School Buses & Transport

St Mary's College runs two College buses each school morning and afternoon, operated under contract by Wattle Valley Coaches. Both routes set down and pick up at the Senior Gate bus bay on Chapel Road. Junior students are walked from the bus bay to the Junior Gate by a staff member in the morning and escorted back to the bus at 3:25pm. Families can also use the public 684 bus, walk, or cycle.

Cost and bus pass

The pass is digital and loaded onto the student ID card – students tap on when boarding. Passes can be started mid-term (pro rata) and cancelled with one term's written notice to transport@stmaryswc.vic.edu.au. A family discount of 10% applies to the second and subsequent children on the same route.

Route A – Wattle Creek Station, Hillview, Ferntree Rise

Morning

Afternoon

Route B – Riverbend, Kingsley Park, Old Mill Road

Morning

Afternoon

Times are approximate; please be at the stop five minutes early. Buses will not wait for late students. Afternoon times may run a few minutes late in wet weather or heavy traffic – delays of more than 15 minutes are notified by SMS.

Wednesdays: Senior students finish at 2:45pm but the buses still depart at 3:35pm so that Junior students (dismissed at 3:20pm) can travel. Senior bus travellers wait in the Library between 2:45pm and 3:25pm.

Last day of term (Friday 18 September 2026, 2:30pm dismissal): buses depart at 2:45pm.

Behaviour on the bus

The bus is an extension of the classroom and the College's behaviour expectations apply:

• Wear your seatbelt and remain seated while the bus is moving.
• No eating or drinking (water is fine).
• Follow the driver's instructions the first time; speak respectfully to the driver and other passengers.
• Full uniform, with hats in Terms 1 and 4; blazers to and from school for Senior students in Terms 2 and 3.
• Mobile phones may be used quietly by Senior students; Junior phones stay in bags.

Consequences follow three steps: a warning letter home, a one-week suspension of the bus pass (no refund), then removal from the service. Serious incidents are dealt with immediately under the Behaviour & Restorative Practices Policy.

Prep–Year 2 students must be met at the stop by an adult in the afternoon. If no one is there, the child stays on the bus and is returned to the College, where parents collect from the Senior Office (or casual OSHC if after 4:30pm, charged).

Public bus 684

Route 684 runs between Wattle Creek Station and Kingsley Park via Chapel Road, stopping directly outside the College. Students use a Myki with a Victorian Student Pass or concession fare. Timetables are on the PTV website and app. Students catching the 684 in the afternoon wait at the Chapel Road stop under staff supervision until 3:45pm.

Conveyance Allowance

Families who live more than 4.8 km from the College and attend the nearest appropriate school may be eligible for the Victorian Conveyance Allowance, which offsets the cost of the College bus or public transport. Applications are made through the Business Office at the start of each year – email transport@stmaryswc.vic.edu.au for the form.

Bikes and scooters

• The bike shed is beside the Junior Gate and is locked from 8:50am to 3:10pm. Bring your own lock.
• Helmets are compulsory – students without a helmet will have their bike held at the office for a parent to collect.
• Scooters are permitted for students in Years 3 and above and are stored in the bike shed. No skateboards or e-scooters.
• Students walk bikes and scooters on College grounds and on Chapel Road footpaths near the gates.

Questions

Contact the College Transport Officer in the Business Office: transport@stmaryswc.vic.edu.au or (03) 9555 0100. For same-day afternoon changes (e.g. your child will not be on the bus), phone the office before 2:30pm. See also Kiss-and-Drop & Parking.