GuidesA closer look

Can my child get help with transport to school?

Who can get Ministry of Education help with getting to school, how school buses and the conveyance allowance work, what support exists for children with safety or mobility needs, and how to apply or ask for a review.

Every statement on this page comes from an official source: Ministry of Education.

Who is responsible for getting children to school?

The Ministry of Education says the primary responsibility for getting children to and from school, or to their school bus stop, rests with their parents and caregivers.¹ Where distance is a barrier to getting to school or kura, transport assistance may be available for some students.²

Most school buses are managed by the Ministry of Education, but some schools are funded to organise their own transport services.³ Some local councils also run school buses in urban areas.⁴

If your child is eligible, the help the Ministry may provide is access to a free school bus service, or a payment to help with the costs of getting your child to and from school.⁵ Depending on how close the nearest school bus route is to your house, you might receive one type of assistance or both.⁶

Who can get transport assistance?

To be considered for transport assistance, your child must meet all 3 of the Ministry's criteria.⁷

They attend the closest state or state-integrated school they can enrol at.⁸
They live at least 3.2km from their school or kura (Years 1–8) or at least 4.8km (Years 9–13).⁹
There is no public transport available.¹⁰

On the closest-school test: If your child attends a state-integrated (special character) school, it must be the closest school of its type for them to qualify, for example the closest Catholic school if Catholic education is chosen.¹¹ Single-sex schools, and schools that offer specific sports or other programmes, are not considered special character schools.¹² If your child attends a Māori-medium school, whichever kura is chosen is considered the closest, so ākonga can attend a kura that aligns with their iwi and hapū affiliation.¹³

On distance: The Ministry uses the mapping software ArcGIS to measure the distance over the shortest public road or pedestrian route from the home roadside gate to the school or kura front gate.¹⁴ ArcGIS can differ from other mapping software such as Google Maps, which may map routes from different start and end points, and the Ministry says those other tools may be inaccurate for determining eligibility.¹⁵

Transport zones and enrolment zones: School bus routes fall within the Transport Eligibility Zone of the schools they service.¹⁶ The boundaries of these zones are set at the halfway point between neighbouring schools of the same type, for example between two secondary schools.¹⁷ School enrolment zones, on the other hand, are geographically defined areas around schools to prevent them from becoming overcrowded.¹⁸

What counts as public transport?

Transport assistance is not available if you have public transport in your area.¹⁹ The Ministry describes that public transport as one that:

travels within 2.4km of both your home and school²⁰
does not need your child to be picked up before 7am, and gets them to school on time²¹
collects your child within an hour of school finishing²²
does not need your child to change buses more than once on a journey.²³

If a public transport option becomes available, the Ministry may stop running school buses in that area, and it will give affected schools at least a full term's notice.²⁴

What if my child goes to a school that is not the closest?

If your child would be eligible to use the school bus if they attended their closest school, but is enrolled at a school further away, they may be able to use the school bus at their enrolled school.²⁵

If your child is not eligible: If your child is ineligible, your school may consider setting up a private charter 'user pays' school bus service, and because that is a private arrangement the Ministry cannot influence its terms or fares.²⁶ Other options that schools and caregivers may wish to explore for ineligible students include public transport where available, carpooling, or finding out whether a local bus operator would consider running a commercial school bus service.²⁷

If you disagree with a decision, you can request a review of an eligibility decision by emailing the School Transport team.²⁸

How do school buses work?

The Ministry designs its bus network to collect as many eligible children as possible.²⁹ Each route needs to serve a minimum number of eligible children before it will be considered.³⁰ The bus is not a door-to-door service: you need to get your child to and from their closest bus stop.³¹

Sometimes students who aren't eligible can use the school bus if the transport provider allows it and criteria are met, and they may have to pay a fare.³² Some schools organise their own school buses and may have their own rules for how their service works.³³

Behaviour on the bus: If your child's behaviour while travelling is disruptive or a safety risk, they may lose their place on the school bus.³⁴ If that happens, you cannot get the conveyance allowance.³⁵

What is the conveyance allowance?

