REVIEW OF PERFORMANCE

The Year’s Developments

SBS continued its review of school bus services in order to provide the most efficient use of public funds, balanced against high-quality and safe transport services for eligible students.

During 2004/05, areas reviewed were Jerramungup, Gairdner, Jerdacuttup, Morowa, Perenjori, Frankland, Tambellup, Salmon Gums, Broome and Castlereagh Education Support School. In most areas, routes were adjusted or bus sizes changed to fit the demographics of the area. In some cases, such as Broome, the reorganisation of the bus route resulted in inefficient shuttle services being removed without affecting student numbers.

In other cases, school bus services were closed where student numbers were fewer than four, in accordance with student transport policy.These changes were all in the Wheatbelt, where student numbers generally continue to decline.The affected services were:

• Williams-Tarwonga Service
• Kondinin-South East Service
• Lake Grace-Pingrup Service
• Morawa-Wandalgu Service

The review of services also resulted in a number of new temporary services being introduced in areas of rural population growth (Ravensthorpe, Yealering, Tom Price and Merredin), and also some growth of special education in metropolitan Perth.

A reorganisation in the Wanneroo-Two Rocks area saw four metropolitan fringe contracts (guaranteed a minimum 10-year contract) re-allocated to Woodridge, Bullsbrook and Gingin where demand for school buses was greater.

In January 2004, a new school bus contract and payment model was put into place. This applied to contractors with pre-1995 contracts. The new Composite Rate Model School Bus Contract allows contractor payments to be reviewed by an independent review panel. The purpose of the Composite Rate Model, including the review procedure, is to balance the interests of the PTA and the contractors in the absence of a competitive tender process. The contract allows for all fixed and variable costs to be reviewed by the panel over a three-year cyclical period.

This was the inaugural year of the review.

Patronage

Fares are not charged for school bus services and precise patronage statistics have not been kept up to 30 June 2005. A database was being developed at year’s end to capture student details and thereby determine the number of students carried in a year.

Customer Satisfaction

SBS does not measure customer satisfaction as transport assistance is provided on an entitlement basis.

Expenditure

School Bus Services’ expenditure for 2004/05 was $68.988 million.

In the Future

The education landscape is potentially changing due to the Government’s policy direction and new initiatives being delivered by the Department of Education and Training (DET) such as retention of children at secondary school for longer periods and potential changes to the compulsory school leaving age. These issues will affect School Bus Services in its delivery of student transport assistance over the next four years.

A recent review of educational services for students with disabilities in Government schools has provided the opportunity for DET to evaluate current educational provision for students’ needs, identify quality practice and make recommendations for further development of an increasingly inclusive Government school system.

School Bus Services liaised with DET to ensure a whole-of-Government approach to this proposal to clearly identify the financial implications, and the impact on student transport assistance.