Changes can and do occur from year to year and it is always recommended to check your child’s bus route at the start of each school year. These can be checked via Translink as shared on our Facebook post on 19 January.

CDC Queensland have advised that the changes last year in the Cooroibah area, and the subsequent changes this year, were to eliminate the need for reverse turns. They advise that these are a safety risk without someone to spot while the bus is being reversed, as is the process at their depots. On small residential streets, or even larger roads with higher speed limits, there is significant risk in performing this maneuver, not only for those on the bus, but also for any children who may be running late and rushing to try and catch the bus before it leaves. Following these changes for 2024, there are no longer any school bus routes in the Noosa area that include reverse turns.

To clarify the process for school bus changes, a bus company such as CDC is contracted by Translink for the provision of school transport, the bus company lodges any changes they wish to make for an existing route, or applications for new routes, for approval by Translink. Translink requires that any changes apply from the first day of the school year. While Translink have not instructed bus companies to remove reverse turns, they now do not approve new bus routes that contain reverse turns. CDC has made this decision to proactively address the safety concerns associated with reverse turns.

As this has caused issues with parents being unaware of changes for the last two years, we have written to the Queensland Minister for Transport, seeking the ability for changes to bus routes to also occur later through the school year, allowing schools to communicate upcoming changes to parents and students.

While information is available regarding bus routes on both Translink and CDC’s websites, below is an outline of the changes that have occurred for Cooroibah which have been the most substantial in the Noosa area.

They are as follows:

Carriage Way, Cooroibah – affected route 5834. Alternative stop in green.

Silverwood Drive, Cooroibah – affected route 5834. Alternative HnR stop in green.

Yatama Place, Cooroibah – affected route 5823. Alternative HnR stop in green.

Johns Landing, Cooroibah – affected route 5823. Alternative HnR stop in green.

Amaroo Place, Cooroibah – affected route 5823. Alternative HnR stop in green.

Tronsons Road, Ringtail Creek – affected routes 5806, 5819 and 5859. Alternative HnR stop in green.

As a result, of these reverse turn removals, the key school routes through Cooroibah (i.e. 5819, 5834 and 5859) were adjusted to operate in an anti-clockwise loop (AM and PM) for safety reasons and in doing so always picking-up/setting-down on the eastern and northern sides of McKinnon Drive.

In addition to these changes for Cooroibah, CDC have also introduced the following service improvements:

  • New service to/from Noosa Springs (i.e. Noosa Springs Drive and Myrtle Road) and Sunshine Beach High, Sunshine Beach Primary and St Thomas More Primary.
  • New service to/from Boreen Point and Tewantin Primary with transfers at Tewantin Primary to other services to/from Sunshine Beach High, Sunshine Beach Primary and St Thomas More Primary.
  • New direct service to/from Pomona and St Teresas College; removing existing transfers at Cooroy.
  • New direct service in the PM from Noosaville Primary to Doonan; removing an existing transfer at Good Shepherd College.
  • Extending existing direct service to/from Eumundi and Good Samaritan College, Bli Bli to now commence in Noosaville in the AM and similarly terminate in Noosaville in the PM.
  • Additional service to/from Noosaville/Noosa Heads and St Andrews College to address overcrowding issues.
  • Additional service to/from Tewantin and Sunshine Beach High to address overcrowding issues.
  • Extending existing service to/from Noosaville and Sunshine Coast Grammar to/from Montessori College, Forest Glen.
  • Extending existing service to/from Cooroy and Sunshine Coast Grammer to now commence in Pomona in the AM and similarly terminate in Pomona in the PM, but also to now service Matthew Flinders College, Buderim and Siena College, Sippy Downs.
  • All services operating through Tinbeerwah to operate via Kingsgate Drive and Patterson Drive to improve service coverage.
  • New service to/from Peregian Beach and Marcus Beach and Peregian Springs Primary to address overcrowding issues.
  • New service to/from Peregian Beach and Marcus Beach and Coolum High to improve service options.

CDC advise that they will be monitoring the changes over coming weeks, as well any issues that are raised, and work with Translink to address where possible.

For any issues related to pathways along residential streets, please contact Noosa Council via 5329 6500 or mail@noosa.qld.gov.au  To report any incidents relating to driver behaviour, such as continued speeding or hooning on a particular street, please contact Policelink via 131 444 or www.police.qld.gov.au/policelink-reporting.

Further information

For anyone wishing to voice their concerns direct, you can do so via the following:

Please copy in our office via noosa@parliament.qld.gov.au and forward us any response you receive.

We have information regarding bus shelters at school bus stops at www.sandybolton.com/school-bus-stops-february-2023

Updates on state matters we are working on are available at www.sandybolton.com/noosa360. Just use the handy search bar to find your topic of interest.