Big Red Kidney Bus FAQs

The Big Red Kidney Bus is a mobile service that provides free holiday dialysis in popular destinations across the Gold Coast, New South Wales and Victoria. The three Buses travel to coastal and regional destinations and stay at holiday parks for 4 to 6 weeks at a time, allowing people on dialysis to travel to the area, take a holiday and continue to receive their dialysis treatment. Our partners at Gold Coast Health Service, Royal North Shore Hospital and Monash Health provide expert clinical care on board the Buses providing peace of mind to patients and their families.

The Bus is available to people on haemodialysis, over the age of 16, who are citizens of Australia or New Zealand.

We welcome bookings and enquiries from those wanting to:

• go on holiday – whether from interstate or intrastate. (You do not need to be a resident of that state to use the Bus)
• take their caravan away on holiday
• travel for work
• dialyse on country
• dialyse closer to home and reduce their usual travel time
• trial using the Big Red Kidney Bus when its located close to their usual renal unit

For the safety of bus users, at this stage, we are currently unable to provide dialysis for those with a permcath or similar entry point.

Please read our admission criteria to ensure you are eligible before making a booking.

Your dialysis sessions on the Bus are free!

You will however need to organise and pay for your own accommodation and transport to and from the Bus location. We aim to locate the Bus in clean and comfortable holiday parks at each destination. Where possible, we will try to negotiate a discounted nightly rate for Bus users. This will be advertised on the booking page and the destinations page.

The Bus has a wheelchair lift that enables access onto the Bus. You will then need to be able to move into the dialysis chair independently.

You are welcome to book as many or as few sessions as you like. Some users will book one session for a weekend away, while others may book three to six sessions to enjoy a longer holiday.

We currently have COVIDSafe procedures to ensure the safety of our nursing staff and users. Additional guests are currently not permitted on the Bus. If you have special requirements and need the support of a carer, please let us know.

Bookings can be made on the bookings page here by the patient or their partner, family member or carer. We also accept bookings made by nurses on behalf of patients. If you have any questions or are finding it difficult to navigate online, please free call our team on 1800 454 363 (select option 3) and we’ll gladly assist you over the phone.

To make a booking online or over the phone, you will need the following information

• Your email address. If you do not have an email address, you can provide the email of your emergency contact or renal unit
• Emergency contact details including name, phone number, and email address
• Private health insurance details (if applicable)
• Medicare details
• Your dialysis unit details including the address, phone number, and email address
• Your nephrologist's and GP's name and phone number

Once you have made a booking, our clinical partners will contact you and your renal unit for further information.

Our clinical partners at Monash Health and Royal North Shore Hospital will contact your renal unit to organise the completion of additional paperwork and to confirm your booking eligibility. Please make sure you have provided the correct email for your unit in your booking form.

Once all the required paperwork is complete and your eligibility is confirmed, you will receive an email from our clinical partners with the exact arrival time for your session.

Your renal unit will let you know if there is anything you need to bring along to your holiday. Otherwise, have a look at our Holiday Checklist.

We understand things come up and you may need to make changes or cancel a booking.

You can give us a call on 1800 454 363 (option 3) or email us at bigred.kidneybus@kidney.org.au and one of our friendly team members will help you with your request.

We have experienced dialysis nurses who will provide the same level of service and care as you are accustomed to at your home renal unit. Some of our nurses have been servicing Bus visitors for many years and are a welcome friendly face.

Here are some of the messages we have received about the staff on our Buses:

“I would like to thank the beautiful nurses on the bus, every single one of them were absolute professionals and extremely friendly.” – Glenda, Porepunkah 2021

“I just would like to thank the nurses for what they do for us, by allowing me to be dialysed, as it is not only a difficult time for me but also for my wife. We both are looking forward to the next booking.” – Nicholas, Lakes Entrance 2021

We recommend bringing your own drinks and snacks to enjoy while you are on the Bus. Due to COVIDSafe protocols, we are unable to provide refreshments at this time.

There are three comfortable dialysis chairs on board the Bus, each has its own TV for you to enjoy. For the comfort and privacy of your fellow visitors to the Bus, please remember to bring your own headphones to plug into the socket.

Yes! We’d love to welcome you to as many destinations as you’d care to book. Some of our regular visitors book just one preferred destination each year, others book for a week at every destination. The choice is yours, it just depends on availability which you can check here.

We’d be happy to connect you to a Kidney Buddy who’s used the Bus before and can answer your questions about using the Bus for the first time. Please call our Kidney Helpline on 1800 454 363 (option 3) to request a Kidney Buddy.