Important information regarding school bus travel

At the beginning of Term 1, 2019, PTV rolled out the new School Bus Management System (SBMS) in the Bendigo Network.  Below is some important information for families with students travelling on a country school bus:

ASSIGNED TRAVEL

Families who have a student/s travelling on the Bendigo School Bus Program (SBP) network will have an account in SBMS.

Each student will have an assigned bus service route, bus stop and where applicable, shuttle service/s relevant to their specific travel needs.

It is the family’s responsibility to check their student/s assigned travel (and shuttle if applicable) in SBMS and ensure that s/he is accessing their assigned service/s.

UNAUTHORISED TRAVEL

Bus drivers are checking bus rolls, and students’ bus passes to ensure that only approved travellers are accessing their service.  Unauthorised travellers are reported to the bus coordinator.

Please be aware that the driver is not obliged to accept unauthorised travellers in the afternoon and the student’s family will be contacted to collect him/her from the school.

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

In the event of an emergency whereby a bus is involved in an accident or a rapid on-set emergency such as a bushfire, the accuracy of the bus roll is critical in ensuring that all students are accounted for and schools/families can be notified immediately. 

Bus rolls may also be requested by emergency personnel including the police, together with the Department’s Emergency Management team to support their efforts in managing the event or incident.

Therefore, unauthorised travel comprises the Department of Education & Training’s duty of care, and also places the driver at risk of liability which is unacceptable.

BUS PASSES

Bus passes are sent out by PTV to the postal address listed in SBMS.  If you have not yet received a bus pass, you can print a temporary bus passes from your SBMS account.  Please make sure your postal address is correctly listed in your SBMS account.

You can also order new bus passes if your student loses his/her pass.  Please note, these are sent out via Australia Post and can take up to 4 weeks to arrive.

AD HOC TRAVEL

Adhoc travel requests are assessed on a case-by-case scenario at a local level and not processed through SBMS, and only apply in the event of a family emergency.  Adhoc travel is not available for non-student travellers.  All applications are to be made via the attending school, in writing with a minimum of 24 hours-notice.

CUSTOMER HELP LINE

If you require any assistance with your SBMS account or have travel queries, please contact PTV’s Customer Help Centre on 1800 800 007.