School bus services
The Department of State Growth has now contracted school bus operator services on long term (5+5 year) contracts that run until the end of the 2029 school year. A total of 344 contracts were contracted with 105 operators
Why was this decision made?
This process was undertaken under the Government’s election commitment to re-contract services with incumbent operators (where the service is still required, and performance requirements have been met).
Consultation and updates
Consultation will continue with school communities and operators as changes occur.
Information updates for operators are included in the Transporter newsletter which is sent out to all contracted bus operators on a quarterly basis. Past copies of Transporter are available here.
If you would like further information about the review of student bus services contact:
Passenger Transport Branch on 6166 3343 (between 9am - 5pm)
School bus service eligibility guidelines
The decision to procure new bus services, or vary existing bus services is governed by the Passenger Transport Services Act 2011. The Act requires that, in every case, a decision is subject to the Service Eligibility Guidelines.
State Growth complies with the Service Eligibility Guidelines when assessing whether requests to add new school bus services or vary existing services can be approved.
The Guidelines were approved by the Minister for Infrastructure for use by the Bus Services Review project. Prior to 2020, any requests for new services or service variations were considered as part of the broader service design and consultation process being undertaken by the project.
The Guidelines will be reviewed now that the Bus Services Review is complete to ensure that they meet ongoing operational requirements.