NDIS Travel and Transport Assistance: What Does It Cover in 2026?

NDIS travel and transport assistance is a broad term for support that helps you get to the places that matter to you, such as work, study, appointments and community activities. Depending on your plan and circumstances, it can involve:

Each of these works differently and may come from a different part of your plan. If you are looking for practical help with journeys, our Assistance with Travel and Transport page explains the support Care Camp Australia can discuss with you.

• Recurring transport funding , which some participants receive to pay for travel to work, study or community activities.
• Support while travelling , such as a support worker who accompanies or transports you as part of an activity.
• Travel training , which builds the skills and confidence to travel more independently.
• Provider travel , which is how some providers charge for the time and costs of travelling to deliver your support.

Every NDIS plan is organised into four support budgets: core supports, capacity building supports, capital supports and recurring supports. Not every participant has funding in all four. Transport funding sits in the recurring supports budget, and recurring transport is the only category in that budget.

According to the NDIS, recurring transport can be used for travel to and from:

This travel can include taxis, rideshare services and other private travel. When deciding whether to fund recurring transport, the NDIA considers what help your family, carers or community networks can reasonably give you.

The funding can be paid to your nominated bank account on a regular basis, or claimed through the participant portal or my NDIS app. It is flexible within the transport category, but you can’t use funding from your other support budgets to buy transport.

Read more in the NDIS guide to NDIS support budgets (opens in a new tab).

• where you work or study
• community activities and day programs
• other social, recreational or leisure activities.

The NDIS describes three levels of recurring transport funding. Which level, if any, applies to you depends on your circumstances and what is in your plan.

If you are not sure whether recurring transport applies to you, the NDIS suggests talking with your my NDIS contact. You can read the current levels on the NDIS page What are recurring supports (opens in a new tab).

Transport funding and provider travel are not the same thing.

Transport funding is money in your plan that helps you get around. Provider travel is what a provider may charge, with your agreement, for the time and costs of travelling to deliver a support to you. Provider travel is claimed alongside that support, not from your recurring transport funding.

Under the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits, a provider can only claim travel costs from your plan when a set of conditions is met. These include that the support item allows provider travel, the support is delivered face-to-face, and you have agreed to the travel costs in advance, usually in your service agreement.

Provider travel rules and price limits depend on the support item and the current NDIS guidance.

Providers should also help keep your travel costs down, for example by sharing travel time between participants they visit on the same trip, where you have agreed to that in advance.

The NDIS has a 2026–27 pricing schedule, while updated claiming guidance is still being published. Check the current NDIS pricing arrangements and ask your provider to explain travel charges before agreeing to them.

• Provider travel time may be claimable when the support item allows it, subject to the current NDIS rules, location limits and your agreement in advance.
• Non-labour costs may include vehicle running costs, tolls, parking or public transport fares. Ask your provider for the current rate, claim item and an agreed estimate before support begins.

Activity-based transport applies when a provider transports you to, from or during a community participation support, at your request. It is part of that support rather than a separate transport service.

With your agreement, the provider may claim:

These claims come from your core supports budget. If more than one participant travels on the same trip, the costs should be shared between them, with each person’s agreement in advance.

Some capacity building supports can also include activity-based transport. If you are exploring new ways to take part in your community, our Innovative Community Participation page explains another option.

• the support worker’s time, at the agreed hourly rate for the community participation support
• reasonable transport costs such as vehicle running costs, tolls or parking, where the relevant support item permits the claim and you agree to the charge in advance.

Travel training helps you build the skills and confidence to make journeys more independently. It might include planning a route, using a ticket or travel card, knowing what to do if plans change, and practising a regular trip until it feels familiar.

The NDIS pricing schedule for 2026–27 lists “skill development and training, including public transport training” as a capacity building support for improved daily living. That means travel training is about building your own skills over time, rather than someone else doing the travelling for you.

If building independence with everyday tasks is one of your goals, our Development of Daily Living and Life Skills page explains how that kind of support works.

It can, if you have recurring transport funding. The NDIS says this funding can be used for taxis, rideshare services and other private travel to get to work, study, day programs and community activities.

Because recurring transport is a set yearly amount, it helps to think about which journeys matter most and plan how the funding will stretch across the year. If you don’t have recurring transport funding, other everyday travel costs should not be assumed to be covered by your plan.

Sometimes the support you need is a person rather than a ride: someone to travel with you, help you find your way or assist you once you arrive. A worker’s time may be claimed as part of the agreed support. Vehicle costs, where claimable, follow the applicable activity-based transport rules.

Your own fares, tickets, parking and other personal expenses should not be assumed to be funded. Ask the provider to explain what will be charged to your plan and what you may need to pay yourself.

Every plan is different, but travel-related support often looks like one of these:

Journey planning

Working out a route, timing and what you need to take before you set off.

Public transport confidence

Practising regular trips on buses, trains or trams until they feel familiar.

Getting to activities, classes, groups or places that matter to you.

Travel with support

A support worker who travels with you, where that is part of your support.

Private transport where applicable

Taxis, rideshare or other private travel, if your plan includes recurring transport funding.

Before you arrange travel-related support, these questions can help you understand what to expect.

You can also see the areas we welcome enquiries from on our service areas page, and read our plain-language guide to the NDIS.

1. 01

   What type of travel support do you provide?

   Support with journeys, transport as part of an activity and travel training are different services.

2. 02

   Is the service available in my area?

   An office location doesn’t mean every service reaches every suburb, so confirm your own.

3. 03

   How will transport be charged?

   Ask about worker time, kilometre rates, tolls and parking, and whether costs are shared with other participants.

4. 04

   Which part of my NDIS plan will be used?

   Recurring transport, core supports and capacity building budgets are used differently.

5. 05

   Can you support regular journeys?

   If you travel to work, study or an activity each week, check that days and times can be arranged.

6. 06

   Can you help develop independent travel skills?

   If independence is your goal, ask whether travel training is available and how progress is reviewed.

7. 07

   What happens if my travel needs change?

   Ask how changes, cancellations and reviews of your arrangements are handled.