The conveyance allowance is a contribution to help with the cost of getting your eligible child to school or to the nearest bus route.³⁶ To receive it, your child must meet the 3 criteria for transport assistance and have limited access to a school bus.³⁷ Limited access means either there is no school bus or public transport in your area, or there is one but you live more than 2.4km from the nearest bus route.³⁸

The Ministry pays the allowance quarterly, after your school sends it the enrolment report at the end of term, and not on fixed dates.³⁹ How much you are paid depends on how many children you are taking to school and how far you have to travel.⁴⁰ The allowance is paid at a daily rate, so payments vary with the number of school days in the term.⁴¹

About the temporary increase: From 20 April 2026, conveyance allowances temporarily increase by approximately 30%.⁴² The increase applies until 12 months from 20 April 2026, or until there have been four consecutive weeks where 91 Octane fuel is below $3.00 a litre.⁴³ The increase is applied automatically and you do not need to apply.⁴⁴

You can apply for the conveyance allowance using the Ministry's online form, or your school can apply on your behalf.⁴⁵

Separately, for children who live a long way from school, if your child lives too far from their school to travel there each day, they might qualify for an allowance to help with the cost of boarding away from home.⁴⁶

What help is there for children with safety or mobility needs?

The specialised school transport assistance (SESTA) service helps children and young people with safety or mobility needs get to and from school.⁴⁷ If your child is eligible for SESTA, the Ministry provides a place in a vehicle or a payment to contribute to their travel costs.⁴⁸

The Ministry's eligibility test for this service says your child must meet each of these:

Your child must be between 5 and 21 years of age.⁴⁹
They must have mobility or safety needs that prevent them from travelling independently to school.⁵⁰
They must be enrolled at their nearest state or state-integrated school that meets their special education needs.⁵¹

Your child is not eligible if they are enrolled at a private school or board at a residential specialist school.⁵² If your child's need is due to an injury covered by ACC, they are not eligible for help from SESTA.⁵³ The Ministry assesses applications on the needs of the child and does not consider family circumstances when assessing eligibility or deciding what type of assistance to offer.⁵⁴

Eligibility, side by side

School transport assistance

They attend the closest state or state-integrated school they can enrol at.⁸
They live at least 3.2km from their school or kura (Years 1–8) or at least 4.8km (Years 9–13).⁹
There is no public transport available.¹⁰

Specialised transport (SESTA)

Your child must be between 5 and 21 years of age.⁴⁹
They must have mobility or safety needs that prevent them from travelling independently to school.⁵⁰
They must be enrolled at their nearest state or state-integrated school that meets their special education needs.⁵¹

An eligible child is not guaranteed a place in a vehicle, because a suitable service will not always be available; in that case you can get the SESTA Conveyance Allowance.⁵⁵

Deciding on a vehicle place: When deciding whether to approve a place in a vehicle, the Ministry considers the safety of the student, other students and the driver; the time in a SESTA vehicle (one way), which should preferably be no longer than 40 minutes and must not exceed an hour; and the cost and availability of the service.⁵⁶ The service is for getting to and from school only.⁵⁷

The SESTA Conveyance Allowance: The SESTA Conveyance Allowance is based on the distance between your home and your child's school, at $0.27 per km to a maximum of $20 per school day.⁵⁸ The temporary increase of approximately 30% from 20 April 2026 also applies to SESTA conveyance allowances.⁵⁹

How do I apply for specialised transport?

You can apply online for a place in a vehicle, the SESTA Conveyance Allowance, or both.⁶⁰ Talk to your school before applying, because they need to support your application.⁶¹

Apply at least a full school term before the service is needed.⁶² If your child's school changes, you will need to reapply for SESTA.⁶³

You must meet the driver and provide any help your child needs to get in and out of the vehicle.⁶⁴
Except in emergencies, SESTA drivers are not allowed to touch any student, and they can't give medication to students in their care.⁶⁵
If your child needs a teacher aide with them while they travel, this needs to be provided by the school.⁶⁶

Sources

Every statement on this page comes from an official page, quoted in full here.

