- A new bus route will provide public transport to the growing communities of Airlie Beach for the first time.
- Bus stop changes and route realignments will make it easier to get to and from the shops and between main attractions.
- Doubling the number of bus routes will increase public transport frequency to three services every hour, seven days a week.
The Jubilee Pocket and Cannonvale communities will benefit from direct access to public transport for the first time when a new bus service launches next month.
The introduction of route 861 on Monday, May 26 will add more than 200 weekly trips, and provide more frequency and travel options for the Whitsundays coast community.
Improvements to existing bus route 860 will also provide increased network coverage within Proserpine following a realigned outbound route and timetable changes. All route 860 buses travel via Whitsunday Plaza, making it easier to get to and from the shops.
Together, routes 860 and 861 will provide greater frequency along the main corridor between Whitsunday Plaza and Jubilee Pocket with three services every hour, seven days a week between 6.30am to 9.30pm.
Bus stops changes will include 12 new stops in Airlie Beach and Proserpine, with a new stop built at Fuljames Street, Proserpine, to improve safety and make the network more efficient. The Blair Street stop will be closed.
Proserpine primary and secondary students can continue to travel to and from school, as the morning and afternoon trips from Proserpine will be maintained along Ruge Street.
Highlights of the Whitsundays bus improvement package include:
Existing Route 860
- Residential areas in south-eastern Proserpine will have direct access to public transport, with buses realigned to travel via Fuljames Street and Renwick Road.
- All trips will travel via Whitsunday Plaza, making it easy to get to and from the shopping precinct.
- Journeys are expected to be quicker and more direct, with the removal of infrequently used stops on Beach Road and Coral Esplanade, Proserpine.
- An earlier start on weekdays, departing Fuljames Street at 5:19am instead of Orchid Road at 5:55am.
New route 861
- New bus service connecting Whitsunday Plaza and Jubilee Pocket.
- Buses will run hourly from 6.30am to 10pm, seven days a week, providing 217 new trips a week.
- Customers will be able to catch route 861 at 30 existing route 860 bus stops (from Whitsunday Plaza to Mandalay) plus six new ones.