About us
Our Story
Founded in 2025, Happy Transport Student Services emerged with a clear and compassionate purpose: to ensure that students with disabilities can travel to and from school safely, calmly, and with dignity. What began as a purposeful decision grounded in community need has grown into a mission‑driven service dedicated to supporting families, empowering students, and strengthening inclusive communities across New South Wales.
Happy Transport was established by Maryam Shahriari, a healthcare professional and current PhD candidate in Neuroscience, with over 15 years in clinical trials, Pathology research and university‑level teaching, she has built her career around safeguarding wellbeing, ensuring compliance, and supporting individuals with diverse needs.
Her work in healthcare and teaching strengthened her belief that every student has the right to access education safely and consistently. She recognised that for many students with disabilities, the journey to school is not just transport — it is the first step in their learning day. Maryam made a deliberate decision to build a service grounded in empathy, professionalism, and evidence‑based practice, where structured, well‑designed training and clear instructions for drivers play a vital role in creating calm, predictable routines that support each student’s educational progress
Our partnership with the NSW Department of Education ensures that eligible students receive government-supported, high-quality transport tailored to their individual needs. But our purpose extends far beyond compliance. We exist to create a daily experience where every child feels safe, understood, and respected.
What sets us apart is our unwavering belief that every journey matters. We carefully select mature, responsible drivers who bring warmth, patience, and professionalism to their role. Our team understands that students with disabilities may need extra time, reassurance, or consistency — and we honour those needs with empathy and dedication.
As we continue to grow, our mission remains the same:
To build a transport service where safety, dignity, and humanity come first.
Every kilometre we travel is a step toward a more inclusive community — one where every student can learn, participate, and thrive.
Our Vision
Our vision is to transform the way students experience transport, creating lasting peace of mind for families and schools through care, trust, and reliability.
Our Mission
Our mission is to support equitable access to education by delivering safe, consistent, and dignified transport for students with diverse needs.
Our Focus
1. Ensuring safe and reliable access to education
We deliver comprehensive, well-structured training for our drivers and support teams to ensure every student enjoys calm, predictable, and respectful daily journeys that set a positive foundation for their learning
2. Empowering students through dignity and understanding
We acknowledge each student’s unique needs and support them with empathy, professionalism, and evidence informed practice, ensuring every journey feels safe, understood, and respectful.
3. Strengthening partnerships with schools and families
We engage closely with schools, families, and education partners to ensure transport enhances each student’s learning, wellbeing, and daily routine. Our dedication extends beyond compliance as we contribute to a caring, supportive environment around every student.
Our Values
Our People
MARYAM SHAHRIARI
Founder & CEO | PhD Researcher in Neuroscience
Maryam Shahriari’s journey in healthcare is driven by a deep personal passion for improving wellbeing and creating meaningful, positive impact for individuals and communities. She began her career in Medical Laboratory Science before specialising in Neuroscience, where her doctoral research focused on multidomain lifestyle interventions aimed at reducing the impact of Alzheimer’s disease. This foundation reflects her enduring commitment to scientific integrity, patient-centered prevention, and translating research into meaningful patient outcomes.
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Over the past 15 years, Maryam has contributed to clinical research and trials across a broad range of therapeutic areas, including neuroscience, oncology, endocrinology, and respiratory medicine. Her experience spans both pre-clinical and clinical settings, providing a comprehensive understanding of how research and trials translate into practical outcomes for patients and communities.
Maryam has held key roles in clinical trial operations, developing expertise in site (Hospital) management, protocol compliance, and operational problem solving. Her experience includes working within global organisations such as Parexel (CRO), contributing to Moderna’s vaccine development efforts, supporting major pharmaceutical companies in prescription medicine development, and collaborating with academic institutions including Macquarie University. Across these roles, she has supported Phase I, II, III, and pilot studies, gaining deep insight into trial design, coordination, and execution, with a strong focus on quality, safety, and ethical practice.
Drawing on her Doctoral research in Neuroscience, Maryam brings a nuanced understanding of human behaviour and wellbeing to her leadership approach. She combines scientific discipline with people centred decision making, applying research driven insights to design safe, structured, and student-centred transport systems that reflect the highest standards of care.
Maryam founded Happy Transport with a clear purpose: to create safe, calm, and dignified journeys for students with diverse needs. Her scientific expertise, operational experience, and compassion underpin her commitment to building a service that families and schools can trust. She remains actively involved in training, quality assurance, and community engagement, ensuring every journey meets the highest standards of safety and care.