Each numbered statement above is followed here by the words of the official page it comes from. Every quote was checked against its page on 5 October 2026.

“The primary responsibility for transporting children to and from school or their school bus stop rests with their parents and caregivers.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/avai… ↑
“but for some students, where distance is a barrier to getting to school or kura, transport assistance may be available.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/avai… ↑
“Most school buses are managed by the Ministry of Education, but some schools are funded to organise their own transport services.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/avai… ↑
“Some local councils also run school buses in urban areas.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/avai… ↑
“If your child is eligible for transport assistance, we may provide: access to a free school bus service a payment to help you with the costs of getting your child to and from school.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/avai… ↑
“Depending on how close the nearest school bus route is to your house, you might receive one type of assistance or both.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/avai… ↑
“To be considered for transport assistance, your child must meet all 3 of the following criteria.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/avai… ↑
“They attend the closest state or state-integrated school they can enrol at.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/avai… ↑
“Students must live at least 3.2km (Years 1-8) or 4.8km (Years 9-13) from their school or kura.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/avai… ↑
“There is no public transport available.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/avai… ↑
“If your child attends one of these, it must be the closest school of its type for them to qualify for transport assistance. For example, the closest Catholic school if Catholic education is chosen.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/avai… ↑
“Single-sex schools or schools that offer specific sports or other programmes are not considered special character schools.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/avai… ↑
“If your child attends a Māori-medium school, whichever kura is chosen will be considered the closest. This is to allow ākonga | students to attend a kura that aligns to their iwi and hapū affiliation.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/avai… ↑
“we use the mapping software ArcGIS to measure the distance over the shortest public road or pedestrian route from the home roadside gate to the school or kura front gate.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/avai… ↑
“ArcGIS can differ from other mapping software, such as Google Maps, which may map routes from different start and end points and may rely on different bases for waypoint location. They may be inaccurate for determining eligibility.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/avai… ↑
“School bus routes fall within the Transport Eligibility Zone of the schools they service.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/avai… ↑
“The boundaries of these zones are set at the halfway point between neighbouring schools of the same type, for example, between two secondary schools.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/avai… ↑
“School enrolment zones, on the other hand, are geographically defined areas around schools to prevent them from becoming overcrowded.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/avai… ↑
“Transport assistance is not available if you have public transport in your area.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/avai… ↑
“This is public transport that: travels within 2.4 km of both your home and school”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/avai… ↑
“does not need your child to be picked up before 7am and gets them to school on time”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/avai… ↑
“collects your child within an hour of school finishing”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/avai… ↑
“does not need your child to change buses more than once on a journey.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/avai… ↑
“If a public transport option becomes available, we may stop running school buses in that area. We will give affected schools at least a full term's notice of the change.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/avai… ↑
“If your child would be eligible to use the school bus if they attended their closest school, but is enrolled at a school further away, they may be able to use the school bus at their enrolled school.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/avai… ↑
“your school may consider setting up a private charter ‘user pays’ school bus service for their ineligible students. As this would be a private arrangement, the Ministry is unable to influence any terms of agreement or fares that may be charged.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/avai… ↑
“Other transport options that schools and caregivers may wish to explore if their students are ineligible for school transport assistance include: using public transport (where available) carpooling investigating whether a local bus operator would consider running a commercial school bus service.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/avai… ↑
“You can request a review of an eligibility decision by emailing the School Transport team.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/avai… ↑
“We design our bus network to collect as many eligible children as possible.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/avai… ↑
“Each route needs to serve a minimum number of eligible children before it will be considered.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/avai… ↑
“The bus will take your child to school but does not provide a door-to-door service. You will need to get your child to and from their closest bus stop.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/avai… ↑
“Sometimes students who aren't eligible can use the school bus if the transport provider allows it. Criteria need to be met for this to happen. These students may have to pay a fare.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/avai… ↑
