Buses – Owned, Hired or Chartered by a School

Use of student resource package funding to purchase, hire or charter a school bus

Student Resource Package (SRP) funds must not be used for the following procurement activities:

• long-term lease/hire/charter (12 months or more) of a bus (a vehicle with 10 seats or more including the driver) for regular passenger activities (daily morning and afternoon services)
• purchase of a bus (a vehicle with 10 seats or more including the driver) for the primary purpose of regular passenger activities (daily morning and afternoon services).

In exceptional cases, SRP funds may be used for the above activities. For example:

• the bus is used to transport students on a regular basis for a government-funded OSHC program
• no alternative public transport is available to transport students to/from school where they reside within the school zone. Note that SRP funded buses must not be used to transport students to/from school where they reside outside of the school’s enrolment zone.

School councils must seek specific regional director for the use of SRP in such exceptional cases, and the bus must only be used for its documented/approved purpose.