Back to school on the ‘orange’ school bus

More than 28,000 regional and remote students go back to school in a free ‘orange’ school bus today.

Transport Minister Troy Buswell said many of the students would be collected from the farm gate.

“These buses are vital to ensuring children in regional areas can get to and from school, no matter where they live,” Mr Buswell said.

“Today there will be more than 900 orange school buses on the road, collecting about 28,000 kids from more than 10,000 stops. This is an important social investment by the State Government in making school transport easier for Western Australian country families.”

The Minister said the school buses would operate in 192 towns from as far north as Kununurra to as far south as Albany.

Eligible children living in rural areas, and students with special needs, are able to travel on the orange school buses for free.

Passengers must be aged between 3½ and 19 years. All passengers must live outside a designated Public Transport Area and regularly attend school.

Students in the Perth metropolitan area are able to travel to school on the heavily discounted 50cents fare.

Last year the State Government provided fairer and simpler contractual arrangements for the orange school bus industry, with the introduction of a new evergreen contract, meaning greater certainty for operators and families, particularly in rural communities.

In 2012 the Minister asked the Public Transport Authority to work with BusWA on delivering the State’s long-term commitment of maintaining the traditional orange school bus industry, which resulted in the introduction of an evergreen contract for operators.

Fact File

• More than 28,000 school-aged children use the free ‘orange’ school bus service

• Last year SBS buses travelled about 165,000km a day to take children to school