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School Drive Subsidy Terms and Conditions

These Terms and Conditions apply to Transport for NSW's School Drive Subsidy.

The School Drive Subsidy is available for parents or guardians in respect of eligible school and TAFE students, who are residents of NSW, where there is no public transport available for all or part of their journey to or from home and school.

The School Drive Subsidy is intended to offset part of the cost of a parent/guardian using a private vehicle to drive one or more eligible students, and is not intended to cover all costs.

The School Drive Subsidy will replace the Private Vehicle Conveyance Subsidy. A parent/guardian who is currently receiving the Private Vehicle Conveyance Subsidy can choose:

  • to continue to claim the Private Vehicle Conveyance Subsidy for their eligible students until they are no longer eligible, or
  • to apply for the School Drive Subsidy.

Note:

A parent/guardian cannot receive payments under both the Private Vehicle Conveyance Subsidy and the School Drive Subsidy arrangements concurrently. This means that a new application for the School Drive Subsidy will need to include all eligible students in the household.

After the commencement of the School Drive Subsidy:

  • no new applications for the Private Vehicle Conveyance Subsidy will be accepted.
  • no indexing or other increases will be made to the Private Vehicle Conveyance Subsidy payment rates.
  1. The School Drive Subsidy is only available to parents/guardians where there is one or more eligible students within their household.
  2. To be eligible for the School Drive Subsidy, a school student must be:
    1. a resident of NSW; and
    2. aged 4 years 6 months of age or older; and
    3. enrolled at a registered day, boarding or distance education school; and either
      1. is an infant student (i.e. Kindergarten, Year 1 or Year 2) or a primary student (Year 3-6) and;
        1. resides more than 1.6 kilometres (straight line distance) from the school attended, measured on a radius from the centre of the school site or 2.3 kilometres or more by the most practicable walking route to the nearest point of physical entry to school; and
        2. the distance to the nearest transport pick up point (where available) is more than 1.6 kilometres (straight line distance) or 2.3 kilometres or more (walking distance); or
      2. is a secondary student (Year 7-12), and;
        1. resides more than 2.0 kilometres (straight line distance) from the school attended, measured on a radius from the centre of the school site, or 2.9 kilometres or more by the most direct practicable walking route to the nearest point of physical entry to the school; and
        2. the distance to the nearest transport pick up point (where available) is more than 2.0 kilometres (straight line distance) or 2.9 kilometres or more by the most direct practicable walking route to the nearest point of physical entry to the school; or
      3. resides in a location where the only means of travel for the student to the school or transport pick up point is by private boat regardless of the distance between the student's residence and the school or transport pick up point and regardless of the student's year in the school; and
    4. eligible for free government education in NSW.
  3. To be eligible for the School Drive Subsidy a TAFE student must:
    1. be a resident of NSW; and
    2. be under 18 years of age at 1 January of the year of application; and
    3. reside more than:
      1. 3.2 kilometres from the college by the most practicable walking route; and
      2. the distance to the nearest transport pick up point (where available) is more than 2.0 kilometres (straight line distance) or 2.9 kilometres or more (walking distance); or
    4. resides in a location where the only means of travel for the student to the TAFE college or transport pick up point is by private boat regardless of the distance between the student's residence and the college or transport pick up point; and
    5. be enrolled in a full-time TAFE course, i.e. a course with a duration of 12 weeks or more requiring a minimum attendance of 16 hours per week; and
    6. not be employed; and
    7. be attending the TAFE college nearest his/her home at which enrolment is available; and
    8. be eligible for free government education.
  4. Overseas students: Students who are not eligible for free government education in NSW are not eligible for the School Drive Subsidy.

Note: Further information on how the distance eligibility criteria are applied can be found on Transport for NSW's website.

  1. Parents/guardians must submit a School Drive Subsidy application in a form approved by TfNSW.
  2. Provided student(s) eligibility criteria are met, Transport for NSW will confirm to the applicant parent/guardian which journeys are approved, and the kilometre distance of these journeys and legs of these journeys (Approved Planned Journey(s)).
  3. Transport for NSW will determine each application within 6 weeks from the date of application. If the determination is not received within 6 weeks, Transport for NSW is deemed to have rejected the application.
  4. The applicant agrees that Transport for NSW may request further information for the purpose of assessing applications.
  5. The applicant agrees to Transport for NSW contacting the student(s) school (or TAFE college) to confirm the details in the application and the student's enrolment status and attendance days.

