Published on Monday, 13 July 2026 at 12:22:19 PM

For the past decade, the Regional Youth Driver Education (RYDE) program has helped young people take an important step towards independence, confidence and opportunity.

First launched by the Town of Bassendean’s Youth Services Team in 2016, RYDE was created to support disadvantaged young people who needed help completing supervised driving hours and working towards their driver’s licence.

Over time the program grew into a valued youth initiative across metropolitan and regional Western Australia, built on the generosity of volunteer mentors who gave their time, patience and encouragement to sit alongside young learner drivers.

The Town sincerely thanks every volunteer, partner, school, service provider and participant who has contributed to RYDE over the life of the program. Their efforts have made a meaningful difference to young people, helping participants build skills, confidence and in many cases enough log-book hours to confidently sit their driver's license assessment.

While RYDE has been a valued program, in recent years, participants have transitioned to other service providers, with the Town ending delivery of RYDE Bassendean on 30 June 2026.

The decision reflects a clear change in how the service was being used, with participation in Bassendean RYDE being extremely low.

As a small local government, the Town must carefully consider where it can have the greatest impact, particularly in the context of increasing operational and technology costs, and other youth driver support programs now available.

Programs such as the Wanderer Program are already assisting young people from Bassendean, Ashfield and Eden Hill to gain their driver's licences. As other providers have taken on a greater role in delivering these services, it is no longer viable for the Town to continue delivery of RYDE.

RYDE will remain an important part of the Town’s youth services story. As delivery comes to an end, the Town celebrates the program’s legacy, the young people it has supported and the volunteers whose contribution has been central to its success.

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