Travel and concession cards

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Going to school on public transport

Depending on how far you live from school, you may be able to get the Queensland Government to pay for some or all of your trips to and from school.   You can get financial support from the Queensland Government through the School Transport Assistance Scheme:

• for public primary school students, you must live more than 3.2 km from the nearest state primary school
• for public secondary school students, you must live more than 4.8 km from the nearest state secondary school
• for private school students, you must live more than the required distances from both the nearest state and non-state school of the type you go to.

To apply for this special program, fill out this form: http://www.support.transport.qld.gov.au/qt/formsdat.nsf/forms/QF2208/$file/F2208_CFD.pdf

If you travel on buses to school and you go to a private school

(for example a Catholic or independent school) outside the Brisbane City Council boundary and your family spends more than $33 per week on buses, you may be eligible to get financial assistance to help you get to and from school.   This may be in addition to or instead of the assistance you can get from the Queensland Government.  To find out more about this program, check out this site: http://www.schooltransport.com.au/check-your-eligibility/bfap/

If you’re not eligible for this scheme because you live too close to school, you can travel on a discounted child ticket.  You don’t need to have any concession card on you, but it’s a good idea to have one on you if you look a bit older than your age.

If you’re 15 and over, you can travel on a discounted concession ticket but you need to make sure you are either in an official Queensland school uniform or you have your concession card on you.  
You can’t travel on a concession ticket if you are home-schooled or you have an overseas or interstate concession card.

Going to school on public transport– rail passes

If you go to school by train, you can get a special student rail pass from Queensland Rail. You can apply for one by filling in this form and then picking it up and paying at the station when it is ready: https://www.queenslandrail.com.au/forcustomers/plan/schoolrailpasses

Can I travel on a student concession ticket outside of school hours?

Yes – you can buy a student ticket fare as long as your student card is still valid. Secondary student ID cards are valid 31 March of the year after you got them (For years 8-11) and 31 December of the year you got the card (if you’re in Year 12).

University/tertiary students

You can travel on a student concession ticket if you:

• are a full time student in a course approved by Centre for Austudy, Abstudy or Youth Allowance purposes.
• live in Queensland
• are enrolled in and attending a class

You need to apply for a Tertiary Transport Concession Card.  You can do this by filling out this form (https://www.support.transport.qld.gov.au/qt/formsdat.nsf/forms/QF5140/) and get it signed by your university.   

You need to make sure you have your TTCC and your university ID card when you’re travelling on a concession ticket.

What happens if I don’t have my concession card on me?

If you don’t have your concession card on you, you have to pay the adult fare.  You have to show your concession card if you’re asked. If you don’t have your concession card, or you don’t show it, you can be fined $261!

What are rules about behaving on public transport?

When you’re travelling on public transport in Queensland, you have to follow certain rules including:

• Not smoking
• Not eating food and drink without permission from the driver
• Not spitting
• Not creating a nuisance – this could include disturbing other people or being very loud.

If you break any of these rules, you could be fined as much as  $522.  You could also be banned from travelling on school buses!