| Formerly | Sunbus Cairns Marlin Coast Sunbus |
|---|---|
| Parent | Kinetic |
| Founded | 1995 |
| Headquarters | Smithfield |
| Service area | Cairns |
| Service type | Bus operator |
| Routes | 18 |
| Hubs | Cairns City Palm Cove Smithfield Shopping Centre Stockland Cairns Westcourt |
| Depots | 1 |
| Fleet | 59 (January 2025) |
| Website | [1][2] |
Kinetic Cairns, formerlySunbus Cairns andMarlin Coast Sunbus, is the principal bus operator inCairns, Queensland, Australia. Operating services under contract toTranslink, it is a subsidiary ofKinetic.
In 1995, Harry Blundred, the proprietor ofThames Transit in the United Kingdom, was awarded the operating rights to route services in Cairns by theGovernment of Queensland.[1] It initially was a joint venture with Beach Bus and West Cairns Bus Service, but Blundred took full control shortly after.[2]
As part of the deal, Sunbus was also responsible for the operation of school bus services in the region, however these were sold in 1997 to fellow British bus operatorStagecoach.[3][4]
In April 2008, Blundred sold Marlin Coast Sunbus along with the otherSunbus operations toTransit Australia Group.
In April 2019, Transit Australia Group was purchased by AATS Group, parent company ofSkybus and majority owned byOPTrust.[5] In August 2019, AATS Group was rebrandedKinetic.[6]
This is a separate operation toLove's Bus Service Cairns which is also owned by Kinetic.
In 2022, the Sunbus brand was retired in favour of Kinetic.
Sunbus operates fromPalm Cove andTrinity Beach in the north, and as far south asGordonvale andEdmonton.[7]
As of January 2025, the fleet consisted of 59 buses, primarilyBustech bodiedVolvo B12BLEs, Bustech MDi and XDis.[8] The fleet livery is light blue.