General News
25 June, 2025
Mob urged to take bus
A NEW bus service is connecting residents of Yarrabah with workplaces at the Portsmith marine precinct.
In addition, a daytime service will run three times to Mt Sheridan and Edmonton so people can attend appointments, do shopping and other errands.
Local bus operator Kinetic is running the six-month trial service. Buses will operate Monday to Friday, featuring early morning and afternoon runs to and from the Portsmith marine precinct for workers. An extra 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 north Queensland general manager John O’Brien said the new service was a demonstration of a joint commitment among 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,” he said.
Mr O’Brien said the service was designed to meet the specific needs of the Yarrabah community, with stops at Noble St (Wugu Nyambil), Edmonton (Cattle St at old Bruce Highway), Mt Sheridan Plaza (Barnard Dr), Tropical Reef Shipyard (Portsmith off Cook St) and Norship (Tingira St), 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,” he said.
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.
