BIBO Meaning in Mining: Bus In, Bus Out Explained

The short answer

BIBO stands for bus in, bus out. You live in a regional town or city, a bus takes you to the mine for your block of days on roster, and you stay on or near site until the bus takes you home for your days off. The House of Representatives inquiry into FIFO and DIDO work listed four long distance commuting terms: fly-in, fly-out (FIFO), drive-in, drive-out (DIDO), bus-in, bus-out (BIBO) and ship-in, ship-out (SISO) (inquiry report, chapter 1).

BIBO vs FIFO vs DIDO vs SISO

The difference is only how you get to work. The inquiry used “FIFO” as shorthand for all of them, meaning non-resident long distance commuters whatever the mode of transport.

The inquiry said DIDO was becoming increasingly common, particularly in Queensland and New South Wales. It did not look at SISO in the context of offshore oil and gas.

Is a daily bus BIBO?

Strictly, no. The inquiry defined these terms as regular long distance commuting for an extended period, so far from home that you cannot get back to your permanent residence at the end of a shift. It also said DIDO does not cover workers with a long daily commute home. A bus that runs from town to the mine and back each shift is a daily commute, even if people on site call it BIBO. When a job ad says BIBO, check which one it means.

Where BIBO is used

BIBO suits mines that sit within a few hours’ drive of a regional centre, where a bus is cheaper or simpler than a flight. In a 2015 submission to a Queensland Parliament inquiry, GVK Hancock said it planned to start operations at its proposed Alpha coal mine in the Galilee Basin with around 20 to 30% of the direct workforce on BIBO. It described a bus service running more than 300 km from Emerald to Barcaldine, with pick-ups at towns such as Jericho and Alpha (submission 187). That was a plan at the time, not a description of a working roster.

The same submission said employees would need to commit to personal journey management plans for travel to and from the muster point, as part of fatigue management. Expect similar rules on any BIBO job.

Queensland and the 100% FIFO ban

In Queensland, the Strong and Sustainable Resource Communities Act 2017 means large resource projects near a resource community cannot have 100% fly-in-fly-out workforces, and they must give locals fair employment opportunities (Office of the Coordinator-General). A large resource project is typically one that needs an environmental impact statement or a site-specific environmental authority, and has 100 or more workers. A resource community typically has more than 200 residents and is within 125 km of the project. For workers in those towns, BIBO, DIDO and living locally are the alternatives to FIFO.

See mining jobs in Queensland for where the work is, and mining towns for the towns near the mines.

What to ask about a BIBO job

• Where is the pick-up or muster point, and how often does the bus run?
• Is it a roster block with camp, or a daily bus from town?
• Is travel time on the bus paid, and when does your shift start counting?
• What are the fatigue and journey management rules for getting to the muster point?
• What is the roster? Our roster calculator shows your days on and off.

These depend on the employer and the agreement you are hired under, so get the answers in writing before you start.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

Last updated 27 October 2026. Facts on this page come from the sources below.

• House of Representatives inquiry into FIFO and DIDO work, chapter 1: definitions (2013)
• Office of the Coordinator-General (QLD): Large resource projects and nearby regional communities
• Queensland Parliament inquiry into FIFO and long distance commuting (2015), submission 187 (GVK Hancock)

Sources were read on 27 October 2026. The federal inquiry report dates from 2013 and the Queensland submission from 2015, so treat the project example as a plan at the time, not a current roster.