“Some schools organise their own school buses. They may have their own rules for how their service work.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/avai… ↑
“If your child's behaviour while travelling is disruptive or is a safety risk, they may lose their place on the school bus.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/avai… ↑
“they may lose their place on the school bus. If this happens you cannot get the conveyance allowance.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/avai… ↑
“The conveyance allowance is a contribution to help with the cost of getting your eligible child to school or the nearest bus route.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/avai… ↑
“To receive the conveyance allowance your child must meet the 3 criteria for being eligible for transport assistance and have limited access to a school bus.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/avai… ↑
“This means either: there is no school bus or public transport available in your area, or there is a school bus or public transport in your area, but you live more than 2.4km from the nearest bus route.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/avai… ↑
“We pay it to you quarterly after your school sends us the enrolment report at the end of term. The conveyance allowance is not paid on fixed dates”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/avai… ↑
“How much you are paid depends on how many children you are taking to school and how far you have to travel.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/avai… ↑
“The allowance is paid at a daily rate so your payment will vary depending on how many school days are in the term.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/avai… ↑
“From 20 April 2026, conveyance allowances will temporarily increase by approximately 30%.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/avai… ↑
“This temporary increase will be applied until either: 12 months from 20 April 2026, or there have been four consecutive weeks where the price of 91 Octane fuel is below $3.00 a litre.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/avai… ↑
“This increase will be applied automatically. You do not need to apply.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/avai… ↑
“You can apply for the conveyance allowance using our online form, or your school can apply on your behalf.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/avai… ↑
“If your child lives too far from their school to travel there each day, they might qualify for an allowance to assist with the cost of boarding away from home.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/avai… ↑
“The specialised school transport assistance (SESTA) service helps children and young people with safety or mobility needs get to and from school.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/lear… ↑
“If your child is eligible for SESTA, we provide a place in a vehicle or a payment to contribute to their travel costs.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/lear… ↑
“To be eligible for SESTA, your child must: be between 5 and 21 years of age”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/lear… ↑
“have mobility or safety needs that prevent them from travelling independently to school”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/lear… ↑
“be enrolled at their nearest state or state-integrated school that meets their special education needs.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/lear… ↑
“Your child is not eligible if they are enrolled at a private school or board at a residential specialist school.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/lear… ↑
“If your child's need is due to an injury and covered by the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC), they are not eligible for help from SESTA.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/lear… ↑
“We assess your application based on the needs of your child. We do not consider family circumstances when assessing your child’s eligibility or deciding what type of assistance to offer.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/lear… ↑
“If your child is eligible, they are not guaranteed a place in a vehicle as we will not always have a suitable service available. In this circumstance, you can get the SESTA Conveyance Allowance.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/lear… ↑
“When deciding whether to approve a place in a vehicle, we will consider: the safety of the student, other students, and driver on the service the length of time in a SESTA vehicle (one way) – this should preferably be no longer than 40 minutes and must not exceed an hour the cost and availability of the service.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/lear… ↑
“The service is for getting to and from school only.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/lear… ↑
“The amount you will be paid is based on the distance between your home and your child’s school. It is calculated at a rate of $0.27 per km, to a maximum of $20 per school day.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/lear… ↑
“Temporary increase to SESTA conveyance allowance payments From 20 April 2026, conveyance allowances will temporarily increase by approximately 30%.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/lear… ↑
“You can apply online for a place onboard a vehicle, the SESTA Conveyance Allowance, or both.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/lear… ↑
“Talk to your school before applying as they need to support your application.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/lear… ↑
“Apply at least a full school term before the service is needed.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/lear… ↑
“If your child's school changes, you will need to reapply for SESTA.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/lear… ↑
“You must meet the driver and provide any help your child needs to get in and out of the vehicle.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/lear… ↑
“Except in emergencies, SESTA drivers are not allowed to touch any student. They also can't give medication to students in their care.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/lear… ↑
“If your child needs a teacher aide with them while they travel, this needs to be provided by the school.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/lear… ↑