Orange school bus registrations open

Pilbara parents are being reminded to register their children for the free orange school bus service next year.

The School Bus Service orange buses are provided free of charge to eligible children in regional WA.

Lorraine and Ross Buchanan, who moved to Port Hedland from New Zealand last year, operate one of the two buses in Port Hedland which caters specifically for special needs children.

"I've been a carer and bus driver for about five years now and Ross has had 40 years experience driving buses," Mrs Buchanan said.

SBS spokeswoman Claire Krol said if schoolchildren were not registered before the end of this year, they may not be able to access the orange bus service in the first week of term one next year.

"SBS receives thousands of applications each year from parents of children who need to catch an orange school bus to and from school," she said.

"The SBS team needs plenty of time to process these applications, plan routes and allocate resources to make sure all the kids can be picked up and dropped off as required.

"Parents who leave it until January or February to register their child may find that the orange bus can't service their stop until later in the term, after the route and timetable have been amended."

Only children who are starting school for the first time or changing schools need to register their details with SBS.

Children who already catch an orange school bus and are not changing their arrangements do not need to be re-registered.

Where it isn't possible to provide a dedicated bus service, SBS offers a conveyance allowance to help manage the cost of taking children to and from school each day.

Parents can fill out applications online at www.school buses.wa.gov.au, by picking up a form from their child's school, or calling the SBS team on 9326 2625.