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Special Needs Transport



Special Needs Student Transport

The Department of Planning and Infrastructure in partnership with the Department of Employment, Education and Training (DEET) provides transport services to students with special needs.

For more details contact DEET Student Services on 8999 8724 or your school.

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Easy Access Buses for Mobility Impaired Passengers

"Making Life Easier"

A majority of the public bus service fleet are serviced by "Easy Access" buses fitted with low floors and ramps to accommodate access for the majority of wheelchairs or motorised scooters, and this list continues to grow as our fleet of new buses increases.

What does "Easy Access" mean?

  • Low-floor design to provide easy access for all passengers, especially the elderly, people with disabilities, parents or carers with prams and passengers carrying awkward loads.
  • Driver activated and manual ramps and kerbside "kneeling" action to bring the floor closer to ground level, and reduce the angle between floor and kerb, improving wheelchair and pram access.
  • Strategically located handrails, bus stop button assists the mobility of frail passengers or those with a disability.
  • Provision for two wheelchairs or prams in the "Priority Seating" areas.
  • Larger, more prominent destination signs on the exterior of the buses to provide better visibility in order to hail the bus.
  • A special button in the priority seating area to enable those with limited upper body strength to signal when it is their stop.
  • Skid-resistant flooring in the Priority Seating area to reduce the amount of movement of wheelchairs while the bus is in motion.
  • Air-conditioning.

Some helpful tips and reminders:

  • For increased stability and safety whilst travelling on the bus, position your wheelchair so that you are directly facing the back of the bus, i.e. facing the opposite direction of travel.
  • All wheelchairs and mobility aids must be fitted with a brake, and that brake must be used to hold the device in one position while travelling on the bus.
  • The minimum allowable width of a ramp is 800 mm.
  • Weight of person and mobility aid device not to exceed 200 kg.
  • The minimum allocated space for a single wheelchair or similar mobility aid is 800 mm x 1300 mm.
  • Please ensure that if your wheelchair has been fitted with a roof or sun shade that is does not extend higher than the wheelchair or mobility aid, or you will not be able to board the bus.
  • Always follow directions by the driver so your trip is safe and enjoyable.

If you have a need for an Easy Access bus, arrangements can be made with the Public Transport Division by phoning 8924 7666, Monday to Friday 6:45am to 4:30pm, and Saturday 9:00am to 1:00pm (closed Sundays and Public Holidays) to arrange for an Easy Access bus to be on a particular service. Please note that a minimum of 24 hours notice is required.

Please note: This facility may not be available where an articulated bus is specifically rostered to accommodate high patronage levels on particular routes, and in the case of breakdowns and unforeseen circumstances.

Ticket Fares and Concessions



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Compliance to the Disability Discrimination Standard


All States and Territories have a requirement to comply to specific pieces of Federal Legislation.  One such piece is the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA) as amended from time to time, and it’s associated Standards.

The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) seeks to eliminate discrimination ‘as far as possible’ against people with disabilities. To view or download the (DDA) Act click here and select what file type you wish to view.

The associated Standards; Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport 2002, purpose is to enable public transport operators and providers to remove discrimination from public transport services. View the Standards.

The Northern Territory Taxi fleet currently has approximately 15% of the entire fleet as Accessible Taxis.

The attached table lists 30 items and their respective compliance level requirement for December 2007.

Table of compliance levels.

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