CDC Buses Pay Rates 2026: Driver, Depot & Award Pay
What CDC Buses workers should be paid in 2026 — the Passenger Vehicle Transportation Award floor by classification, casual loading, penalties, and where the CDC Buses enterprise agreements sit.
Payroll & Compliance Editor · Registered BAS Agent, Cert IV Accounting & Bookkeeping
Who covers CDC (ComfortDelGro) Buses workers — award or agreement?
CDC — trading under the ComfortDelGro brand — operates metropolitan and regional bus contracts across several states, including New South Wales route regions and Hunter Valley services, with drivers, depot support and maintenance staff making up most of the workforce.
Pay is set by the Passenger Vehicle Transportation Award 2020 floor, though most CDC depots operate under their own enterprise agreements that set the actual rates — several are registered in our corpus (listed below where they apply to your depot). Check which entity and agreement covers your specific depot, since terms vary by region.
The federal awards relevant to CDC (ComfortDelGro) Buses roles:
- Passenger Vehicle Transportation Award 2020 (MA000063)
Workforce snapshot. In the 2024-25 Workplace Gender Equality Agency reports, CDC NSW Region 4 Pty Ltd, Hunter Valley Buses Pty Ltd reported 1,695 employees (part of the Comfortdelgro Corporation Australia Pty Ltd group, 6,604 employees in total, 30.1% casual and 20.9% women). Source: WGEA 2025 Public Data File, data.gov.au (CC-BY 3.0 AU).
Passenger vehicle award floor (1 July 2026)
Bus drivers and depot staff sit on the Passenger Vehicle Transportation Award 2020 (MA000063):
| Classification | Permanent | Casual (incl. 25%) |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 1 (cleaner, yard hand) | $27.34/hr | $34.17/hr |
| Grade 2 (driver — vehicle up to 25 seats) | $27.97/hr | $34.96/hr |
| Grade 3 (driver — route bus over 25 seats) | $29.55/hr | $36.94/hr |
| Grade 4 (driver — articulated/coach, or with additional duties) | $30.59/hr | $38.24/hr |
| Grade 5 (senior driver/leading hand) | $32.27/hr | $40.34/hr |
| Grade 6 (supervisor) | $33.70/hr | $42.13/hr |
Broken shifts, early starts and weekend work carry their own loadings under the award; depot agreements typically restructure them.
Source: Fair Work Commission modern awards pay database, current-operative rates (1 July 2026 annual wage review). Casual figures add the 25% casual loading.
The CDC (ComfortDelGro) Buses enterprise agreements
Enterprise agreements set rates above the award, with their own classification structures and allowances. Current CDC (ComfortDelGro) Buses agreements in our corpus (8 in total):
- CDC and TWU Regional NSW Drivers Enterprise Agreement 2025 — approved October 2025, nominal expiry 30 June 2029.
- IKEA DC CDC Enterprise Agreement 2025 — approved December 2025, nominal expiry 31 August 2028.
- CDC NSW Engineering Enterprise Agreement 2024 — approved November 2024, nominal expiry 31 December 2026.
- COLES PARKINSON CDC AND UWU ENTERPRISE AGREEMENT 2023 — approved September 2023, nominal expiry 31 July 2026.
- CDC Victoria Maintenance Services Enterprise Agreement - 2023-2026 — approved September 2023, nominal expiry 30 June 2026.
- CDC Northern Territory & TWU Enterprise Agreement 2026 — approved March 2026, nominal expiry 30 June 2026.
- RedBus CDC NSW Outer Region 7 Enterprise Agreement 2025 — approved June 2025, nominal expiry 30 June 2026.
- CDC NSW Region 14 Terrey Hills Drivers Enterprise Agreement 2022 — approved July 2023, nominal expiry 30 June 2026.
We don't reproduce agreement dollar figures here — the agreement covering your site, state and stream is the document to read. Find your agreement, then your classification, then your pay point, and compare it with your payslip. The award tables on this page are the floor every one of these agreements must beat.
Common bus pay issues at CDC (ComfortDelGro) Buses
The patterns worth checking on a CDC (ComfortDelGro) Buses payslip:
- Driving a bigger combination than your grade pays for — the grade follows the vehicle you're required to drive.
- Unpaid loading, waiting and pre-start time.
- Overtime and night loadings absorbed into a flat rate that doesn't beat the award for the roster.
- Contractor arrangements that look like employment — owner-drivers who are really employees.
What to do if your pay looks wrong
Match your payslip to your classification in the agreement (or the award tables above), and price any gap with our back-pay calculator. Raise it in writing with payroll or your manager first — most underpayments are fixed at that step. Unresolved, the Fair Work Ombudsman (13 13 94) recovers underpayments at no cost, up to six years back, and your union can run the claim for you. Not sure which instrument covers you? Ask our AI advisor with your role and location.
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Official resources
General information and estimates only — not legal, financial or tax advice. Always check your specific award, agreement or contract, or a qualified professional, before you rely on the result.
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Six years running payroll for a Western Sydney commercial builder before moving to compliance writing and contract payroll. Registered BAS Agent (TPB). Cert IV in Accounting and Bookkeeping. Writes about pay calculations, superannuation, and the 2026 Payday Super rollout. Based in Cabramatta, Sydney.