Agreement on payments for school bus contractors

2/6/94

After four years of negotiations, agreement has been reached on a new formula to determine payments to the State's school bus contractors.

The new formula provides a more equitable payment across the spectrum of short and long haul school bus contractors.

Education Minister Norman Moore said today the agreement was reached between the Education Department and the Western Australian Road Transport Association (WARTA), which represents the State's 803 contractors.

Mr Moore said the new standard rate would apply from July 25, the start of the third school term, and rate adjustments would be phased in progressively over the next 18 months.

Payments to school bus contractors are calculated on a complex formula taking account of the type of buses used, running costs, and distance travelled.

"I congratulate both the WARTA and the department for their hard work and co-operation in the lengthy review process," the Minister said.

"Bus contractors provide a valuable service in the safe transportation of our schoolchildren and the new rate formula provides consistency across the range of services."

Last year the State Government paid more than $34 million for contract bus services to transport about 25,500 children to and from school.  Contract school bus services travelled a total of more than 136,000 kilometres daily during school terms - almost as many kilometres as travelled by Transperth's fleet.

On top of payments to school bus contractors, the State Government spent an extra $2.5 million on subsidised public transport, and more than $380,000 was paid to parents in remote areas to help them transport children to school.

Mr Moore said the expansion of Transperth and other regular public transport services for schoolchildren in the bigger country towns was relieving pressure on contract buses and leading to a better service for rural and isolated students.

Media contact:  Ross Storey 321 1444 / 222 9595