The Brisbane City Council is actively considering turning CityCats into floating bars, exploring how to add alcohol licenses to ten of these ferries.
Although it’s in its very early stages, the pilot program would look into having a food and beverage offer on some ferries, inspired by Sydney ferry sevices that do currently serve alcohol.
The trial is supported by Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner, who is in favour of seeing the way Brisbane responds before deciding whether to keep the program or not.
Despite the goal of having it up and running next year, not everyone is happy about the idea, with some local residents expressing concern about increased risk of accidents due to drunkenness. The Council’s plan though, includes taking licensing requirements into account, including serving food and practising responsible service of alcohol, similar to the Manly Ferry in Sydney.
These reassurances notwithstanding, there’s still significant controversy surrounding the decision, given that CityCat operator RiverCity Ferries is currently working through pay negotiations with the Brisbane City staff, with the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) workers having meetings since last year, and conducting industrial action on and off since July 2026.
The Union argues that they already have to deal with intoxicated passengers when it comes to late-night services, and this would only get worse, should the program be approved, adding to the workload and risk of the whole crew. They also stressed the ferry services’ character as being one of public transport, as opposed to floating pubs.
The Australian Maritime Officers Union (AMOU) also raised concerns about the power required to run the required refigerators, the limited space, and the extra weight of a bar.
In spite of misgivings, the plan is said to be progressing, and the parties involved are reported to have an open dialogue.
CityCat Union members did pause industrial action to participate in Fair Work Commission proceedings to reach an agreement on pay and conditions, due to the increased workload because of the recently-established 50-cent fares.
It remains to be seen whether even the pilot program will get the green light, so we’ll keep you updated here!
