Inverleigh parents protest after kids kicked off school bus to Geelong

A group of Inverleigh parents are up in arms after being told their children will not have a seat on the regional school bus to Geelong this year.

A group of Inverleigh children, including George Carr, Lili Scott, Max Shaw and Mason Frenchman, have missed out on school bus seats this year. Picture: Brad Fleet.

A group of Inverleigh parents have been left feeling “powerless” after being told their children were required to give up their school bus seats in 2025.

Mother-of-two Kate Shaw said at least 20 local families had been notified their children would not have a seat on the Inverleigh regional bus this year.

Ms Shaw said the lack of access to transport would directly impact the quality of her children’s education and place an “emotional strain” on families.

“It is particularly disheartening given that the nearest government school, located in Bannockburn, does not offer the same educational programs that Geelong does,” she said.

“Many families chose Western Heights Secondary College due to its specialist sports program, which Bannockburn does not offer.”

Ms Shaw was informed her children must give up their school bus seats in the last week of the 2024 school year.

The email sent from the Geelong regional school bus co-ordinator said the Education Department reserved the right to remove fare paying travellers when seating became insufficient.

“We have received more applications than we have seats available, and based on the priority of access, fare payers are required to vacate their seats for students with higher priority to travel,” the email stated.

Ms Shaw and other affected parents were advised to contact Western Heights College to arrange a refund.

Inverleigh’s George Carr, Lili Scott, Max Shaw and Mason Frenchman. Picture: Brad Fleet.

According to the education department’s website, government and non-government school students must “attend their nearest school/campus appropriate to their year level” or have an exemption to be considered eligible for the School Bus Program (SBP).

Ineligible students considered a “special category traveller” may also be able to travel at no cost, but have a lower priority of access.

Students who do not meet the eligibility criteria or qualify as a special category traveller may be able to access a school bus service by purchasing a fare.

However, fare paying passengers have the lowest priority of access to the bus.

An education department spokeswoman said the SBP assists families in rural and regional Victoria by providing eligible students free transport to their nearest government or non-government school.

“The (SBP) … allows ineligible students to pay to access a bus service if there is capacity,” she said.

“There has been a large influx in eligible student applications for the Inverleigh regional school bus route in 2025, which have been prioritised in accordance with the (SBP) policy.”

Ms Shaw said many families had been left in a challenging situation, especially due to Inverleigh’s lack of public transport options.

“The possibility of a reassessment at the beginning of term one offers little comfort, especially since we are facing an immediate need for transportation solutions during the school holidays when planning becomes essential,” she said.

The education department spokeswoman said additional bus services would only be considered if there was adequate demand from students attending their nearest school.

“We will continue to monitor this matter with the Department of Transport and Planning and will consider adding a new service should there be sufficient demand from new eligible students.”

Originally published as Inverleigh parents protest after kids kicked off school bus to Geelong