New Yarrabah community bus service aims to connect residents with work opportunities

Local bus operator Kinetic has announced the start of operations for a new community bus service in Yarrabah Aboriginal Shire commencing today.

The 6-month trial service will connect Yarrabah residents to employment opportunities in the Portsmith Marine Precinct and link the community to existing public transport networks in Edmonton.

Buses will operate Monday to Friday, featuring early morning and afternoon runs to and from the Portsmith Marine Precinct for workers. An additional daytime service to Edmonton and Mt Sheridan will run on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, providing community members with greater connectivity to essential services and transport links.

The initiative is the result of a partnership between Kinetic, Wugu Nyambil Employment, Local Jobs Cairns, the Yarrabah Aboriginal Shire Council and local employers, with funding shared between the Australian Government, Kinetic, and Tropical Reef Shipyard.

Kinetic General Manager – North Queensland John O’Brien said the new service was a demonstration of a joint commitment amongst the local community to improve transport accessibility for regional and First Nations communities.

"By providing more public transport connections, we're opening up employment opportunities all around the region by adding to residents' commuting options,” said Mr O’Brien.

The service has been designed to meet the specific needs of the Yarrabah community, with stops at Noble Street (Wugu Nyambil), Edmonton (Cattle Street at Old Bruce Highway), Mt Sheridan Plaza (Barnard Dr), Tropical Reef Shipyard (Portsmith off Cook St) and Norship (Tingira Street), enabling connections to workplaces and existing public transport networks.

The service will be available at a 50-cent fare rate each-way ($1 return), with payment made by cash or credit/debit card.

Tropical Reef Shipyards Business Development Manager Andrew Wagner said the dedicated coordination of all partners had removed the transport barrier to accessing work and workers.

"This is a real opportunity for the Yarrabah community and us to grow our Maritime Precinct and bring prosperity to Cairns and Yarrabah,” said Mr Wagner.

Wugu Nyambil General Manager Robert Friskin said that this was a great opportunity for the people of Yarrabah to travel to Cairns daily for work opportunities.

"Transport is a major barrier to obtaining work for Yarrabah residents,” said Mr Friskin.

"We thank our partners for collaborating to enable this service to become a reality and look forward to the positive impact on members of the Yarrabah community."

As part of the launch, Kinetic will host a Moving the Mob information session in collaboration with Wugu Nyambil, showcasing employment opportunities within the transport sector for First Nations peoples.

Moving the Mob is Kinetic’s flagship First Nations employment program, providing supported career pathways for First Nations people into the transportation industry.

In North Queensland, Kinetic operates school and public bus services in Cairns and Townsville, with a raft of career opportunities from customer experience to fleet detailing and maintenance to bus driving and network operations.