At CDC Queensland, we take pride in partnering with like-minded organisations to give back to the communities we serve.
As a trusted provider of essential transport services, we’re privileged to help keep people connected, whether for work, leisure, or daily life.
Our success is built on strong relationships. The people, we employ, the clients we serve, and the communities in which we operate are all integral to our growth and shared prosperity.
We collaborate closely with transport authorities to design optimal networks, engage with the private sector to deliver effective workforce solutions, and partner with schools, sporting groups, community organisations to ensure our charter services meet the highest standards of service excellence.
Liveable and sustainable communities
We recognise the value of strong, vibrant communities. Each year, CDC Queensland forms partnerships aimed at making a meaningful difference. We prioritise initiatives that create local social and economic benefits, promote sustainability , and enhance community safety and wellbeing. We take pride in the programs we lead and collaborate on, supporting both our communities and the transport industry.
Our work in the community
CDC Queensland (formerly Buslink, Young’s Bus Service, and Rothery’s Coaches) proudly supports a wide range of organisations and causes. Each year, we collaborate with the Queensland Government during Road Safety Week on a variety of initiatives that promote safe bus travel throughout Gladstone and the Sunshine Coast.
In Gladstone, we’ve built strong relationships with the Gladstone Regional Council, Gladstone Festivals & Events, and Gladstone Ports Corporation, providing special transport services for major events, such as the Botanic to Bridge and the inaugural NRL Telstra Premiership game, and large-scale community events like the 11–17 yo youth event, Festival of Summer, and the popular Luminous festival.
We also partner with authorities and tourism operators to offer charter services for international cruise ship guests, ensuring a high standard of service and a memorable guest experience. Additionally, we collaborate with corporate partners to provide expert employee transport services in the resources sector, helping to strengthen communities.
On the Sunshine Coast, we donated two retired school buses in late 2019, one to sleepbus, which was converted into mobile sleep pods for the homeless, and another to the Queensland Fire Department as an emergency response training vehicle.
Further afield, during the late 2019 bushfire season, we donated a surplus bus to assist with the rescue of injured animals in the Yeppoon region. This donation significantly increased the number of animals that could be saved by a local wildlife sanctuary.
Our people are also committed to supporting important causes. We host morning teas and fundraising initiatives, including a staff donation to Sunshine Butterflies, a Noosa-based group that promotes healthy lifestyles and skill-building for people with disabilities, and we actively participate in R U OK? Day to raise awareness about suicide prevention.
Sleepbus – a heart-warming end-of-life journey
When a retiring bus was nearing the end of its serviceable life in 2019, our Sunshine Coast team had an idea. All it took was one call to sleepbus CEO, Simon Rowe, and the ultimate recycling partnership was on its way.
The former school bus will soon have a new lease of life when it is kitted out to sleep the homeless who do it tough camping out on the streets of the Sunshine Coast.
To quote the multitalented Simon on the sleepbus Facebook page:
“Hi sleepbus Family, more awesome news that I just had to make into a poem. Hopefully you enjoy… Just got back from an 1800km road trip from Buslink in QLD with a donated bus”.
We did indeed! Watch Simon’s poetic journey as he heads south, driving change for the homeless.
The Maroochy Neighbourhood Centre has jumped on board and is raising funds to help with this incredibly worthwhile cause. To help out head to the fundraising page and stay tuned for more.
School bus gets a new lease of life with the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services
When we update our buses, we are faced with the decision on the best use of our older, fully serviceable vehicles that are no longer required. In October 2019, a surplus 1995 model Mercedes Benz school bus was donated to the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) at our Caloundra Depot. Described by QFES as ‘invaluable’, the retired school bus has since been used around the state for emergency response training purposes, such as mock-up heavy vehicle road accident training exercises… Read more
New transport for sick and injured animals
In 2019, we donated a surplus school bus to help with the transportation of sick and injured animals to the Cooberrie Park Wildlife Sanctuary, near Yeppoon in Central Queensland.
It all began when a Buslink team member spotted a Facebook post about the heroic endeavours of Cooberrie Park Wildlife Sanctuary and Wildlife Rehabilitation HQ Inc. The post explained how staff had set about rescuing and relocating their animals during the horrific fire events, which threatened the Yeppoon area in mid-November.
We read that sanctuary staff and friends had rescued more than 150 animals in in the park’s specialist bus, transporting them to safety near Yeppoon, as fires burned nearby. A wide variety of birds, reptiles, crocodiles, koalas, and monkeys recovering from illness or injury, were among the evacuated animals.
The evacuation was described as ‘Noah’s Ark on a bus’, as the animals were whisked away, while flames and embers glowed around rescuers. The limited capacity on the sanctuary bus meant staff were faced with the agonising reality of choosing which animals to leave behind… Read more
Traditional custodians
CDC Queensland acknowledges the traditional custodians of the regions in which we operate. We acknowledge the Kabi Kabi and Jinibara Peoples of the Sunshine Coast region, and the Gooreng Gooreng, Bailai and Gurangand Peoples of the Gladstone region. We pay respect to their elders – past, present, and emerging. We are committed to contributing towards a positive future for Aboriginal communities.
