School bus fare far from fair for Talle kids
PARENTS in traffic-choked Tallebudgera Valley are being forced to fork out hundreds of dollars for bus places to send their children to the nearest Catholic school, while students attending a state school ride free.
Jen Gyles must pay $1440 a year for her children Angus and Sophia to catch a bus servicing Marymount College, which is 17km from her home.
The service is subsidised by the state government’s School Transport Assistance Scheme (STAS), which helps children in remote areas reach school.
Ms Gyles has been told she would not be charged if she instead sent her children to Elanora State High School, which is 14km away.
“It doesn’t seem fair,” Ms Gyles said. “You can’t discriminate on religion and in education.
“It is a real kick in the teeth when one group is getting it for free and the others aren’t.”
Ms Gyles said parents choosing Catholic schools did so not because they were well off and wanted a private education, but because they valued the ethos and sense of community those schools offer.
She said many were already struggling with rising costs.
“Groceries are going up, petrol. We’ve just had an increase in school fees, after school activities, everything, it all adds up,” she said. “I think a lot of families are feeling the pinch.”
Ms Gyles said many parents chose to drive their children to school rather than wear the extra cost, adding to already extreme congestion in the area during peak times.
A TransLink spokesperson told the Bulletin that under STAS top-up fares must be paid when schools were chosen beyond the nearest state school.
“Students residing in the Tallebudgera Valley area attending Marymount College are required to pay a fare to travel beyond their nearest state school, Elanora State High School,” the spokesperson said.
“From the commencement of 2023, the school service provider in the Tallebudgera Valley, Koala Koaches, applied a small increase to the fares charged to partSTAS and non-STAS eligible students in line with the School Transport Maximum Cash Fare Schedule.
“Parents are entitled to enrol their children in the school of their choice. “However, when this occurs it must be recognised that the transport options used to get to and from the school, and the costs associated with this decision, falls outside the purpose of the STAS, and therefore remains the responsibility of parents or guardians.”
The spokesperson said $180 million was spent on the scheme each year, helping 130,000 students across Queensland make their way to and from school.