When will the NDIS help with transport?

The NDIS may help with transport when your disability reduces your ability to travel independently to work, study, appointments or community activities. The support is for the extra difficulty your disability creates, not for ordinary travel everyone has. It must be reasonable and necessary and connected to your disability and the goals in your plan.

How much transport funding will I get?

There is no single answer. Recurring transport support has generally been tiered according to how much you work, study or take part in the community, with higher levels for people travelling to work or study. The levels and amounts can change and depend on your circumstances, so check your plan and the current details published at ndis.gov.au.

What is the difference between transport funding and provider travel?

Transport funding helps you travel, for instance getting yourself to a program when you cannot travel independently. Provider travel is about a worker's travel, such as a support worker coming to you or moving between clients. They have separate rules and come from different parts of your budget, so it is worth clarifying which applies.

Does the NDIS cover my everyday travel costs?

No. The NDIS does not cover ordinary travel costs that anyone would have regardless of disability. It focuses on the extra barriers your disability creates. If you can travel independently or your needs are the same as everyone else's, transport funding may not be reasonable and necessary for you.

Can I use public or community transport as well?

Yes, and the NDIS generally expects you to use mainstream and community transport where it is available and suitable. Public transport is for everyone, and community transport services can help with shopping, appointments and outings. The NDIS works alongside these systems and is not designed to replace what they already provide.

Are there concessions outside the NDIS?

Yes. State and territory governments run concession and subsidy schemes separate from the NDIS. Many offer subsidised taxi travel for eligible people with disability and concession fares on public transport. These have their own eligibility rules but can reduce your costs and are often used together with any NDIS transport support you receive.

What happens to my transport funding if my work or study changes?

A change in how much you work, study or participate can affect the level of transport support that is reasonable and necessary for you. If your situation changes significantly, it may be a reason to seek a plan review. Speak with your planner or support coordinator, and check current guidance at ndis.gov.au.

How can the NDIS help with transport?

How transport support works when your disability affects your ability to travel.

Getting to work, study, appointments and activities is part of everyday life, but for some people a disability makes travelling independently difficult or impossible. Where that is the case, the NDIS may be able to help with transport.

Transport support is not about covering the ordinary costs of getting around that everyone has. It is about the extra barriers your disability creates. Understanding how the NDIS thinks about transport, and how it fits with other systems, helps you know what to expect.

In this guide

The NDIS can help with transport when your disability affects your ability to travel independently to work, study, appointments or community activities.
Transport funding is generally tiered according to how much you work, study or take part in the community, described in levels rather than fixed amounts.
Transport funding is different from provider travel, which covers a worker's travel to and from you.
The NDIS does not usually cover everyday travel costs that anyone would have, regardless of disability.
Mainstream and community transport, plus concessions such as taxi subsidy schemes, may also help and should be considered.

How the NDIS thinks about transport

The NDIS starts from the idea that transport support is for the extra difficulty your disability adds to travelling, not for travel itself. Everyone has to get to places and pay some cost to do so. What the NDIS looks at is whether your disability means you cannot use public transport independently or need help to travel that a person without disability would not need.

This is why not everyone with a plan receives transport funding. If you can travel independently, or if your travel needs are the same as anyone else's, transport funding may not be reasonable and necessary for you.

The NDIS also works alongside mainstream systems rather than replacing them. Public transport, community transport services and state or territory concession schemes exist for the whole community, including people with disability. The NDIS is not designed to take over what these systems already provide, and it will generally expect you to use mainstream and community options where they are available and suitable.

When transport support applies

Transport support is most relevant when your disability directly reduces your ability to travel independently and this affects your participation in work, study or the community. For example, you might be unable to safely use public transport on your own, or need to travel in a particular way because of your disability.

The purpose of the funding is usually to help you get to the activities that build your independence and involvement, such as a job, a course, a day program or community activities. It links your ability to travel to the goals in your plan.

It is worth being clear about what transport funding is not for. It generally does not cover trips that are unrelated to your disability needs, and it does not turn the NDIS into a general travel allowance. As with all supports, the test is whether the transport help is reasonable and necessary and connected to your disability and goals. You can read how this is framed in the NDIS Our Guidelines at ndis.gov.au.

