Parents
All families are responsible for the transport of their children to and from school. Families who have a child with a disability may be eligible for transport through the Assisted School Travel Program (ASTP), however other support and assistance is also available.
Assisted School Travel Program
The Department of Education Assisted School Travel Program (ASTP) plays a significant role in meeting the needs of eligible students with disability by providing free specialised transport to and from school where parents and carers are unable to provide or arrange transport for the student either fully or in part.
Learn more about the Assisted School Travel Program.
Eligibility quiz
Take our quiz to find out if your child may be eligible for assisted school travel.
Other support and assistance
The ASTP is one option to assist parents where we can. Other options you may want to explore include:
Travel training
Travel training can assist students with disability who wish to learn to travel independently on public transport. Travel training helps students to understand timetables, types of tickets, getting to and from public transport, how to board and disembark safely, being safe while travelling and changing between different types of transport. Travel training aims to give students the information, confidence and capability to make trips independently.
Travel training is individually designed instruction to develop the knowledge and skills necessary for independent and safe travel.
These skills are reinforced in government road safety programs and personalised support programs for students in schools.
Please contact your child’s school for further information on the assistance that they may be able to increase your child’s capacity to travel independently.
National Disability Insurance Scheme
The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) can provide transport support to build capacity for participants to independently travel. Transport supports may include the reasonable and necessary costs of taxis or other private transport options for participants who are not able to travel independently, as well as transport to and from school for students.
Transport through the ASTP is provided as an in-kind support for NDIS participants who are eligible to receive an ASTP service.
School Drive Subsidy
The School Drive Subsidy (SDS) is available to NSW residents in areas where there is no public transport, to drive an eligible student all or part of the way to school. The subsidy is only intended to partly offset the cost of using a private vehicle to drive the eligible student and is not intended to cover all costs. TfNSW administers the SDS scheme. The subsidy is for driving school students to school or to the nearest transport pick up point, by car, motorcycle or boat.
School Student Transport Scheme
The School Student Transport Scheme (SSTS) provides subsidised travel for eligible school students on rail, bus, ferry and long distance coach services.
Taxi Transport Subsidy Scheme
The Taxi Transport Subsidy Scheme (TTSS) provides support for NSW residents who are unable to use public transport because of a disability.
The subsidy covers 50 percent of the total fare with a maximum subsidy amount per journey and is claimed using travel dockets.