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Guidelines for Issuing the NSW Student Identification Card (for tertiary students)

Target group

  • Eligible fulltime students aged 16 years and over attending NSW/ACT registered Universities, TAFEs and Private Colleges.

Services covered

The NSW Student Identification Card (Form 204) provides for concession travel at all times:

  • Metropolitan and Outer Metropolitan bus services (both government and privately operated)
  • Sydney Ferries services
  • Newcastle Ferries services
  • CityRail services (including AirportLink)
  • CountryLink services
  • Great Southern Railways services.

It does not apply to special and premium services, charter services, Special Event services or privately operated tourism services.

Card issuers

Tertiary institutions issue concession cards on behalf of the Ministry of Transport but they must first register with the RailCorp Passes and Concessions office to become an authorised third party issuer.

Each institution must specify the persons in their employ whose responsibilities include transport concession card issuance. These persons only are authorised to issued concession cards.

The issue of transport concession cards may not be contracted out to other organisations.

Authorised issuers can include:

  • Universities
  • TAFE Colleges
  • Private colleges
  • RailCorp Passes and Concessions Office.

Application forms and concession card stock

Prior to the commencement of each academic year, the RailCorp Passes and Concessions office provides concession supplies to educational institutions registered as third party concession card issuers.

These supplies include:

  • Green application forms.* These are printed and distributed by RailCorp. Institutions place their orders with RailCorp in November each year, supplementary orders can be made in writing on institution letterhead as the need arises;
  • Cardboard concession card stock of the NSW Student Identification Card (Form 204);
  • Concession security foils/bitmaps for placement on concession/student cards;
  • Replacement card application forms;
  • Annual reconciliation forms.

* Tertiary institutions for which RailCorp has historically issued concession cards, are required to provide students with a variation of the green Student Travel Concession application form. The alternate form requires students to provide the same information and provides for certification by the institution of the applicant's eligibility for a transport concession.

Sample forms.

Types of concession cards

An entitlement to concession travel is indicated by the placement of a RailCorp issued security foil or bitmap image on one of the following types of cards:

  • Student photo identification cards* issued by the educational institution;
  • Student identification cards* without photos but with a signature space, issued by an educational institution (must be signed by the holder to be valid);
  • Cardboard concession cards printed by RailCorp and issued by an Educational Institution (or occasionally by RailCorp), and required for shorter term courses. These must have the expiry date inserted (that being the last day of course) and the signature of the holder to be valid.

* Where an institution issues a student identification card for a period of more than 12 months with a bitmap image, the student must re-apply in subsequent years and have a security foil placed over the previous year's bitmap image.

Eligibility assessment

Concession cards must only be issued to students who meet the Eligibility Criteria. This requires the authorised officer to check that the student has completed all sections of the form, including the declaration that they are not in receipt of income.*

The issuer is also required to check educational criteria from their institutional records to confirm that the applicant is:

  • Undertaking a full time study load;**
  • Undertaking a full year course or a shorter term course of at least 9 weeks;
  • Attending daytime classes;
  • Not a full fee paying overseas student.***

* Students in receipt of Austudy, Living Allowances and Bursaries are not considered to be in receipt of an income.

** For the purposes of obtaining a concession, the student must be:

  • For Universities, enrolled in a course rated by the University as full time based on credit points;
  • For TAFEs and private colleges, enrolled in no less than 20 hours a week of face-to-face classes.

*** Overseas students on Australian Government International Exchange or sponsorship programs must produce documentary evidence of participation in an approved Australian Government program, and must not be in receipt of other income such as continuation of their home country paid salary, in order to qualify for the concession.

Cards must not be issued to students who do not meet all of the Eligibility Criteria or have not fully completed the application form. Where the issuer is unsure, clarification should be sought from the RailCorp Passes and Concessions office on (02) 9379 4441.

Where an overseas student is on an Australian Government scholarship, the student must provide documentation to satisfy the tertiary organisation of such, and declare that they are not in receipt of income other than their scholarship.

Procedures for issuing the card

Completed application forms must include a declaration by the student that they meet all the specified Eligibility Criteria. As noted above, the issuer must verify that the applicant meets educational eligibility criteria prior to issuing a concession card.

Tertiary institutions are to issue different cards according to whether the student is undertaking a full year's course or a short term course:

  • Students undertaking a full year's course can be issued with any type of approved card (i.e.: a plasticised photo identification student card, a non-photo student identification card with signature box, a RailCorp printed cardboard concession card) as long as it has a RailCorp foil or bitmap placed on it to signify entitlement to a concession;
  • Students undertaking short term courses of 9 weeks and longer, must ONLY be issued with a cardboard concession card on stock provided by RailCorp, so that the expiry date (being the last day of the course) can be clearly indicated on the card. The card must have a RailCorp foil attached to it.

Period of validity

  • For all yearly courses, a tertiary student card with a foil or bitmap on it, gives entitlement for concession travel from the start of each academic year until the beginning of the next academic year.
  • For all shorter term courses, the card must clearly indicate that the expiry date is the last day of the course.

Procedure for handling of concessions for withdrawing students

Tertiary institutions are to recall student cards with transport concession entitlements/transport concession cards from students who withdraw from their course and/or subjects with the result that they no longer meet the eligibility criteria for a transport concession.

Where a student's concession entitlement is shown by a RailCorp foil sticker or bitmap graphic on the Student's Identification Card (and the student has an ongoing entitlement to their Student Identification Card), the Institution must remove the foil sticker or issue a new Student Card without the bitmap graphic/foil.

Where the student holds a RailCorp produced Student Identification Card, the Institution should recall and destroy the card. A record should be made of this action and included in the annual reconciliation statement provided to RailCorp.

Fees

  • No fee is required for the initial concession card or for annual renewals. This does not preclude an institution from charging students for the issuance of its student photo identification cards.

Replacement cards

Replacement cards are only to be issued by the RailCorp Passes and Concessions office.

Institutions should provide eligible students with a Replacement Card application form (printed by RailCorp). The form must be certified with the authorised officer's signature and institution stamp.

The student submits the certified form to RailCorp by post or in person, and pays a replacement fee. The fee may be paid by Money Order, Credit Card (excluding Amex and Diners), cash or EFTPOS (in person only).

Records to be kept

Educational institutions must keep a record of:

  • The serial numbers of all security foils provided by RailCorp;
  • The individual security foil number issued to each student.
  • All students who have been issued with the bitmap image.
  • The type of card issued (in accordance with the duration of the course), in terms of an annual entitlement or a shorter term entitlement;
  • Any cards confiscated or returned;
  • Any students issued with cards who subsequently withdraw from their course of study or whose change in enrolment status makes them no longer eligible for a concession.

These records are auditable and must be retained at least until the expiry date of the concession entitlement.

A reconciliation statement must be provided to RailCorp on the designated form at the end of the academic year. All cancelled and unused security foils must be returned to RailCorp with the reconciliation statement. All unused cardboard concession cards must be destroyed.