Transport funding in an NDIS plan confuses a lot of people, and honestly, the NDIS does not make it easy to understand. Here is a plain English rundown of how it works.
Where transport funding sits in your plan
Transport funding is in the Core Supports budget, under the category called Transport. It is separate from the funding you get for support workers who accompany you during transport. That distinction trips people up. The transport line item covers the actual cost of getting from A to B. The support worker time is a separate charge under Assistance with Daily Life or Assistance with Social and Community Participation.
What transport funding covers
Your transport funding can be used for trips related to your NDIS goals and supports. That includes getting to medical appointments, travelling to work or study, attending NDIS funded activities and programs, getting to community participation activities, and travelling to other disability related appointments.
It does not cover general transport for everyday errands unless they are directly connected to your NDIS plan goals. Getting to the supermarket to buy groceries might be covered if grocery shopping is part of your domestic assistance goal. Driving to a friend’s birthday party probably is not, unless social connection is a specific plan goal.
How the funding works
The NDIS typically provides a fortnightly or weekly transport allowance based on the level of support you need. There are three levels. Level 1 is for participants who can use public transport without help. Level 2 is for participants who cannot use public transport without substantial difficulty and need taxi or private transport. Level 3 is for participants who cannot use public transport at all.
The actual dollar amounts change when the NDIS updates its pricing, so check the current NDIS Pricing Arrangements for the latest figures. Your plan will specify which level applies to you and the total amount allocated.
Using your transport funding
If you are self managed, you can spend your transport funding on taxis, rideshare services, fuel costs if someone drives you, or paying a provider like us for transport assistance. Keep receipts. If you are plan managed, your plan manager processes the claims. If you are agency managed, your registered provider (that is us, if you are using Lucky Support Solutions) claims directly from the NDIS.
What about travel training?
If you want to learn to use public transport independently, your plan might include funding for travel training under Capacity Building. This is different from the Core Supports transport allocation. Travel training pays for a support worker to accompany you on public transport and teach you the skills to do it on your own. Over time, this can reduce your need for funded transport.