The tiers in general terms

For recurring transport support, the NDIS has generally used a tiered approach. The idea is that the level of funding reflects how much you are travelling for work, study and community participation. Someone who is not working or studying will usually sit at a lower level than someone travelling regularly to a job.

In broad terms, a lower level is intended for people who are not currently working or studying but do travel for some activities. A middle level recognises people who are more active in the community, and in some cases studying or doing activities aimed at getting them ready for work. A higher level is intended for people who are working, looking for work or studying and need more travel support to do so.

These are general descriptions only. The actual levels, and how much sits in each, can change over time and depend on your circumstances, so it is important not to rely on fixed figures. Your plan will set out what has been approved for you, and current details are published at ndis.gov.au. If your work or study situation changes, that can be a reason to review your transport support.

Transport funding vs provider travel

People often confuse two different things: transport funding for you, and provider travel. They are not the same, and mixing them up can cause confusion about what your budget covers.

Transport funding is money to help you travel, for example the cost of getting yourself to a program or appointment when your disability means you cannot get there independently. Provider travel, on the other hand, is about a worker's travel. When a support worker travels to reach you, or between clients to deliver your supports, that travel may be claimed under the rules for provider travel from your relevant support budget, not from your transport funding.

In practice this means your transport funding is generally about you moving from place to place, while provider travel relates to the person delivering a support coming to you. Both have their own rules about what can be claimed, and it is a good idea to check current guidance and your service agreements so everyone is clear about which is which.

Other transport options

Because the NDIS works alongside mainstream systems, it is worth knowing what else is available. Public transport is designed for everyone, and accessibility features on buses, trains and trams continue to improve. Where public transport does not meet your needs, community transport services run by local organisations can be a practical option for shopping, appointments and social outings.

State and territory governments also run concession and subsidy schemes. Many offer subsidised taxi travel for eligible people with disability, along with concession fares on public transport. These are separate from the NDIS and have their own eligibility rules, but they can significantly reduce your travel costs and are often used together with any NDIS transport support.

A good approach is to look at the whole picture: what you can do independently, what mainstream and community transport can cover, what concessions you qualify for, and where a genuine gap remains because of your disability. That remaining gap is where NDIS transport support is most likely to fit. Your planner or support coordinator can help you map this out, and you can check current information at ndis.gov.au.

Frequently asked questions

When will the NDIS help with transport?: The NDIS may help with transport when your disability reduces your ability to travel independently to work, study, appointments or community activities. The support is for the extra difficulty your disability creates, not for ordinary travel everyone has. It must be reasonable and necessary and connected to your disability and the goals in your plan.
How much transport funding will I get?: There is no single answer. Recurring transport support has generally been tiered according to how much you work, study or take part in the community, with higher levels for people travelling to work or study. The levels and amounts can change and depend on your circumstances, so check your plan and the current details published at ndis.gov.au.
What is the difference between transport funding and provider travel?: Transport funding helps you travel, for instance getting yourself to a program when you cannot travel independently. Provider travel is about a worker's travel, such as a support worker coming to you or moving between clients. They have separate rules and come from different parts of your budget, so it is worth clarifying which applies.
Does the NDIS cover my everyday travel costs?: No. The NDIS does not cover ordinary travel costs that anyone would have regardless of disability. It focuses on the extra barriers your disability creates. If you can travel independently or your needs are the same as everyone else's, transport funding may not be reasonable and necessary for you.
Can I use public or community transport as well?: Yes, and the NDIS generally expects you to use mainstream and community transport where it is available and suitable. Public transport is for everyone, and community transport services can help with shopping, appointments and outings. The NDIS works alongside these systems and is not designed to replace what they already provide.
Are there concessions outside the NDIS?: Yes. State and territory governments run concession and subsidy schemes separate from the NDIS. Many offer subsidised taxi travel for eligible people with disability and concession fares on public transport. These have their own eligibility rules but can reduce your costs and are often used together with any NDIS transport support you receive.
What happens to my transport funding if my work or study changes?: A change in how much you work, study or participate can affect the level of transport support that is reasonable and necessary for you. If your situation changes significantly, it may be a reason to seek a plan review. Speak with your planner or support coordinator, and check current guidance at ndis.gov.au.

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