School excursions on public transport
When travelling as a group for school excursions, ensure you have at least 1 teacher or carer for:
- every 5 pre-school aged children or infants
- every 20 primary or secondary school students
- Each child and adult must have their own Opal card.
- Tap on at the start and tap off at the end of each trip.
- Child/Youth Opal cards are for personal travel, including school excursions.
- Parents will need to provide their child with a Child/Youth Opal card with sufficient funds prior to school excursions.
- Schools can have extra Child/Youth Opal cards for students who forget or have insufficient funds
- Adults must use their own Opal card
- Students aged 16 years and older must have a Transport Concession Entitlement card issued by the school as proof of concession entitlement
Note: School Opal cards are for travel to and from school on school days only. School Opal cards do not include travel to school excursions, after-school care, sport and other activities away from school.
For school excursions outside the Opal network or in regional NSW, schools should contact their local transport operator for travel and ticketing information.
Schools planning to take students on metro services should contact Metro Trains Sydney before the trip. Metro Trains Sydney will be able to provide relevant information on services at the time of the planned excursion, such as trackwork.
Schools can contact Metro Trains Sydney by phone (02) 9854 4602 or email at info@metrotrains-sydney.com.au.
Larger groups should be prepared and not expect to travel together on one train.
- Arrive at the station 20 minutes before departure time.
- If more than one group is travelling on the same train, spread groups throughout all carriages.
- Carers and teachers must assist with boarding students as quickly as possible onto trains so as to avoid delaying the train.
- Please maximise the number of children per seat.
Please complete the Sydney Trains excursions form at least three weeks in advance if you are departing from a Sydney Trains station. A Sydney Trains representative will contact you.
NSW TrainLink provides school groups with a safe and reliable way to travel.
When planning an excursion:
- Contact NSW TrainLink on 13 22 32 to make the reservation.
- Arrive early, especially if checking in luggage.
- Tell your local station manager when you will be departing and returning and how many will be travelling.
- Ensure students follows luggage restrictions.
- School children must behave safely and courteously.
If travelling into Sydney, please try to avoid peak times on weekdays, 7am-9am and 4pm-7pm.
Schools can charter buses for school excursions. Contact your local transport operator for more information.
Sydney Light Rail offers frequent "turn up and go" services, but the operating hours and frequency of services vary between lines and times.
Schools should plan their excursion trip ahead of time.
- Use Trip Planner to check on the latest service schedule.
- Check Travel alerts to get the latest service information including planned service closures due to trackwork, maintenance or events.
- If your teachers, carers or students have specific accessibility requirements, find out more about Sydney Light Rail accessibility features
Note: It is the responsibility of teachers and carers to ensure their students travel safely and courteously.
On the day of the excursion:
- Check Trip Planner and Travel alerts again for the latest service information.
- Arrive at the stop 20 minutes before departure time.
On the platform:
- Tap on at an Opal reader before boarding. Opal readers are located on all Sydney light rail platforms.
- Spread out on the platform and stand behind the yellow line.
For big groups:
- Be prepared to not travel together on one light rail service, especially during busy periods.
- Use the Help Point to alert the Sydney Light Rail Operational Control Centre. The operator will communicate the information to the drivers of upcoming trains.
Boarding the light rail service:
- Allow other passengers to alight first before boarding the service.
- Board the service quickly and in an orderly way, for your own safety and that of others, and to avoid delaying services.
Onboard a light rail service:
- Always keep the doors and aisles clear.
- Use a seat or hold on to a handrail for support: light rail vehicles can move or break very quickly.
- Keep bags off the seats. If seated, place your bag on your lap, under your seat or between your feet; if standing, place your bag between your feet.
- Keep wheelchair users’ areas and priority seats free unless you have specific mobility requirements.
- Offer your seat for customers who need it more.
- Have your Opal card ready for inspection by revenue protection officers.
- Don’t put your feet on seats.
- Don’t sit on the floor.
- Keep your litter with you as light rail services do not have bins onboard.
Alighting a light rail service:
- Get off the service quickly and in an orderly way, for your own safety and that of others, and to avoid delaying services.
- Tap off your Opal card at an Opal reader after alighting.
Contact us
To get more information on the school education program on the Sydney Light Rail or travel tips, schools can contact Transdev Sydney Light Rail by:
- Submitting online feedback
- Select "Enquiry" in the "Type of feedback" field
- Select "Light rail services" in the "Your feedback is about" field
- Provide as much detail as possible about your school excursion in the "Description" field
- Call 02 8584 5288