To be eligible for a School Opal card, students must:

• Be a resident of NSW;
• Be 4 years 6 months of age or older;
• Be an infant student; i.e. attending Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2 classes, irrespective of the distance from home to school; be a primary student (Year 3-6), and reside more than 1.6 kilometres (radial distance) from the school attended, measured on a radius from the centre of the school site, or 2.3 kilometres or more by the most direct practicable walking route to the nearest point of physical entry to the school;
• Be a secondary student (Year 7-12), and reside more than 2.0 kilometres (radial distance) from the school attended, measured on a radius from the centre of the school site, or 2.9 kilometres or more by the most direct practicable walking route to the nearest point of physical entry to the school;
• Be a TAFE student under 18 years of age at 1 January of the year of application and enrolled in a full-time course for a minimum of 20 hours a week, and is not employed, lives more than 3.2km from the college by the most direct practical walking route, and attends the college closest to their home where enrollment is available;
• Be enrolled at a registered day school;
• Be eligible for a free government education. Students who are not eligible for a free government education are not eligible for subsidised travel.

Students with school travel passes this year will not need to apply for a School Opal card unless they are changing schools or their home address or moving from year 2 to 3 or year 6 to 7.

For new applications or for students with changing circumstances, the parents, guardians or students over 16 years are required to fill in a form online at www.transportnsw.info/school-students
After filling in the online application you print it off and take it to the school to endorse. Tranport for NSW has the data online from the application and waits for the school to then endorse the application and will mail the School Opal card to the applicant’s home address.

Parents/guardians of students deemed ineligible by their school or local transport operator may apply to the Department of Transport for a review of that decision.

• Students must abide by the Code of Conduct.
• School travel is only available between home and school for school attendance and is available on school days only.
• Passes are to be used for only one forward and one return trip per school day.
• Passes are not transferable and must be shown on demand.
• Travel by bus is subject to the conditions laid down by the Transport for NSW governing the carriage of passengers on public transport.
• No child will be denied travel in circumstances where they have lost or forgotten their subsidised travel pass.
• Journeys must commence and finish only at the points nominated on this application without a break of journey.

• You agree to the Department of Transport and its auditors contacting the school attended to confirm the details provided in this application from time to time.
• The Department of Transport reserves the right to withdraw subsidised travel:
  • if investigation shows the student to be ineligible. Following notification to the parent/guardian any issued pass must be surrendered to the school principal, or the bus proprietor, and subsidised travel cease forthwith.
  • subject to breaches of the Code of Conduct and following notification to the school and parents/guardians.

Term passes are available for students who are not eligible for free travel. To apply for a pass please visit apps.transport.nsw.gov.au/ssts/#/termBusPass

Parents or guardians should apply for a replacement School Opal card at www.transportnsw.info/school-students

Please click here for our Bus Safety Education Program