TAS Companion Card — Public bus + ferry free companion travel

What Is This Payment?

The Tasmanian Companion Card is not a cash payment. Inside the rule database it is tagged as an eligibility only benefit in the TAS Disability Support cluster, with an entitlement scope of one person on an ongoing basis. The card recognises that some people with a significant lifelong disability cannot participate in community activities without a support person beside them, and that requiring that companion to buy a second ticket effectively doubles the cost of leaving home.

The card is administered through Concessions Tasmania on behalf of the Tasmanian Government, and the application is lodged online. The card is issued in the cardholder's name and carries the cardholder's photo; the companion is whoever is accompanying the cardholder on a given trip, not a single nominated individual. On Metro buses, the River Derwent Ferry and Area Connect services the companion shows the card and travels at no charge.

The design intent is to remove the financial penalty of needing support, not to subsidise the cardholder's own travel. That is the key distinction from fare concessions: a Seniors Card or pensioner concession reduces the cardholder's own fare, whereas the Companion Card leaves the cardholder paying and instead waives the support person's fare. The card has no fixed expiry in the rule and continues while the lifelong attendant-care need persists.

How Much Can You Get?

The amount type for this rule is eligibility_only, so there is no direct cash figure for the cardholder. The rule note is explicit: the companion travels free while the cardholder pays their own fare, and there is no cardholder amount to estimate.

The realised value is the avoided second fare, which scales with how often the cardholder travels with a companion. As a guide a single Metro bus fare in Tasmania is a few dollars; for a cardholder who relies on a support person for every trip and travels several times a week, the waived companion fares can add up to several hundred dollars a year that the household would otherwise have spent. Because the saving is per accompanied trip rather than a lump sum, the rule records the display period as none.

There is no multiplier, no income or asset taper, and no date window in this rule — the card is either issued or not. The benefit value is therefore entirely a function of travel frequency on the three named services (Metro buses, River Derwent Ferry and Area Connect), and applies only to the support person, never to the cardholder's own fare.

Eligibility Conditions

The eligibility block is an all set, so every item must pass.

1. Tasmanian residency: state = TAS. The card is a Tasmanian Government concession and applies to its own public transport services; interstate cards are issued under separate state schemes.
2. Confirmed disability or illness: disability_or_illness_confirmed = true. A health professional must confirm the disability as part of the medical certification.
3. Lifelong attendant-care need: lifelong_need_for_attendant_care = true. This is the defining gate — the disability must be significant and the need for an accompanying support person must be lifelong, not temporary.

Required fields for assessment are the state of residence, the confirmed-disability flag and the lifelong-attendant-care flag. There is no income test, no asset test and no concession-card requirement, which means people who are not on a Centrelink payment can still hold a Companion Card if the disability test is met.

The exclude block in this rule is empty, and there are no listed conflicts. The practical filter is therefore the lifelong-attendant-care test rather than any payment-based exclusion. Applicants who can travel independently most of the time, even with a disability, may not meet the "need for attendant care" element.

How To Apply

Application metadata defines one channel: online. The application is completed and lodged through the Concessions Tasmania process, with a health professional supplying the supporting certification.

Evidence requirements are explicitly listed in the rule and should be prepared in advance:

• medical certification — a statement from a treating health professional confirming the significant lifelong disability and the ongoing need for attendant care

Two practical tips. First, ask the certifying professional to address the "lifelong need for attendant care" element directly rather than just describing the diagnosis — the rule turns on that specific point. Second, remember the card is for the companion's fare, so when you travel you should plan around the cardholder still paying; carry your own concession card if you hold one so your own fare is also reduced.

Apply on the official Concessions Tasmania page

Rule-Based Scenarios

Scenario 1: Lifelong disability, frequent bus user

Anaya, 34, lives in Hobart and has a significant lifelong disability that means she cannot use public transport safely without a support worker. Her specialist completes the medical certification confirming a lifelong need for attendant care, so all three eligibility items pass and her Companion Card is issued. She catches a Metro bus 4 times a week with a support worker; each trip the worker travels free while Anaya pays her own concession fare. Over a year the waived companion fares are worth several hundred dollars to her support budget. The card itself carries no cash value to Anaya.

Scenario 2: Temporary injury does not qualify

Vihaan, 28, broke his leg and needs a friend to help him onto the Launceston Area Connect service for 8 weeks. His disability is real today but it is expected to fully resolve. Because the rule requires lifelong_need_for_attendant_care = true, his temporary recovery period fails that gate and no Companion Card is issued. He is encouraged to use any short-term concession he already holds, but the companion-fare waiver is not available for a temporary need.

Scenario 3: Disabled but travels independently

Ishani, 47, has a confirmed disability but manages public transport on her own most of the time. She satisfies disability_or_illness_confirmed = true but cannot demonstrate a lifelong need for an accompanying support person. Because all three items in the all set must pass, the missing attendant-care element means she does not qualify for the Companion Card, even though she clearly has a disability. She remains eligible for ordinary fare concessions on her own travel.

Scenario 4: Cardholder using the ferry with a carer

Rohan, 61, holds a Companion Card and crosses on the River Derwent Ferry twice a week with his daughter, who is his carer. Each crossing his daughter rides free under the card while Rohan pays his own fare. Across the year the two weekly companion crossings represent a meaningful saving to the family. Because the rule scope is ongoing, the card stays valid year after year as long as the lifelong attendant-care need continues.

Common Mistakes

• Expecting your own fare to be free: the rule note states the companion travels free while the cardholder pays. The card waives the support person's fare on Metro buses, the River Derwent Ferry and Area Connect — it never makes the cardholder's own ticket free.
• Applying after a temporary injury: the gate is lifelong_need_for_attendant_care = true. A broken limb, post-surgery recovery or other short-term condition fails this test no matter how genuine the current need for help.
• Assuming a Centrelink card is required: there is no concession-card or income test in this rule. Eligibility turns entirely on residency plus the two disability flags, so people not on any payment can still hold the card.
• Nominating one permanent companion: the card is issued in the cardholder's name, not the companion's. Any accompanying support person can travel free on a given trip; you do not lock in a single nominated individual.
• Confusing it with the taxi scheme: the Companion Card covers public bus and ferry travel for a support person, not taxi fares. The Tasmanian taxi subsidy is a separate percentage-based scheme with its own membership and cap.
• Letting weak certification address only the diagnosis: medical certification that describes the condition but does not confirm a lifelong attendant-care need can stall the application, because the rule turns on that specific element rather than the diagnosis alone.

Related Benefits

• TAS Public Transport Concession Fares — half fare statewide — companion payment that reduces the cardholder's own fare, complementing the Companion Card which waives the support person's fare.
• TAS Disability Parking Permit (Transport Access Scheme) — same disability-support theme; for cardholders who travel by car with a carer rather than by bus or ferry.
• TAS Seniors Card — separate self-application card unlocking state concessions; useful for an older cardholder reducing their own travel costs.
• TAS Free Ambulance Service — universal residency-based cover that pairs naturally with disability support for medical transport.
• TAS Home Oxygen Program — in-kind health support in the same eligibility-only family, for cardholders with chronic respiratory needs.

Frequently Asked Questions