
Students who attend a non-state school and reside outside the Brisbane Local Government Area boundary may be eligible for conveyance allowance. Applicants must live over the distance criteria from their nearest non-state school of the type attended.
Conveyance allowance is not available in areas with a dedicated school bus service.
The payment of conveyance allowance for private travel is not available from a second address under shared care arrangements.
Drought assistance
Available for families who live on a drought declared primary producing property, and who qualify for conveyance allowance Class A or C.
Eligible properties must be situated in a drought declared shire or be classified as an individually droughted property by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.
Assistance for isolated students
Students who live in isolated parts of Queensland may be eligible for additional assistance if they:
- live in an isolated area as designated by the Director-General, Department of Transport and Main Roads (PDF, 529KB)
- live more than 16kms from the nearest state school
- live more than 16kms from the nearest approved bus service which can transport the student to school.
Assistance for students living in shared care arrangements
If students are living in a shared care arrangement they may be eligible for STAS assistance. An example of a shared care arrangement is when a student is travelling to and from school on every:
- Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from Guardian A's address
- Thursday and Friday from Guardian B's address.
Students may be eligible if they:
- travel to school from 2 eligible addresses
- are traveling to school by a government contracted bus, rail or ferry service.
Conveyance allowance will not be available from a second address.
Applications must be submitted by a student's legal parent or guardian.