Rain, hail or shine: Why this school bus stop still doesn’t have a shelter

September 7, 2026 — 5:00amPrimary students in Fig Tree Pocket have to wait for the bus in the sun and exposed to storms because there is no shelter at the stop outside their school – and the council never progressed a grant application to build one.Grandmother Milica Nikolic knows only too well the discomfort of being exposed to the elements at the stop – and with nowhere to sit.She said the bus often arrived 10 or 20 minutes late to Fig Tree Pocket State School, and once she waited 40 minutes with her grandchildren.Milica Nikolic outside Fig Tree Pocket State School, which has a bus stop with no shelter.Felicity Caldwell“There is nowhere to sit nearby, and at my age, 73, it is not easy for me to stand that long,” she said.“With the storm season approaching, bringing rain and hail – often in the afternoon when kids, some parents and grandparents wait for the school bus – it is hard to stand in the open with an umbrella.”While there is a state government program for upgrading bus stop infrastructure around schools, Brisbane is largely missing out.Of 31 such projects across Queensland in the latest round of the $4 million School Transport Infrastructure Program, just one is in Brisbane – at Our Lady of the Assumption in Enoggera.Despite having more expressions of interest than other councils for the grants, only two Brisbane projects were progressed to the official nomination stage.Michael Berkman, the Greens MP for Maiwar, wrote to Walter Taylor ward councillor Penny Wolff in December 2025 asking if the council could install a bus shelter at the school.When Berkman’s office followed up in February and March, Wolff’s office said the council’s transport and assets team said the request could be made via the School Transport Infrastructure Program (STIP) grants.Berkman submitted a STIP application, but Brisbane City Council, as the asset owner, did not make a nomination at the next stage, so it did not progress.Brisbane City Council says it is looking for opportunities to improve the Fig Tree Pocket bus stop.Felicity CaldwellIn response to questions from this masthead, the council said bus stop upgrades were not funded through the STIP, and it was continuing to look for opportunities to improve the Fig Tree Pocket stop.This appears to contradict STIP guidelines published online, which say “installation/upgrading of bus stops on school bus routes” are among the program’s eligible works.Under the STIP, anyone can submit an expression of interest – including state and non-state schools, P&Cs, a community member, road authorities, or MPs – which is then investigated by a Transport Department road safety team.The “responsible asset owner” – whoever owns the land, such as a council or school – investigates the issue behind the submission, and if deemed necessary, submits a STIP nomination, which is assessed more thoroughly before a final list of successful projects is announced.STIP projects can include new or upgraded bus stops, bikeways, paths, traffic signals, fences, pedestrian refuges, crossings, new school zones, bike racks, and stop, drop and go areas.The maximum state funding is $250,000, with the project cost usually split 50-50 with the asset owner.Brisbane, which is home to a quarter of Queensland’s total population, received more expressions of interest than any other council area for STIP funding from July 2025 to April 2026, with 17 EOIs, according to an analysis of details released via a parliamentary question on notice.Brisbane City Council was the asset manager in 11 of the 17 EOIs.But only 12 per cent of EOIs from Brisbane – two projects – progressed to the nomination stage in tranche nine.In comparison, 63 per cent of Townsville’s EOIs progressed to the nomination stage, and 60 per cent in Cairns.Brisbane City Council has submitted just six nominations for STIP funding since 2022-23.Across Queensland, 30 per cent of EOIs from private schools were funded, compared with 15 per cent for state schools.Berkman said Brisbane residents expected the council to represent them.“Council is constantly blaming a lack of state funding for a lack of public and active transport infrastructure, but when there are grants like this on offer, they’re not even applying for them,” he said.“Is this pure laziness, or is it that the LNP-led Brisbane City Council – the biggest council in Australia – won’t even stump up a 50 per cent share for basic transport projects?”But the council’s infrastructure chair, Ryan Murphy, said Berkman was “looking at one state government funding program and pretending it’s the only way we make the school run safer”.“That’s simply not the case,” he said.“We’re already getting on with improvements at schools like Bardon, Holland Park and Loreto [Coorparoo] outside this particular program.“We’ll use state funding when it makes sense, we’ll invest council funding where that gets the job done sooner, and we’ll keep working with school communities on what they actually need.“Parents don’t care which government program paid for an upgrade, they care about safer crossings, better access, and getting their kids to school safely.”Bardon State School, Holland Park State High School and Loreto College all had EOIs lodged for projects under the latest STIP round that were not progressed to a nomination.The council was also working on a STIP application for Mount Alvernia College in Kedron and investigating improvements at Petrie Terrace State School – both of which had EOIs registered.The Crisafulli government committed $4 million to the program in 2025-26, according to the Queensland Transport and Roads Investment Program.The previous Labor government had budgeted $16 million for the same period before it lost the October 2024 election.The Transport Department did not respond by deadline.Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.More:City councilFor subscribersCity lifePublic TransportBrisbaneMichael BerkmanQueensland governmentFrom our partners