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 Student with Disabilities transport assistance under NGSTAS, the student must have a disability that necessitates transport assistance to and/or from school by motor vehicle and/or bus and:
have been verified and deemed eligible for an Education Adjustment Program (EAP) profile,
have an Individual Education Plan (IEP)/Support Program with transport needs that are assessed as being eligible for travel assistance including a Travel Capability Rating (TCR) of C, D, E or F (click here to view these ratings),
have at least one of the impairments listed in the following categories:
Autistic Spectrum Disorder
Hearing Impairment
Intellectual Impairment
Physical Impairment
Social Emotional Disorder
Speech Language Impairment
Vision Impairment
and/or comply with the conditions of having an Exceptional Circumstance (please see Section 3.2.5 of the SWD Guidelines).
What happens next?
PARENTS APPLY ONLINE (here at this website, below at the "To Apply" Section):
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:
Once a parent/carer has submitted an application for a student with a disability, NGSTAS will contact the school and request:
Confirmation that an Education Adjustment Program (EAP) has been completed;
Confirmation that the Independent Education Program (IEP)/Support Program including the assessment of the student’s Travel Capability Rating.
Further Information:
If there is more than one child in your family with a disability and you drive them to the same school, only one forward journey and one return journey will attract the travel assistance. If the students attend different schools, please ensure that you provide clear details of the travel arrangements for each student so that your correct entitlement can be calculated.
Students who receive assistance through the NGSTAS Students with Disabilities Rebate are not eligible to apply for assistance through the NGSTAS Bus Fare Assistance Program for the same student.
Any assistance received by you through Queensland Transport will be taken into consideration when calculating your entitlement through the NGSTAS Students with Disabilities Rebate.
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 by clicking on the following link: SWD 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,
Your child(ren)'s personal information such as date of birth, year level, school attended, number of days/week attended school,
The average weekly fare you paid for each child (if they travelled on public transport), and/ or
The distance you drove your child(ren), one way, to the school attended,
The date(s) your child(ren) started school for the current semester, and
The number of full weeks the child(ren) didn't attend school.
Please click on the image below to apply for the Students with Disabilities rebate (in May for Semester One and October for Semester Two):
Updated: 19 April 2013