A Warrnambool school is 'grateful' V/Line have accepted its group request to transport students to a camp in Melbourne in October. St Joseph's Primary School grade six teacher Andrew McCombe approached V/Line earlier this year to make a booking for 104 students and 12 teachers and adults for the camp that runs from October 23 to 25. At the time, V/Line told The Standard it reviewed each booking on a case-by-case basis. The school was initially told to split the bookings into two groups, which school principal Matthew O'Brien said would not work and would cost the school more than $4000. V/Line said where it was unable to accommodate a group on its preferred service it worked with them on an alternative, which included travelling at different times or splitting group sizes. V/Line also requested the school submit a formal group booking form within 100 days of travel in line with its normal group booking process. IN OTHER NEWS Mr McCombe said the school was grateful for the opportunity to use the service. "The children are happy it will allow them to do more activities and will be able to have a more fulfilling camp experience," he said. "They're looking forward to travelling with V/Line." A V/Line spokesman said it had closely monitored patronage for the services following the group booking request. "On this occasion we're able to accommodate a group of this size," he said. "There has been strong demand for our services and increased patronage levels following the introduction of the regional fare cap and all group booking requests are considered on a case-by-case basis." The state government introduced the cap in March, 2023, in line with the metropolitan daily rate. "We look forward to welcoming St Joseph's Primary School students on our trains next month for their trip to Melbourne," the V/Line spokesman said. The Standard understands group bookings were subject to availability, with group sizes limited to ensure the balance of the needs of all passengers wanting to travel on the services. The issue was raised in parliament by Member for South West Coast Roma Britnell. Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: