School Bus Passes

Bus passes are available for students eligible for bus transport assistance. There are two types of bus transport assistance available to eligible students.
These are:

  • Distance based assistance

  • Safety-net assistance

STAS Travel Assistance Categories

Category 1: Distance-Based Assistance

This category supports students based on how far they live from their nearest appropriate school.

Eligibility Overview:

  • Primary students at government schools must reside over 3.2 km away

  • Secondary students at government schools must reside over 4.8 km away
    These students may qualify for free school bus travel

  • Students attending non-government schools must live beyond the same distance thresholds from both the nearest state and non-state schools of the same type.

All distances are calculated using the shortest safe driving route to the closest school offering the appropriate year level.

Key Points to Remember:

  • Free travel is granted only when attending the closest state school and meeting all distance and eligibility criteria.

  • Go Cards apply when students do not meet eligible criteria.

Category 2: Safety-Net Assistance

This option assists families who may not meet distance requirements but are experiencing financial hardship.

To qualify, the student must be listed on one of the following:

  • A valid Health Care Card issued by Centrelink

  • A valid Pensioner Concession Card issued by Centrelink

  • A Veterans’ Affairs Pensioner Concession Card

  • Be under a current Child Protection Order - paper application only

A Top-Up Fare may still apply, depending on the suburb and school attended.

Students already receiving STAS under another category are not eligible for Safety-Net assistance.
Applications must be submitted in the name of the concession cardholder and must include all necessary supporting documents.
A signed declaration is also required to allow CentreLink data verification. Without this, applications cannot be processed.

To apply for your school bus pass, click the ‘Apply for a Bus Pass Online’ button below.

To identify schools which Bus Qld service, click the ‘List of Schools by Operator’ button below.