Bus Information

GENERAL INFORMATION

Eastern Fleurieu School (EFS) operates 11 buses that transport students to and from school daily. Eligibility for this service is evaluated based on the Department for Education (DfE) Transport Policy, which is available on the DfE website: Department for Education | South Australia (link)

Bus travel is provided at no cost for students who meet the criteria, which generally includes residing more than 5 km from the closest government school or, for EFS students, from the nearest EFS campus within the designated "zone" for bus travel, as defined by the DfE Transport Unit. This service is available to both primary and secondary students for their daily school commute.

In addition to regular transport, EFS reviews applications for temporary bus use for specific purposes, such as work experience, organized sports training, and youth services, as long as seating is available and requests comply with the DfE Transport Policy. Buses are not, however, available for casual travel, like visiting friends or attending sleepovers.

Since DfE doesn’t own enough buses to support every school in the state, it contracts bus services through various providers, with EFS managing student eligibility for bus use through the DfE Transport Policy.

Seating Capacity:

At times, a bus may seem to have empty seats even when it is officially “at capacity.” EFS must ensure that every eligible student who has requested access to the DfE-provided bus service has a reserved seat. However, not all students use the bus daily—some have shared care arrangements requiring access to two different buses, while others may be absent from school for various reasons. As a result, seats may appear vacant even though they are allocated.

(TILE): BUS ROUTES

The following buses, provided by the DfE, service our school:

  • Ashbourne/Meadows – Willunga Charter contracted to provide this service
  • Lake Plains/Langhorne Creek – Willunga Charter contracted to provide this service
  • Kuitpo/Meadows – LinkSA contracted to provide this service. This takes in Prospect Hill and is express from Meadows.
  • Langhorne Creek/Mulgundawa – LinkSA contracted to provide this service. The outer southern limit being Brinkley Road intersection on Wellington Road
  • Milang/Finniss – LinkSA contracted to provide this service. Starting in Milang
  • Milang/Clayton – LinkSA contracted to provide this service. Starting in Clayton, travelling through Milang and onto Strathalbyn
  • Woodchester/Bletchley/Hartley – LinkSA contracted to provide this service. The outer Eastern limit of the catchment area being for families residing on the Strathalbyn (Western) side of the South Eastern Freeway
  • Paris Creek – DfE owned bus. The general area this covers is Old Bull Creek Road. (1 smaller bus for eligible students)

South Link:

South Link operates a “Strathalbyn School Bus Loop” Passenger Service 854 that travels along Alexandrina Road (formerly Sandergrove Road) to Michelmore Road, around Burnside and around Willyaroo for students who live closer than 5km from the school. These students are considered “in zone” for EFS but not eligible for DfE-provided transport by bus. This is a user-pay passenger service operated by South Link. The school, therefore, does not assess students for travel or keep a manifest of passengers. Information and fares are available from their website: School Services - SouthLink

Mount Barker Residents:

Families living in Mt Barker for whom EFS is their school of choice can access Adelaide Metro Passenger Service 852 that travels through Mt Barker and Wistow to Strathalbyn. These students are considered “out of zone” as determined by the DfE bus catchment area. This is a user-pay passenger ‘country’ service operated by Adelaide Metro/Southlink. The school, therefore, does not assess students for travel or keep a manifest of passengers. Information and fares are available from their website or by phoning Southlink Mt Barker 83397544. School Services - SouthLink

Murray Bridge Residents:

LinkSA Murray Bridge operates Murray Bridge Passenger Service that travels through Kanmantoo and Callington for families for whom EFS is their school of choice. These students are considered “out of zone” as determined by the DfE bus catchment area. This is a user-pay passenger service operated by LinkSA. The school, therefore, does not assess students for travel of keep a manifest of passengers. Information and fares are available from the LinkSA website. SCHOOL ROUTES - LinkSA

As passenger service providers, bus companies are unable to adjust their timetables to accommodate early school dismissal times. Additionally, these buses are open to the general public, allowing members of the community to travel alongside students.