School Drive Subsidy calculation

  1. A School Drive Subsidy is available for Approved Planned Journeys.
  2. The calculation of the School Drive Subsidy to be paid will be determined at the end of each Semester. See section 5 below for a description of Semesters.
  3. After the end of each Semester, the actual School Drive Subsidy payable for Approved Planned is calculated based on actual days where an eligible student(s) attended school (or TAFE college), based on the attendance records provided by the school (or TAFE college) to Transport for NSW.
  4. Where there is more than one eligible student on an Approved Planned Journey, Transport for NSW will use the attendance records for all of these students to determine whether all, part or no Approved Planned Journey is payable.
  5. Further details on the per kilometre rate and the process and timing of School Drive Subsidy calculations and payments are available on transportnsw.info/schooldrive
  6. Further details on conditions of payments are set out in Section 5 below.
  1. The applicant must notify Transport for NSW immediately if there is a change which may affect the eligibility of any student(s) for the School Drive Subsidy or the amount of subsidy payable.
  2. If Transport for NSW is not notified of changes when they occur, the student(s)' eligibility may be suspended or cancelled, and the applicant might miss out on payment, have payments delayed or may incur a debt due to overpayment.
  3. The applicant can notify Transport for NSW of changes by submitting a change application in a form approved by Transport for NSW.
  4. The applicant must notify Transport for NSW of the following when they occur:
    1. changes to:
      1. the student(s) household address;
      2. the school, TAFE college or campus location the student(s) attend;
      3. the student(s) transport pick up point
    2. when the eligible student(s):
      1. is repeating or skipping a school Year, or
      2. enters Year 3 or 7.
  5. The following events should be notified promptly:
    1. change of contact details including telephone number, postal or email address.
    2. change of bank account details.
  6. Transport for NSW will notify applicants of events it believes impact on eligibility or on payments.
  1. Journeys made on a motorcycle or motor boat are paid at half rate.
  2. There are no payments for student(s) who ride bicycles to their school or TAFE college.
  3. Payments will only be made from the Semester in which the School Drive Subsidy application is received by Transport for NSW.
  4. Transport for NSW will remit approved School Drive Subsidy payments directly and only to the applicant's personal bank account. Where the applicant's personal details and bank account details cannot be matched Transport for NSW will deem the application incomplete and it will be declined.
  5. There are two scheduled School Drive Subsidy payments per year, after the end of term two (i.e. end of 'Semester 1') and after the end of term four (i.e. end of 'Semester 2') for schools or the end of Semester 1 and the end of Semester 2 for TAFE.
  6. Transport for NSW cannot process payments until it has received from the school(s) or TAFE college(s) all required details of the attendance days for the student or students with an Approved Planned Journey.
  7. Payments will not be made for periods where student(s) are deemed ineligible.
  8. Where Transport for NSW determines that eligibility requirements are no longer met Transport for NSW may cease payment from the date of ineligibility or such other date as notified by Transport for NSW in its discretion.
  9. Payment for an Approved Planned Journey up to the date of ineligibility as determined by Transport for NSW, will be remitted at the end of a Semester.
  10. Any subsidy paid as a consequence of inaccurate, false or misleading information will be required to be repaid.
  11. If an overpayment for the School Drive Subsidy has occurred (for instance, due to late notification of changes under section 6 above) the applicant must repay the overpaid amount. In these circumstances Transport for NSW may elect to offset the amount due against future School Drive Subsidy payments.
  1. Parents/guardians of students who do not meet the eligibility criteria on straight line/ walking distance grounds may request a review of the decision in a form approved by Transport for NSW together with supporting documentation, under the following special circumstances:
    1. Walking route: The pedestrian infrastructure between the student's home and school and/or nearest transport pick-up point is unsuitable for safe walking (see the Guidelines for Determining the Safety of a Walking Route to School).
    2. Medical grounds: As further described in section 7 below.
  2. Transport for NSW assesses each review request on a case by case basis taking into account, as applicable:
    1. The original assessment of the straight line/walking distances between the student's home and school or nearest public transport pick up point,
    2. The walking route the student will take to travel between home and school, and between home and the nearest transport pickup point. This is assessed against the Guidelines for Determining the Safety of a Walking Route to School.
    3. Any medical condition and supporting evidence.
  3. Transport for NSW will notify the applicant of the outcome of the review.
  4. If a student is accepted by TfNSW for the School Drive Subsidy on walking route or medical grounds, they are deemed to be eligible, subject to other eligibility criteria being met and any other conditions determined by Transport for NSW.
  1. Parents/guardians can apply for the School Drive Subsidy on medical grounds where a student is ineligible because:
    1. the student does not meet the walking distance criteria but has a medical condition that restricts their ability to walk; or
    2. there is an available public transport service but the student has a medical condition that precludes them travelling by public transport.
  2. Parents/guardians must submit an application for a review on medical grounds in a form approved by Transport for NSW.
  3. Transport for NSW will approve a student's eligibility on medical grounds for a specified period only, which may differ from that suggested by the medical practitioner. Parents/guardians must apply for a renewal to extend eligibility past the specified period, which may require a specialist report.

