Free Government school buses operate for Government Schools. Service and bus routes are set by the Department of Transport each year according to the demand.

Students who attend a non-Government school are eligible to travel on a Government school bus at no cost providing:

• they attend the school of their denomination (e.g. Catholic) that is nearest to their place of residence and able to offer them a place, or if that school is not able to offer a place, then the next nearest to their place of residence that is able to offer them a place AND
• there is a Government school bus service in their location AND
• there is a place available on the bus once all Government school students utilising that particular bus route have been allocated a place

Sacred Heart College will provide a Bus Travel Application Form upon enrolment.

Eligibility Guide for Families

While parents/guardians are primarily responsible for getting their children to school, the School Bus Program assists families in rural and regional Victoria by transporting students to school. The School Bus Program services both government and non-govenrment schools.

Categories of eligibility determine whether a student travels at no cost or travels upon the paymnet of a fare. Students wishing to access a seat on a bus must complete an application form and parents/guardians must agree to the conditions of travel including, if applicable, the payment of a fare.

The Student Transport Unit of the Department of Education and Training (DET) sets the policy and provides general transport advice to regional offices and schools. The Department of Transport (DoT) administers the School Bus Program as directed by the policy.

Is Your Child Eligible for the School Bus?

Parents of students who meet the eligibility criteria should complete the form and return it to Sacred Heart College. If places are unavailable, parents will be informed. Otherwise, it may be assumed that a place is available and students may access the bus in their location. Once a place on a bus is allocated to a student, they may use that bus for the duration of their enrolment at Sacred Heart College, providing they remain eligible throughout the term of their enrolment.

Government school buses run to Kyneton from various locations around the Macedon Ranges, depending on the demand each year from students attending the Government School.

To ascertain the bus route for your area, please contact the bus companies direct (depending on your location it may be either one of the following):

• Dyson Bus Company 54221634

• Organs Coaches 54221788 (or see their website www. organscoaches.com.au which includes bus route details)

Please note that the following bus runs are currently experiencing high demand with limited seats available:
Drummond - (Dyson)
Tylden – Trentham (Organs)
Taradale (Organs)
Macedon 3 - (Organs)

Castlemaine to Taradale Timetable

Daylesford to Denver

Conveyance Allowance Eligibility (private/public transport to connect with a Government School Bus)

A Conveyance Allowance is available where students use public transport or private car to connect them with a Government school bus, provided the distance from the student’s home to the nearest Government school bus pick up point is not less than 4.8 kilometres. Application Forms for the Conveyance Allowance are available from the College upon request.

Applying to Nearest Denominational School and Applying to Preferred Denominational School (if that is not the nearest)

Parents need to be aware that in applying for their preferred Catholic school, they will only receive Conveyance if it is their closest Catholic school. Parents may also apply to the closest Catholic school, which may not be their first preference.

If offered a place at their closest school, parents have two options:

• Accept the position (will be eligible for Conveyance)
• Reject the position (will be ineligible for Conveyance at another, more distant, Catholic school).

Of course it would be wise, before rejecting the offer, to ensure an offer has been received from the first preference school.

If parents are not offered a place at their nearest Catholic school but are offered a place at their preferred school, providing this is their next nearest Catholic school, they will be eligible for Conveyance.

Parents need to consider fees and other costs associated with both schools when considering the cost of private conveyance should they be ineligible for Government funded Conveyance.

For those who are ineligible for the Conveyance Allowance, the cost of a private bus component, e.g. the bus service from Gisborne/Riddells Creek to Macedon bus interchange, is estimated to be approximately $800 per annum, payable directly to the bus company.

For full details please refer to the website of the Department of Education & Childhood Development (DEECD) https://www2.education.vic.gov...