Apply for or replace a student bus pass

If a student travels on a fare charging bus service, they may be eligible for a Student Bus Pass for free travel to school, if they are:

• under 18, or turning 18 in the year of study; and
• a full-time student (600+ hours per year), enrolled at an education facility recognised by the Department of Education, TasTAFE, University of Tasmania or College of English,

and you also meet one or more of the following criteria:

Concession card eligibility

You are:

• a parent/carer who is the holder of a current concession card with the student listed as a dependant on the card and you receive the Family Tax Benefit (FTB) for the student; or
• you are a student who holds their own current concession card.

Accepted concession cards are:

• Centrelink Health Care Card (HCC)
• Centrelink Pensioner Concession Card (PCC)
• Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) Pensioner Concession Card.

School intake area eligibility

The student lives in a rural area (outside the town boundary) and is attending their local intake area school, but there is only a fare charging bus service available.

If you would like to view the School Intake Areas within Tasmania, please refer to the Department of Education school intake area maps.

Care and protection order eligibility

The student is under a Care and Protection Order. When applying for a Student Bus Pass for free travel, the application form must be supported by a letter from the Case Manager on official letterhead.

Free Transfer eligibility

The student is required to travel on more than one fare charging bus service (operated by different bus companies), between home and school.  A free transfer is provided so the student will only pay a fare on the first fare charging bus service.

There is no cost to apply for or renew a Student Bus Pass for free travel.

The fastest way to apply for a Student Bus Pass for free travel is online.

You can also download a Student Bus Pass for Free Travel application form or pick up a paper application from any Service Tasmania (link to Service Tasmania website) shop.

Allow up to four weeks for your application to be processed.

Passenger Transport will send you a letter to let you know if the application has been approved. Until you receive this letter, you will be required to pay a fare when traveling on the bus.

For travel on Metro or Tassielink buses contact Metro if your bus pass has been stolen or damaged.

You will pay a $5 card replacement fee unless the reason your card stopped working was due to a fault. Faulty cards will be replaced at no cost after they have been tested at a Metro office.

Contact Metro on 13 22 01, go to metrotas.com.au or visit a Metro office.

For all other bus operators (including Merseylink)

The fastest way to replace a lost, stolen or damaged bus pass is online using a Visa or Mastercard to pay the $11 replacement fee.

You can also download a Replacement student bus pass form and visit a Service Tasmania shop to pay the $11 fee by cash, or debit/credit card. Paper applications are available at Service Tasmania.

Receipts from all the above payment methods can be used as a Temporary Bus Pass for Free Travel for up to four weeks.

You will receive a new card in the post once the application has been processed.

If your card has stopped working through no fault of your own visit a Service Tasmania store to complete a replacement form and surrender your card. You will not be charged a replacement fee.

Free travel entitlement expires at the end of grade two, grade six, grade ten, grade 11 and grade 12.

There is no cost to apply for or renew a Student Bus Pass for free travel.

If your free travel entitlement expires this year, and you still meet the eligibility criteria, complete an online application or download the Student bus pass for free travel application form.

Applications for the 2020 school year can be submitted from 15 November 2019.  If approved, you will receive notification of your free travel eligibility from 2 January 2020.

Student Bus Pass - Privacy Statement

A special circumstance student bus pass provides adult students who meet the eligibility criteria with discounted travel on one or more fare charging bus services between home and school.

Discounted travel applies between 6:00am and 7:00pm on school days only.

You may be eligible if you are:

• aged 18 or older at 1 January in the year of study; and
• a full time student (600+ hours per year) enrolled at an education facility recognised by the Department of Education, TasTAFE, University of Tasmania or College of English; and
• studying at a level that is no higher than is offered to any year 11 or year 12 student at a senior secondary college,

and you have not had the opportunity to complete the equivalent of two years post-year 10 study due to circumstances beyond your control, including:

• delayed entry at the start of your school life; or
• interrupted education progress due to disability, illness, family circumstances, frequent changes to school, or other circumstances; or
• the time required to complete two equivalent years of post-year 10 training and education has been extended because of disability; or
• late completion compared to other people in your age group due to initial overseas or interstate enrolment; or
• you have humanitarian entrant status.

You may be eligible for a Special Circumstance Student Bus Pass that enables you to travel for free, to and from school, if you are the holder of a current concession card or listed as a dependant on the card.

Accepted concession cards are:

• Centrelink Health Care Card (HCC)
• Centrelink Pensioner Concession Card (PCC)
• Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) Pension Concession Card

Download the Special circumstance student bus pass application and guidelines form (PDF, 897 KB)

Section 6 of the application form must be completed by the Principal, Assistant Principal or Student Co-ordinator from your school.

The Principal, Assistant Principal or Student Co-ordinator must also provide a letter on official letterhead which states the following information about the student:

• name and date of birth;
• enrolment details; and
• the reason (beyond the student’s control) for not previously being able to attend two years of post-year 10 study.

The application form will need to be submitted with the letter from your school.  If you are applying for free travel you will also need to include a photocopy of the Concession Card.

You can submit your application via:

• email:  bus.passes@stategrowth.tas.gov.au; or
• mail:  Passenger Transport, GPO Box 1242, Hobart, TAS, 7001

Note:  Applications will not be accepted after 31 August of the current school year.

Allow up to four weeks for your application to be processed.

Passenger Transport will send you a letter to let you know if the application has been approved. Until you receive this letter, you will be required to pay a fare when travelling on the bus.