Country Buses
Please note that there will be no Country Buses running on Monday 2nd November.
School Bus Program - Student Travel System
The School Bus Program provides travel assistance to eligible students in regional and rural Victoria with access to safe and reliable transport to and from school through a network of managed bus services.
What is changing?
The department is introducing the new Student Travel System (STS), which will replace the existing Student Travel Assistance Portal (STAP).
From Term 4, 2026, parents and carers will need to use the new STS to manage school bus travel for their children.
There are no changes to the School Bus Program policy. The eligibility criteria, application assessment, and bus allocation processes, remain the same.
What do parents and carers need to do?
In late September 2026, all existing parents and carers will receive an email with details on how to log into the new system and how to reset their password, which now includes multi-factor authentication steps as a further layer of data security.
Users will be able to log in to the new STS and view their travel details, and if no changes are required, no actions are needed.
Please contact the School Bus Program team on schoolbus@education.vic.gov.au or call us on 1800 338 663, if you have any queries or have not received your new log in details during early Term 4.
Conditions of Travel on Country Buses
Just a reminder of the conditions of travel on country buses. All travellers have agreed to these conditions in their bus applications.
To ensure safe travel on school buses, passengers must agree to the following:
Not to play on the road at the bus stop or try to get on the bus befroe it has stopped.
Make sure you are your belongings are inside the bus at all times.
Not throw anything from a bus window or have anything hanging out a window.
Place bags and other belongings in the allocated storage areas.
Get on and off the bus quietly and in an orderly manner.
Stay in your seat while the bus is moving and wear a seat belt where fitted.
Not distract drivers with screaming, shouting or unruly behaviour.
When you get off the bus only cross the road when the bus has left and it is safe to do so.
No dangerous or flammable goods are allowed on the bus, for example aerosol cans.
Travel on the bus service allocated to you, to and from your approved bus stop only; Do not change to one that will take you to a sports or social event.
To ensure passengers are considerate to one another and their bus driver, they must agree to:
In the morning, arrive at the bus stop 10 minutes prior to departure.
Not eat, drink or smoke while on the school bus.
In the morning, let the school (if applicable) and driver know if you will not be travelling home on the bus that day.
Use a standard conversational tone and not use offensive language or call out to others on board or to passing traffic or people.
Listen to the bus driver and bus captain. They are responsible for maintaining school bus safety and also have the authority to report any vandalism or misbehaviour including but not limted to bullying, teasing or aggression.
Leave your bike in a safe and secure place if riding to the bus stop. Public Transport Victoria and the Deparment of Education and Training are unable to accept responsibilty for the safety of your bike.
Behaving inappropriately on a school bus places the safety and wellbeing of all on board at risk.