Once you have made the hard decision about which school your child will attend, often the next question is how will they get there. You might live close enough they can walk or ride, or perhaps you will drive them. But if these options aren’t available to you then maybe you will need to consider utilising a school bus service.
Finding Bus Route Information for School Students
With several options for bus travel to schools in Brisbane, here we have listed the ones we know about, but as always, we advise you to check with your school, individual bus companies and do your research before sending your child to school on the bus.
TRANSLINK
In South East Queensland, school students can catch any Translink bus, ferry, train or tram service to and from their home to school. To assist in school travel Translink. even has a School Service Finder, which allows you to search for school and urban bus services near your school.
We suggest taking the trip with your Brisbane Kid prior to the school year commences to ensure they feel comfortable travelling alone and that you can provide them with safe zones and people in case they find themselves in trouble.
We also advise checking out the times bus and train stations are open and emergency procedures. Sometimes equipping your school child with a mobile device may be an ideal way to provide an extra level of security.
For safe school travel tips and ticketing, visit the Translink website.
BRISBANE BUS LINES
Another great bus service provided in the north-west of Brisbane is run by Brisbane Bus Lines. Servicing over 30 suburbs this school bus network directly services many schools or offers a service for part of the journey.
A large number of our school buses operate in semi-rural areas where there are few (if any) formal bus stops. We always work with parents and student to determine the safest pick up and drop off locations along these roads.
For extra safety we now utilise an electronic ticketing system which also provide GPS tracking of our school buses. Parents and students can track the buses and parents can opt in to track their own child’s bus movements through the mobile app.
For school bus travel and timetable information, including timetables and connection maps please visit the Brisbane Bus Lines website.
SOUTHERN CROSS TRANSIT
Southern Cross Transit provides bus services to more than 20 schools in Brisbane’s Western Suburbs and Ipswich.
As these services are provided to private and public schools on a charter basis, the route, fares and schedules are chosen by the individual school. A transport tracking app is available to see where the buses are in real time, and all fares are paid using a pre-paid SmartCard.
Timetables and maps of school bus routes can be located at the Southern Cross Transit website.
BUS QUEENSLAND
Bus Queensland is one of the largest privately owned bus companies in Australia and provides school transport services for the greater South East Queensland area. With four depots servicing Ipswich, the Lockyer Valley, Park Ridge and Toowoomba, they consider themselves part of the local community.
Once the school of choice has been selected on their website, descriptions of various routes appear to make choosing the correct route simple and easy.
Transport assistance may also be provided by Education Queensland for students with disabilities where circumstances and family needs are warranted.
KANGAROO BUS LINES
Kangaroo Bus Lines has been transporting students to and from schools for more than 30 years. Now more than 40 schools across the City of Moreton Bay utilise this service safely transporting students to their place of education.
For a complete list of services provided for school travel visit the Kangaroo Bus Lines website.
THOMPSON BUS SERVICES
Thompson Bus Services undertake more than 30 school bus services on the northside of Brisbane.
Services are reviewed regularly in response to demand, so please check their website for timetables, ticketing and further information.
When is your child ready to catch a bus to school?
Knowing when your child is ready to catch a school bus is a tough question. The answer will depend on many factors:
- how old is the child?
- Will they be travelling alone or with other family or friends?
- how far the child is travelling?
- what type of service will they utilise?
- where are the bus stops?
- and many other logistical factors.
In addition to the above, it will also greatly depend on the child’s maturity and temperament and equally as much to do with your past experiences and tendency to worry. It is important to acknowledge there is no right answer here, but it is somoething you should research and give a lot of thought to.
The No Child Left Behind Policy, which was introduced after the abduction of Daniel Morcombe, states that children should not be left behind even if they have no fare.
Despite this reassurance my advice is not to rely on this. Provide your child with safety nets, provide them with extra fare money and check often that they have not spent it.
Discuss stranger danger with your child and ensure they are comfortable with the public transport route. Be prepared to scaffold and support this journey at least for the first couple of days. Have “incase” scenarios thought through in the event you can’t pick them up from the other end, or if they miss their bus etc.
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