Making life easier for families
Live outside of Glen Forrest and Darlington? We have dedicated bus services available for families.
Bus Services
The College provides dedicated bus services to six main regions. All buses arrive at the Glen Forrest Campus in the morning and depart from the Glen Forrest Campus in the afternoon. There is also an intercampus bus service, morning and afternoon, that links the Junior School (Darlington) and Senior School (Glen Forrest), ensuring that Junior School students are also able to access the bus services. The intercampus bus link is also handy for parents who have children in Junior School* and Senior School.
For more information, call (08) 9298 9100 or email bus@helena.wa.edu.au.
*Due to supervision ratios required under the National Quality Framework applicable to Kindergarten students, we are not able to offer the bus services listed below to students in Kindy.
The morning and afternoon buses pick up and drop off in Bassendean, Guildford, Midland, Midvale, Swan View, Greenmount and Glen Forrest. The afternoon route also includes Jane Brook and Bellevue. Please note that the times have been amended for Term One (1 February 2024).
The morning and afternoon buses pick up and drop off in Bickley, Lesmurdie, Kalamunda, Gooseberry Hill, Maida Vale, Helena Valley, Boya and Darlington.
The morning and afternoon buses pick up and drop off in Gooseberry Hill, Maida Vale, Helena Valley, Boya, Darlington and Glen Forrest. The afternoon route also includes High Wycombe.
The morning and afternoon buses pick up and drop off in Toodyay, Hoddy’s Well, Morangup, Gidgegannup, Stoneville, Mundaring and Glen Forrest. The afternoon route also includes Hovea.
The morning and afternoon buses pick up and drop off in Glen Forrest, Hovea, Parkerville, Stoneville, Mt Helena, Chidlow and Sawyers Valley.
The morning and afternoon buses pick up and drop off in York with stops at Inkpen and The Lakes service station.
Who operates the bus service?
West Coast Bus Charter operate the Helena College bus routes. All buses use the RollCall management system enabling live bus tracking and electronic ticketing via the RollCall parent app. Buses all have air-conditioning, CCTV onboard, seatbelts and GPS tracking.
How do I register to use the service?
If you have not already completed a registration form you will need to complete the form at this link. Once this is complete, you will be sent a “Welcome” email inviting you to set up a password and download the RollCall bus management app.
How do I pay?
From 12 February 2024, all payments for bus travel are made via the RollCall parent app.
Will my child need a Smartrider?
If they have one, they will be able to use it to tag on and off. It is not essential. If they do not have a Smartrider, the bus driver can tag them on/off manually.
What do I do with my old bus tokens leftover from 2023?
Please hand them in at Reception, and you will receive a travel credits in RollCall for any unused tokens.
How much does it cost?
- Casual travel (pay as you go) is $5 per trip for local routes and $10 per trip for York and Toodyay.
- For frequent bus travellers reserved seating is available. Reserved seating allows unlimited travel on the nominated route.
- Reserved seating for AM routes is $175 per term ($350 York/Toodyay)
- Reserved seating for PM routes is $175 per term ($350 York/Toodyay)
- Reserved seating for AM and PM routes is $350 per term. ($700 York/Toodyay).
- All bookings and payments must be done via the RollCall App.
Do I have to use the RollCall app?
Yes. From 12 February 2024 you will need to book your child onto the relevant route on the days/times they will be travelling on the bus unless you have arranged to purchase a reserved seat for a term charge - in this instance your child will have a permanent booking on the designated route for the term. For 'pay as you go' casual users, bookings can be made up to 30 days in advance, or as late as 5am on the day of travel for morning routes, or as late as 12 noon on the day of travel of afternoon routes.
Can Kindy students use the service?
No. Due to supervision ratios required under the National Quality Framework applicable to Kindergarten students, we are not able to offer the bus services listed above to students enrolled in Kindy.
Who do I speak to for further information?
All enquiries related to the bus services can be emailed to bus@helena.wa.edu.au.
*Bus routes may be subject to change in 2024, based on user demand.