School transport

This directory page provides links and resources to a range of topics related to school transport. They support schools, transport service providers and the wider community to understand the Ministry’s role regarding transport assistance, to meet their health and safety obligations, and more.

Level of compliance	Main audience	Other
Inform	Boards Principals and Tumuaki School Transport Provider(s)	Parents, Caregivers, and Whānau

Level of compliance

Main audience

Other

Inform

Boards
Principals and Tumuaki
School Transport Provider(s)

Parents, Caregivers, and Whānau

Further reading on these topics is essential as it regards information and mandatory action for board members and transport service providers.

Parents, caregivers and whānau may benefit from reading about transport assistance to understand whether their student is eligible.

School transport assistance

The Ministry of Education provides school transport assistance to help parents overcome barriers to education and meet their responsibility to get their children to school. We may provide assistance where distance and/or accessibility may be a barrier for students attending the closest school they can enrol at.

We deliver school transport assistance via the following:

Roles and responsibilities guides

Delivering our ākonga to school safely and ready to learn involves many parties, who each have an important role to play and responsibilities to meet.

Our roles and responsibilities guides outline the roles and responsibilities of the school transport operators, schools, caregivers, students and the Ministry to ensure the successful coordination and delivery of school transport services.

Daily and technology school bus: Roles and responsibilities guide [PDF, 351 KB]

Directly resourced schools: Roles and responsibilities guide [PDF, 333 KB]

SESTA: Roles and responsibilities guide [PDF, 113 KB]

Draft guide for Māori-medium schools

We’re currently gathering feedback on the draft roles and responsibilities guide for Māori-medium schools.

Māori-medium schools: Roles and responsibilities guide [PDF, 388 KB]

Please send your feedback to: School.Transport@education.govt.nz by 1 December 2023.

Managing safety, behaviour and accidents

When there is an accident or incident on school transport, it is the driver or transport service provider's (TSP) responsibility to contact emergency services (on 111).

The driver will then follow the health and safety guidelines of the transport provider.

Accidents and incidents on school transport

Safety and behaviour on school transport