The inquiry will consider the possibility of giving more comprehensive public access to school buses, so they have more opportunities to travel.

St Brigid's College Principal Gerard Raven welcomed the opportunity to provide the committee with feedback and said student safety remained the highest priority.

"Child safety is always our number one priority. Any services that can be provided to help connect regional and rural communities and ease the burden of distance are positive, providing the safety of the students using these services is ensured," he said.

"We welcome the opportunity to provide feedback to the review via the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria."

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Member for Lowan Emma Kealy also encouraged parents of students to have their say on the changes.

In a statement, Ms Kealy addressed rural access to public transportation services and said some school buses have "plenty of room for extra passengers".

"I am aware of many situations where young people have caught the school bus for years but are not able to continue to do so after they finish school to get their new job or tertiary education, even though they are still too young to get a drivers license," she said.

"If we can ensure child safety and school students are not disadvantaged in any way, this may be an option that could work well for our community, giving residents access to at least some form of public transport.

"We need to hear feedback from the community on issues of student safety and the risks and rewards of allowing adults onto school buses."

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Public hearings will be held after submissions have been received and will hear from witnesses to gauge people's views and experiences in regional areas.

The committee will also analyse evidence from other jurisdictions, locally and overseas, to examine the impact of expanding the school bus system.

Legislative Council's Economy and Infrastructure Committee Chair Enver Erdogan said the inquiry would consider any existing or potential barriers to allowing public access to the school bus system.

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"This inquiry will look at the transportation disadvantages experienced by rural and regional Victorians, particularly youth, the elderly and low-income households," he said.

"We would like to hear from as many people as possible across our state so we can get a true picture of the transportation limitations faced by rural and regional Victorians.

"Their experiences will be important as we seek to understand how school buses could be used to get more people connected socially and economically."

Submissions can be made via the Committee's website, at https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/eic-lc-article/4616.

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