New Noosaville depot strengthens Sunshine Coast bus network amid record passenger growth

Leading mass transit operator Kinetic has officially opened its new purpose-built Noosaville Depot, an AU$15M investment into the Sunshine Coast's public transport network as the region experiences record patronage growth and prepares for a transformative decade of development.

The facility, located on Production Street in Noosaville, has a current capacity of 32 buses and over 80 staff, and has been designed to significantly improve operational efficiency and service reliability at a time when demand for public transport on the Sunshine Coast is surging, with passenger numbers across Kinetic’s Sunshine Coast services up 20% in the past 12 months.

Kinetic Group CEO Michael Sewards said the new depot is a direct response to that growth and positions the company to keep delivering for passengers as the region evolves.

"We're seeing more people choosing buses on the Sunshine Coast than ever before, and that trend is only going to accelerate," said Mr Sewards.

"Affordable fares, better infrastructure, and growing communities are all driving passenger demand, and this depot is part of our investment into the Sunshine Coast to make sure the network can keep up.

“It gives us the infrastructure to run more reliable services now, and the capacity to scale as the network grows.

"We're proud to be working alongside the Queensland Government as a delivery partner, to build the public transport network this region needs – not just for today, but for the years ahead."

The investment comes as the Sunshine Coast enters a period of significant growth, with the region's population forecast to reach over 640,000 residents by 2046 and major government infrastructure commitments underway including The Wave, new housing, and venue upgrades ahead of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Mr Sewards said Kinetic is focused on playing its part in that multi-modal transport future.

"As The Wave comes online, the bus network will be critical to connecting communities to rail, increasing service frequency, and making sure passengers can move seamlessly across the Sunshine Coast," he said.

"We’re committed to working alongside the Queensland Government to deliver an effective, true multi-modal public transport network, with bus and rail services working together seamlessly.

“Investments like the Noosaville Depot make sure we have the operational capacity to support that vision."

The depot is already delivering tangible benefits for the community, with the facility poised to reduce non-service travel by over 400,000 kilometres annually, resulting in an estimated annual decrease of 502 tonnes in CO2 emissions and saving over 176,000 litres of diesel fuel each year.

Kinetic Managing Director (Australia) Matthew Campbell said the depot delivers immediate tangible benefits for the Sunshine Coast community and Kinetic's local team.

"The Noosaville Depot allows us to respond more quickly to network requirements in the Noosa area, where high traffic volumes often cause delays, improving service reliability for passengers across the northern Sunshine Coast," said Mr Campbell.

"With 20% more passengers on our services this year, having the right infrastructure in the right locations matters more than ever.

“This depot puts us in a stronger position to support the growing demand we're seeing right across the Coast, and as new communities and developments take shape across the region, having infrastructure like this already in place means we're ready to extend services where they're needed.

"Many of our Sunshine Coast team members live near the new depot, which reduces their commute and improves work-life balance – it's a great outcome for our people."

The Noosaville Depot has also been built electric-ready, with charging gantry infrastructure and electrical transformers already installed to support zero-emission buses or other future transport technologies.

The design mirrors infrastructure Kinetic has delivered at recently opened depots in Melbourne and Auckland, and reflects the company's standard of future-proofing all new ground-up depot builds so they are ready to support zero-emission fleets when the time comes.

The Noosaville Depot marks the company's latest investment in the region, following upgrades to the Caloundra Depot in 2022 to support the introduction of 11 zero-emission buses.

Kinetic has operated on the Sunshine Coast since 2019 following the acquisition of Sunbus, managing a fleet of over 100 buses across 30 routes in partnership with Translink.