Student bus pass for free travel

There are three kinds of student bus passes.

Free travel

A Student Bus Pass For Free Travel is for eligible child students on fare-charging services. It provides free travel between home and school and/or school and home.

Free transfer

A Student Bus Pass For Free Transfer is for eligible child students that must use more than one school bus to travel between home and school and/or school and home. The services must charge a fare and be operated by different companies.

Students pay a fare to the same operator in the morning and afternoon.

• In the morning, pay a fare on the first trip then travel free on the other/s to complete the journey.
• In the afternoon, travel free on the first trip/s and pay a fare on the last trip.

Special circumstances

A Special Circumstance Bus Pass is for eligible adult students on general access services. It provides discounted or free travel for some or all of a journey between home and school and/or school and home.

See eligibility information below.

To be eligible for a Student Bus Pass For Free Travel you must be:

• Under 18, or turning 18 in the year of study.
• A full-time student (600+ hours per year), enrolled at an education facility recognised by the Department of Education.

You also meet one of the following three eligibility types:

• Concession card
• Home Area School
• Care and Protection Order.

Concession card

You hold, or are listed as a dependent, on a current concession card.

Accepted concession cards are:

• Centrelink Health Care Card
• Centrelink Pensioner Concession Card
• Department of Veterans Affairs Pension Concession Card.

Home Area School

Your house and school are both in a rural area and you are attending your local intake area school and there is only a fare charging bus service available.

Rural area means outside the urban boundary.

See urban boundary maps.

Intake area school means the school in the same intake area as your house. An intake area is the geographical boundary that surrounds each government primary and combined (district) school. Sometimes called school ‘catchments’ or ‘home areas’, intake areas are set by the Department of Education.

Learn more about intake areas and see intake area maps.

Care and Protection Order

You are under a Care and Protection Order. When you apply you must include a a support letter on departmental letterhead from your Case Manager/Worker, Child Safety Officer (CSO), or an employee at the Child Safety Service within the Department for Children and Young People, confirming Care and Protection Order status

How to apply

Apply for a Student Bus Pass For Free Travel.

To be eligible for a Student Bus Pass For Free Transfer you must be

• Under 18, or turning 18 in the year of study.
• A full-time student (600+ hours per year), enrolled at an education facility recognised by the Department of Education.

You must also need to use more than one bus to travel between home and school and/or school and home. The buses must be operated by different companies, and all charge a fare.

How to apply

Apply for a Student Bus Pass For Free Transfer.

To be eligible for a Special Circumstance Bus Pass, for discounted or free travel, you must be:

• Aged 18 or older at 1 January in the year of study.
• 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.
• Studying at a level that is no higher than is offered to any year 11 or year 12 student at a senior secondary college.

You must also not have had the opportunity to complete the equivalent of two years post year 10 study due to circumstances beyond your control.

These circumstances could include

• You started school later in life.
• Your education was interrupted due to disability, illness, family circumstances, frequent changes to school, or other circumstances.
• You need more time to complete training and education because of disability.
• You were enrolled overseas or interstate throughout your education.
• You have humanitarian entrant status.

Discounted travel

You are eligible for discounted travel if you meet the eligibility criteria but do not have a concession card.

Free Travel

You are eligible for free travel if you meet the eligibility criteria and hold, or are listed as a dependent, on a current concession card.

Accepted concession cards are:

• Centrelink Health Care Card
• Centrelink Pensioner concession Card
• Department of Veterans Affairs Pension Concession Card.

How to apply

Apply for a Special Circumstance Bus Pass.

All types of student bus passes expire at the end of:

• grade 2
• grade 6
• grade 10
• grade 11
• grade 12.

You can reapply from 15 November of the year your pass expires. Your application will be approved if you still meet eligibility requirements.

Example

You are in Grade 6 in 2025. Your card will expire at the end of 2025. From 15 November 2025 you can reapply for a new pass. If approved, your new pass will be valid until you complete Grade 10.

It is free to

• Receive a pass for the first time.
• Renew an expired pass.
• Replace a faulty card at Service Tasmania.

It costs $11 to

• Replace a damaged, lost, or stolen pass online.
• Replace a damaged, lost, or stolen pass at Service Tasmania.
• Replace a faulty card online.
• Update pass type or bus operator on a current pass.

If you travel on Metro or Tassielink services only, you can replace a damaged, lost or stolen card at Metro Tasmania for $5. To do this

• Visit the Metro website.
• Visit a Metro Tasmania Shop or depot.
• Call 13 22 01 (7am to 6am weekdays).

Metro Tasmania cannot issue new cards, replace an expired pass or update details on a current pass.

When you provide personal information to the Department of State Growth, the Department of State Growth (we) manage that information in accordance with the Personal Information Protection Act 2004.

When you apply for a student bus pass we use your personal information to

• Assess if you are eligible for travel assistance.
• Cross-check if you are eligible for other types of travel assistance.
• Manage your participation in travel assistance programs.

If you provide incomplete or incorrect information, it may affect how we assess your application, or properly maintain your records.

We may also use the information for related purposes, or disclose it to third parties in circumstances allowed for by law such as Services Australia (Centrelink).

You have the right to access your personal information by request to the Department and you may be charged a fee for this service.