    Note: Further information on medical applications can be found on transportnsw.info/schooldrive.

  1. By applying for the School Drive Subsidy, you are agreeing to provide your personal information, or the personal information of your child or a child for whom you are a parent/guardian or household representative for the purpose of making an application for your household, in accordance with the School Drive Subsidy Terms and Conditions including this Privacy Notice. Under NSW privacy laws (i.e. the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 (NSW) and the Health Records and Information Privacy Act (2002) (NSW)), personal information (including any health information) that is collected and held by Transport for NSW must be obtained directly from the person to whom the information relates, unless:

    1. where the person is under 16 years of age, the information is provided by a parent or guardian; or
    2. where the person providing the information has been authorised to do so by the person to whom the information relates.
  2. Transport for NSW collects and holds personal information provided in connection with the School Drive Subsidy. The information may be used for the administration of the School Drive Subsidy and, in particular, for verifying the details provided by those participating in the School Drive Subsidy, both adult applicants receiving the subsidy and students on whose behalf the subsidy is paid. This information may also be used to assist Transport for NSW identify opportunities to improve the School Drive Subsidy, for the development of transport policy, and for transport planning.
  3. Supply of personal information in connection with an application for the School Drive Subsidy is voluntary, but failure to provide the personal information requested will result in Transport for NSW being unable to process the School Drive Subsidy application.

  4. Personal information collected in connection with the School Drive Subsidy may be disclosed to, and exchanged with:

    1. Schools and colleges (including TAFE colleges);
    2. Passenger service operators;
    3. NSW Department of Education, and agencies within its cluster;
    4. NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA);
    5. Government agencies of other States and Territories with whom the State of New South Wales has reciprocal student transport arrangements; and
    6. Contractors engaged to provide services for the administration, improvement, planning or development of the School Drive Subsidy.
  5. The personal information collected in connection with the School Drive Subsidy may also be disclosed as required by law.

  6. By submitting your application for the School Drive Subsidy, you consent to:

    1. the disclosure of your personal information, or the personal information of your child or a child for whom you are a parent/guardian by Transport for NSW to the entities mentioned in clause d) above; and
    2. being contacted by Transport for NSW or an entity listed in clause d) above for a purpose consistent with the administration, improvement, planning or development of the School Drive Subsidy scheme.
    3. Transport for NSW will ensure that all personal information is held in a secure, confidential manner and managed in accordance with the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 (NSW) and the Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002 (NSW).
  7. A person who has provided personal information in connection with an application for a School Drive Subsidy may request access to the information provided to, and held by, Transport for NSW and may also make a request to correct, amend, alter or annotate the information. Requests should be made by contacting the Privacy Officer, as outlined below.
  8. For further information about our Privacy Policy contact The Privacy Officer, Transport for NSW, Telephone: (02) 8202 2200, 18 Lee Street, Chippendale NSW 2008.

  1. These terms and conditions may be amended from time to time. Any changes will take effect when they are published on our website at transportnsw.info/schooldrive

  2. If Transport for NSW makes any changes that it considers will adversely affect a student's eligibility for the School Drive Subsidy in a material way, it will take such steps to notify the applicant parent/guardian as Transport for NSW considers reasonably appropriate (for example by including a notice on the Website). By continuing to participate in the School Drive Subsidy after any changes are published on the Website, the applicant parent/guardian agrees to be bound to those changes. If the applicant parent/guardian does not agree to any such changes they must notify Transport for NSW that they no longer wish to participate in or receive the School Drive Subsidy.