Moving on up!

With the transition to high school for primary students just around the corner, Transperth has been busily engaging with over 140 high schools providing resources for incoming students and parents.  The aim is to address the sometimes daunting prospect of using Transperth services for the first time.

But what if you are a primary school teacher? What can you tell your students and parents in the lead up to the end of the year?

Transperth successfully carries around 40,000 students per day to and from school.  Majority of students use their own SmartRider as it’s not only more convenient, but it’s the only method to access the Student SmartRider fare providing up to 3 hrs of travel from Monday to Friday for 70 cents.

The majority of high schools will issue SmartRiders at the start of the school year and the method of application will be discussed in their orientation sessions. The SmartRider will also (in most cases) be their Student ID, with some schools allowing payment for print credits and at the school canteen using the same card.

Planning their journeys for the new school year will be critical in ensuring they get there safely and on time.  Students can plan their journeys using the Transperth JourneyPlanner on either the Transperth website or the official Transperth App.

‘Services will change at the start of the school year, so encourage students to confirm their journeys a minimum of 2 weeks prior to the start of the school term,’ says David McMahon from Transperth Education. ‘Be sure to use the Transperth JourneyPlanner as third party options often do not reflect these changes straight away.’

‘Money will need to be added to the card either by the bus driver, or at a Retail Sales Outlets or InfoCentre. However for peace of mind, we really encourage parents to link their  credit or debit card to their child’s SmartRider using Autoload.  As their child’s SmartRider  balance runs low, it automatically transfers funds which means your child can get home safely without the stress of running out of money.’

And lastly, we strongly encourage all parents and students to explore the Get On Board website to assist with the transition to high school and travelling independently.