Keolis Downer Pay Rates 2026: Driver, Depot & Award Pay
What Keolis Downer workers should be paid in 2026 — the Passenger Vehicle Transportation Award floor by classification, casual loading, penalties, and where the Keolis Downer enterprise agreements sit.
Leave & Entitlements Specialist · JD, Monash University — Admitted in Victoria (non-practising)
Who covers Keolis Downer workers — award or agreement?
Keolis Downer operates bus networks and light rail services under contract to state governments, including operations in the Hunter region and Adelaide, with drivers, light rail staff, engineering and maintenance crews across its depots.
The Passenger Vehicle Transportation Award 2020 sets the floor for bus roles, and depot- or mode-specific enterprise agreements set the actual pay at most Keolis Downer sites — the corpus holds several, covering operations, light rail and maintenance functions separately (listed below where one applies to your role).
The federal awards relevant to Keolis Downer roles:
- Passenger Vehicle Transportation Award 2020 (MA000063)
Workforce snapshot. In its 2024-25 report to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency, Keolis Australia Pty Ltd declared 4,008 employees across 9 reporting entities — 14.8% casual and 15% 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 Keolis Downer enterprise agreements
Enterprise agreements set rates above the award, with their own classification structures and allowances. Current Keolis Downer agreements in our corpus (10 in total):
- Keolis Gold Coast PTY LTD Technician Enterprise Agreement 2026 — approved April 2026, nominal expiry 8 January 2029.
- Keolis Downer Adelaide Rollingstock Agreement 2024 — approved August 2025, nominal expiry 5 August 2028.
- Keolis Downer Adelaide Infrastructure Enterprise Agreement 2024 — approved March 2024, nominal expiry 14 March 2028.
- KEOLIS DOWNER ADELAIDE MAINTENANCE EMPLOYEES AGREEMENT 2024 — approved May 2024, nominal expiry 31 December 2027.
- Keolis Downer Newcastle Ferry Master Enterprise Agreement 2024 — approved May 2025, nominal expiry 31 December 2027.
- Rail Operations Enterprise Agreement 2024 — approved September 2024, nominal expiry 31 December 2027.
- Keolis Downer Newcastle Ferry General Purpose Hand Enterprise Agreement 2025 — approved November 2025, nominal expiry 30 June 2027.
- Keolis Downer Hunter Bus Engineering and Maintenance Enterprise Agreement 2023 — approved April 2024, nominal expiry 30 June 2026.
Plus 2 more — search "Keolis Downer" in our agreements database.
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 Keolis Downer
The patterns worth checking on a Keolis Downer 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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Former Fair Work Commission Associate (2021–2024) after two years as a plaintiff-side employment paralegal in Melbourne. Juris Doctor from Monash University (2020). Writes about unfair dismissal, leave entitlements, termination, and enterprise bargaining. Admitted in Victoria, currently non-practising. Based in Fitzroy North.