Back to school with Transport Canberra

Fares

Student MyWay cards and concession bus fares are available for primary school students and full time high school and college students. To get a student card, select ‘primary school’ or ‘secondary school’ on the application form. Otherwise, visit one of the 30 registered MyWay agents across Canberra to purchase your student MyWay card.

Tertiary MyWay cards and concession bus fares are available for full time students attending university and CIT. To get a tertiary MyWay card select ‘tertiary education’’ on the application form.

View the student MyWay guide for more information.

Some full-time students are eligible for free travel Monday to Friday during the school term under the Student Transport Program.

Safety

Travelling safely to and from school is Transport Canberra’s top priority. To help ensure students get safely to and from school each day, please remember to:

• slow down and obey the signposted school zone limits and
• park safely and legally around schools to keep the youngest members of our community safe especially at school drop-off and pick-up times.
• leave your phone alone: mobile device detection cameras are used to detect the illegal use of mobile devices. Motorists caught offending by mobile device detection cameras will receive infringements from February 2024.

Bus safety tips

Make sure your children are familiar with the school route so they know where the bus will pick them up and drop them off.

School bus services are available to school students only. Under special circumstances, parents with young children may apply to travel on these services for a few days to help their child get used to bus travel. Complete the short-term parent school bus travel application form (PDF) and allow at least 10 working days for a response. Normal fares apply if the application is approved.

Safety is important. Make sure your children are familiar with these rules for inside and outside the bus:

• they must signal the driver as the bus will not automatically service each stop it travels past
• when waiting for a bus to arrive make sure they stand back from the kerb
• enter the bus in a single file
• if a seat is free, sit down and stow their bag underneath the seat, well clear of the aisle
• if there are no seats available, move to the back of the bus to leave room for others, then hold on to the closest rail or strap available
• exit in a single file and once off the bus, do not cross the road until it has gone.

Light rail safety tips

Make sure your children are familiar with the route so they know which stops to get on and off the light rail.

They should pay attention and stay safe when near the light rail corridor by following these rules:

• stay behind the yellow line at the light rail stop
  • avoid distractions such as phones and headphones around light rail vehicles and crossings
  • cross at designated crossings and wait for the green signal
  • stay clear of the doors to let passengers exit the light rail vehicle before beginning boarding
  • hold on when on board
  • encourage others to be safe.

Walking, cycling and more

Walking or riding to school is a great way to work some exercise into your day. Children need to get at least one hour of physical activity per day to maintain a healthy lifestyle so walking or riding to school is a great start to getting there.

Riding or walking to school can help your kids develop the confidence and skills to independently travel as they get older.

Part way drop off and collection points provide a safe alternative to using the school carpark. From these points, children can easily walk or ride the rest of the way to and from school. Part way points are useful for families that live too far away to walk or ride the entire way.

The Transport Canberra website has a range of resources, maps and safety tips for students.