Record numbers enjoy SkyBus landing at Hobart Airport

SkyBus passenger numbers have continued to soar at Hobart Airport with a record number of travellers choosing the city express service as it fast approaches its five-year anniversary.

The high-frequency service known for ease and convenience has continued its post-covid recovery, backing up a strong end to 2022 with its busiest start to the year on record.

Over 30,000 people travelled with SkyBus Hobart between the airport and city in January and February, with around 60 per cent of those inbound travellers.

SkyBus launched at Hobart Airport in July 2018 after building its iconic brand at Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport moving more than 5 million people every year.

The business has become a key tourism player, welcoming hordes of domestic and international travellers into Tasmania as their first visitor experience in the island state. 

With a continuous focus on customer innovation, SkyBus last year introduced Tasmania’s first two electric buses into service, further reinforcing Tasmania’s reputation as a green and clean tourist destination. The zero emission buses reduced CO2 emissions by 79 tonnes within the first six months of operation. 

As part of Tourism Tasmania’s ‘The Off Season’ campaign, SkyBus also ran its inaugural ‘SkyBusk’ initiative in 2022 which saw live music performances from local artists greeting visitors at the airport and on-board services.  

SkyBus Hobart Manager Corey Slade said the team at SkyBus was immensely proud and passionate about their role in Tasmania’s important tourism economy. 

“When people touch down in Tasmania, we are serious about making their first visitor experience a world-class one and that’s something we’ve maintained since day one,” Mr Slade says. 

“We deliver superior service with affordability, reliability and convenience – and we’ve invested significantly in enhancing this experience with zero emission buses now making travel cleaner, greener and quieter.” 

“We’re also seeing an increase in outbound passenger numbers, with people choosing SkyBus to get to the airport.”

Hobart Airport last year announced plans to increase its terminal size twofold as part of its 20-year vision to accommodate increasing passenger numbers. Passengers are expected to rise from 2.8 million to 3.5 million by 2030. 

Hobart Airport Chief Executive Officer Norris Carter congratulated SkyBus on its achievement.

“SkyBus has been successful because it’s operated a consistent and high quality service that’s frequent and reliable,” Mr Carter said.

“Beyond this, they’ve gone further by innovating with wifi, SkyBusk and zero emission buses, which is leading to more and more passengers choosing to travel with them.” 

SkyBus Hobart operates from 4.30am to 10:30pm between Hobart Airport and six conveniently located stops throughout the city including Hotel Grand Chancellor, Brooke Street Pier, Visitor and Information Centre, Collins Street, RACV Hobart Hotel, and The Old Wool Store Apartment Hotel.

The company is owned by Kinetic, which also operates government-contracted general access, intercity and school services across Tasmania. Across Tasmania, Kinetic now employs 272 people.