(TILE): Bus Behaviour & Expectations

  • Parents are advised to arrive at the bus stop 5 minutes before the scheduled time for both pick-up and drop-off.
  • For primary-aged students (up to and including Year 6), we ask that a parent or caregiver wait with the child at the stop in the morning until the bus arrives and be there to meet them in the afternoon.
  • If an older sibling is available to supervise a primary-aged child at the stop, parents may inform the bus driver of this arrangement.
  • If no responsible adult is present to meet a primary-aged student (and no alternative arrangement has been made), the driver will wait for up to 2 minutes beyond the scheduled time. If the adult does not arrive, the driver will continue the route with the student on board, notify the Strathalbyn R-6 Campus, and return the student to the campus. EFS staff will supervise the student while contacting the emergency contacts on file.

Links to add:

  • Consistent Bus Routines
  • Travelling on Buses
  • School Transport Policy

 

(TILE): BUS FORMS / APPLICATION FOR TRAVEL

Requirements for Travel:

An application to travel regularly or temporarily is required for all but the passenger services before travel can commence.

Links to Forms for assessment for travel and temporary travel are below and need to be approved by EFS before travel can begin.

Links to add:

  • Request for Assessment for Bus Travel Eligibility
  • Application for Temporary Bus Use

To discuss the bus services that feed our school contact Sarah Hutchinson on 85362455 or by email sarah.hutchinson386@schools.sa.edu.au 

(TILE): BUSHFIRE INFORMATION & CATASTROPHIC FIRE DAYS

Department for Education’s Emergency Information Hotline: 1800 000 279

If the CFS gives advance notice of a forecast catastrophic fire danger day, schools and preschools in the relevant fire ban district(s) that have a bushfire risk rating of R1 or R2 will be directed to close automatically. A full list of these sites is available on the DfE Website: List of high bushfire risk schools, preschools and kindergartens. Our Ashbourne Campus falls under this category and therefore will CLOSE on a catastrophic fire danger day.

All other campuses will likely remain open.

Parents and caregivers are encouraged to read the publication on the Department for Education’s website entitled “Bushfire and Your Child's School or Pre-school”. Link below:

Bushfire and your child's school or preschool

 Catastrophic (CAT) Fire Days and Buses

The area west of Strathalbyn (which includes Eastern Fleurieu School’s Ashbourne, Strathalbyn R-6 and 7-12 Campuses) is in the Mt Lofty Fire District and east of Strathalbyn (which includes Langhorne Creek and Milang Campus) is in the Murraylands District. The border of Mt Lofty and Murraylands runs directly north east from Strathalbyn (see maps on www.cfs.sa.gov.au)

Buses servicing Eastern Fleurieu School are:

MT LOFTY DISTRICT:

  • DfE free-service buses: Ashbourne/Meadows, Kuitpo/Meadows, and Paris Creek.
  • Public user-pays services: Adelaide Metro / Southlink Bus 852.

MURRAYLANDS:

  • DfE free-service buses: Mulgundawa/Langhorne Creek, Lake Plains/Langhorne Creek, Milang/Clayton, Milang/Finniss and Woodchester.
  • Public user-pays services: Murray Bridge Passenger Service (Callington Bus) and Adelaide Metro/Southlink 854 (Willyaroo).

In terms of catastrophic days, the following will apply:

  • If Mount Lofty & Murraylands have been declared catastrophic, no DfE school buses will operate following official advice from the Department for Education.

Murray Bridge Passenger Service (Callington Bus) and Southlink Passenger Services 852 and 854 will run.

  • If Murraylands is declared catastrophic and Mt Lofty is not, then school bus services that do not operate inside the CAT zone can run e.g. Ashbourne/Meadows, Kuitpo/Meadows and Paris Creek however all other bus services will not run as they cross into the CAT zone
  • If Mount Lofty is declared catastrophic and Murraylands is not, then no DfE school buses will operate following official advice from the Department for Education (as all routes emanate from the CAT area)
  • IMPORTANT: If a region changes to a Catastrophic Fire Danger Rating on the day, bus routes can still operate. The Department for Education (DfE) will be in continuous communication with the school and may make an executive decision to ensure the safety of all students.

Bus Service Schedules & Communication:

In the event of changes to our school or bus routes due to bushfire days, we will utilise our communication tools, including telephone, Facebook, SZapp, our Website and SMS.

Catastrophic days will also be announced by news services on both radio and television, and information will be updated on the CFS website. The Department for Education will endeavour to provide official advice to schools on the day prior to any day declared with catastrophic fire conditions. It is important that mobile numbers are correct in our database as bus families may be notified by SMS, if time permits, if a bushfire affects a school bus at any time of the year or a catastrophic day is declared. If you need to update these details please do so in writing.

 

 

 

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