For the ACT government to reject special needs transport to primary school for an autistic boy whose single mother is suffering serious mental health issues illustrates a system where priorities are apparently lacking.

Particularly as, by the government’s own admission, a vehicle with capacity to carry another passenger was travelling the same route.

Nancy Ju is one of a number of parents in Canberra asking for the government’s help to transport their children, who have special needs, to school.

Ms Ju’s son, 10-year-old Allan, suffers autism.

She reasonably requested transport to take him from their Chisholm home to Duffy Primary, and has been fighting for Allan's seat on the bus for several years. She acknowledged Duffy was not her local school but said she enrolled Allan because it was recommended by an Autism Spectrum Australia early intervention specialist.

But the government has continually rejected the request because Allan isn’t being schooled at their closest "appropriate and available" learning support program.

However, The Sunday Canberra Times today revealed that other families in the ACT have been rejected from the special needs transport service for contradictory reasons; both because their child was enrolled in their priority enrollment area and because they were not.

One parent's application was declined even though they could not drive and their child "cannot read or will be able to understand where to get/off change buses ... [and] would not be able to ask for assistance if he needed it" on public transport.

As with all public services, there are of course limitations. However the government has refused a reasonable request from individual because it did not conform to confusing and restrictive guidelines.

Fighting for a seat on the bus shouldn’t be this hard.

There is no doubt that the government should be applauded for the 346 students with disabilities that are being transported to school across the territory.

However, as is the case for Allan who has settled into a school where he is thriving, the government needs to acknowledge and prioritise the human impact before rejecting the request of a mother in need.