In the first instance, contact your local Department of Transport and Main Roads (DTMR) School Transport office to determine:
if a student is eligible for travel assistance under the School Transport Assistance Scheme (STAS), and
which bus options may be eligible for assistance under STAS or NGSTAS (Non Government Schools Transport Assistance Scheme).
The website www.tmr.qld.gov.au/schooltransport may assist.
Then you may wish to verify if any assistance is available under NGSTAS, as outlined below.
Do you qualify for NGSTAS?
To qualify for the NGSTAS Bus Fare Assistance Program, the following conditions must be met:
The family must spend more than the weekly threshold on fares. The weekly threshold for Semester 1 2013 is $22.00 per family ($17.00 per concession family, for applicants who hold a current Health Care, Pensioner or Veterans Affairs Pensioner card).
Students attending a non-goverment school outside the Brisbane City Council boundary, and live at least 3.2km for Primary or 4.8km for Secondary from that school.
Students must not travel on a bus that is owned, leased or chartered by a school or a body associated with a school.
Boarding school students make a minimum of two journeys each week - one journey to and one journey from school each week. For example, a student may travel by bus to school on Sunday and return home by bus on Friday after school. The parent/applicant will receive a rebate calculated on two trips per week, utilising the DTMR issued School Transport Maximum Cash Fare Schedule (STMCFS).
If the bus operator charges greater than the fare, as set out in the STMCFS, NGSTAS will take into consideration only the costs up to the maximum fare as per the Schedule.
What happens next?
PARENTS PAY THE BUS/FERRY COMPANY THROUGHOUT THE SEMESTER AND KEEP RECEIPTS.
PARENTS APPLY ONLINE (here at this website, below at the "To Apply" Section and input the average weekly fares for each child):
1st May to 31st May for Semester One (Terms 1 and 2)
1st October to 31st October for Semester Two (Terms 3 and 4)
Receipt of your application is normally confirmed to you via email within three working days.
- LATE APPLICATIONS CANNOT BE ACCEPTED -
NGSTAS PROCESS APPLICATIONS:
After you submit your application, NGSTAS will contact the school and confirm the student's enrolment at that school and confirm attendance for the relevant semester.
You may be required to prove you have paid the bus/ferry company during the semester. Therefore it is essential to retain evidence of expenditure such as receipts and tickets. Each semester a sample of parents/applicants will be selected and asked to forward evidence. You do not need to forward evidence unless we ask for it (for example, a printed copy of a Translink Go Card account would suffice).
NGSTAS PAY PARENTS:
The rebate for a successful application is normally paid in the following semester. For example, you pay the fare to the bus company each week/month/term etc. When you apply to us in May (for Semester One) you generally receive your rebate from us into your nominated bank account by the end of August. Similarly, when you apply to us in October (for Semester Two) you generally receive your rebate from us into your nominated bank account in February/March. A rebate payment advice will be forwarded to you via email.
GUIDELINES:
The complete version of criteria and conditions applicable to this program should be downloaded via the following link, BFAP Guidelines April 2013
Please note the following variation to the Guidelines which comes into effect from 2012: All refunds of fares for students travelling on Translink services will be based on Go Card concession/child fares.
TO APPLY:
As incomplete applications will not be processed, you will need to have the following ready before you commence filling out your application:
Your bank account details,
Centrelink/ DVA concession card number (if applicable),
Your child(ren)'s personal information such as date of birth, year level, school attended,
The average weekly fare you paid for each child,
The date(s) your child(ren) started catching the bus/ferry for the current semester, and
The number of full weeks they didn't catch the bus/ferry.
Please click on the image below to apply for Bus Fare Assistance (in May for Semester One and October for Semester Two):
Updated: 19 April 2013