Effective from August 6, if a single passenger fails to present a current border permit, the entire bus will be refused entry across the border.
“Police told one of the bus drivers yesterday,” Eliza Baldwin said on August 7.
“We let the schools know about what the border patrol police said and asked them to share it around so we can get the message out there that unfortunately, if one kid doesn’t have a current permit on them the entire bus is turned around.
“Hence, we’ve asked all the schools to check the permits as they board the kids and we ask the kids as they get on.”
Since the Cobram-Barooga border closure on July 15, the bus service has enforced a no permit, no entry policy.
Ms Baldwin said each child was asked to present their permit on boarding and was denied access to the service if unable to do so.
As a result, crossings at the Cobram-Barooga bridge have been fairly smooth for the bus company in comparison to other border crossings.
“It has been pretty good so far, we haven’t had any major dramas, so we’ve been quite lucky in that respect,” Ms Baldwin said.
“I know other companies further along the river have had some trouble, but we seem to have quite a bit of co-operation with parents and schools.
“All the info is getting passed around and shared which is handy,” she said.
Those looking to apply for a border permit can do so by visiting www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/apply-covid-19-nsw-border-entry-permit