Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 360 i Australasian Bus & Coach

“Brisbane City Council is committed to the city being sustainable” Brisbane City Council’s commitment to a clean, low-carbon public transport network has been boosted by the deployment of four Volgren-built Euro 6 buses. Operating across standard bus services in Brisbane, the 12.5m-long Volgren Optimus buses are built on Volvo’s B8RLE chassis with its low-emission Euro 6 engine. The new chassis complements Volgren’s ground-breaking Optimus, launched in 2013. The early introduction of the Volgren-bodied B8RLE Euro 6 buses gives the council the opportunity to evaluate the performance of the new vehicles against their current Euro 5 fleet. Manager of engineering and asset management branch at Brisbane City Council Karl Hain says the council operates about 1200 buses, with almost half running on compressed natural gas and all new buses powered by…

Albany school bus services resumed successfully under supervision of new operator Swan Transit, which now runs the service in Western Australia. Swan Transit has expanded its regional bus operations after being awarded the contract to operate Albany Regional Town Bus Services earlier this year. Transit Systems CEO Clint Feuerherdt says he is confident of delivering a seamless transition. “The back-to-school service went well and was uneventful, which in this business is good,” he says. “All buses departed on time, connections were made and students got to their respective schools.” Operating 17 buses from the newly constructed depot at Centennial Park, Feuerherdt says all timetables and routes will remain the same for now but connectivity and timetabling will be reviewed over the coming months. “We have successfully transitioned more public bus…

Infrastructure Australia has released its latest report highlighting the case for corridor protection in major cities. Entitled Corridor Protection: Planning and investing for the long term, the report outlines the most pressing priority for protection is the east coast High Speed Rail corridor stretching from Brisbane to Melbourne. Other corridors of vital importance include Outer Sydney Orbital, Outer Melbourne Ring, Western Sydney Airport Rail Line, Western Sydney Freight Line, Hunter Valley Freight Line and Port of Brisbane Freight Line. Infrastructure Australia is recommending that a national framework for corridor protection be put in place to guide all levels of government. Infrastructure Australia chairman Mark Birrell says a coordinated approach, involving joint governance arrangements to oversee land acquisition, joint funding commitments, and joint agreement regarding land use management measures will keep…

Coach operators from around the country gathered in Adelaide at the National Coach Connections Summit in a bid to formulate some coherent positions on major issues facing the long-distance, charter and express sector of the industry earlier this year. Senior bureaucrats delivered some good news in the form of surging tourism numbers and increasing private investment in tourism infrastructure. At $53 billion, tourism now generates more revenue than the agriculture sector. This good news was tempered somewhat by tourism budget cuts delivered in the recent Federal Budget. There was also frustration from equipment suppliers over the restrictions on cabin features forced by strict Australian Design Rules and continuing angst over the difficulty the industry is having in obtaining the higher mass limits allowed in other countries. Overall, though, the tone…

The bus industry is now able to harness the benefits of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems and collision avoidance technologies. Head over to your local car dealership (pick any brand) and you’ll notice that two or three models in their range will include collision mitigation technology. Each automotive brand has their own unique name for them, but collectively they’re known as Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). Essentially, these systems use the latest in sensor and artificial vision technologies to constantly monitor the road ahead and aim to assist the driver in preventing collisions. With varying levels of integration, some will apply the brakes. But the most common are less intrusive and will simply alert the driver, with a visual and/or audible tone or vibration in the steering column. Global studies have…

The NSW Government has joined forces with HMI Technologies, NRMA, Telstra, IAG and Sydney Olympic Park Authority, for a two-year trial of the state’s first automated smart shuttle at Olympic Park. “The trial showcases a small part of our much bigger vision for a technology-enabled transport future,” transport minister Andrew Constance says. “Today we drive our cars but the reality is cars will soon drive us, and while we are not there yet, we need to be prepared for this change and we need to stay ahead of the game. “The ultimate goal of the trial is to find the best way to harness the next generation of driverless technology and how to make it work for New South Wales while also answering questions about how it can improve safety…

“This is the missing link Melbourne desperately needs to slash congestion” The missing link in Melbourne’s road network is one step closer, with the Victorian Government unveiling four potential corridor options for the North East Link. The North East Link is projected to slash congestion in Melbourne’s north east and take trucks off local roads, while creating more than 5000 new jobs. “For decades the North East Link has been put in the too hard basket – this is the missing link Melbourne desperately needs to slash congestion and stop the rat runs in the north east,” Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says. “We said we would look at all options and that’s exactly what we’ve done. This is about making sure we get this project right.” The four possible corridors…

“We have already received great feedback from early users on this integration” Airport transfer company SkyBus, which operates an express service from Melbourne’s CBD to Avalon and Tullamarine airports, has announced a partnership with travel management service QBT, enabling its corporate and government customers to add Melbourne City Express tickets to their travel itinerary. By utilising the Amadeus e-Travel Management (AeTM) platform, SkyBus and QBT are providing an affordable airport transfer option, enabling business travellers a seamless way of adding route tickets at the time of booking arrangements, including flights and accommodation. The integration will help remove an additional step of booking airport transport separately. For QBT’s customer base, this partnership can also help cut on travel expenses. “SkyBus is designed for all types of travellers in mind, from solo…

“We’re looking forward to having the issue discussed in Parliament” Brisbane bus drivers took industrial action on July 28, following similar stop work action the week before. The union action comes as negotiations over pay and conditions between Brisbane City Council and the members of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) Queensland branch ground to a halt. Unionised drivers collected no fares on the Thursday and stopped work from 2pm to 6pm on Friday, July 28. RTBU Bus Division secretary Tom Brown says bus drivers will continue their campaign for safer buses, a fair wage increase, and modern rostering practices. “While Brisbane City Council continue to refuse to negotiate with bus drivers, we are forced to renew the pressure,” he says. “We continue to press our demands for improved…

>> Quick Search To find these products online, go to busnews.com.au and enter the TA code shown below in the Keyword search panel. 1979 LEYLAND P.M.C Leyland bus, 6BB1, Isuzu engine, Allison Auto. 66 seats. SA 08 7007 6821 $12,000 inc GST 1987 AUSTRAL TOURMASTER COACH 6V92TTA Detroit Diesel, 224,426km since in-chassis rebuild. 7-speed direct Spicer transmission, 112,154km since new Spicer clutch fitted. Rockwell R155 diff 3.3 ratio 100km/h @ 1750rpm. 750L fuel tank. QLD 07 3269 6466 $27,500 inc GST LEYLAND LEOPARD BUS, 1983 MODEL Reconditioned 6-cylinder midmount diesel engine, 4-speed semi-auto transmission, power steering, full air brakes, maxi brake, spring suspension, Custom Coaches stepdeck body, 53 fabric bus seats, flat floor. NSW 02 6171 3575 $9,000 inc GST NISSAN RB30 BUS, 1983 MODEL 6-cylinder rear-mount diesel engine, 5-speed…

“New bus deliveries bounced back in July with 100 delivered nationwide” Deliveries increased in July 2017 with 100 brand new buses delivered throughout Australia. This comes very close to June, during which 91 new bus deliveries were reported by manufacturers, representing an increase of nine vehicles. This July delivery number stacks up a little less well compared to the 113 new buses delivered in July last year. Volvo had a striong month, its deliveries increasing from 28 in June to 36 in July. Scania had a suberb month with 41, which was way up on last month’s 23. BCI had a strong month, reporting 11 deliveries in July – up from nine in June. Most other manufacturers delivered less than five vehicles respectively, with Bustech well in the game with…

“I decided to put together a project plan to recognise the history of the industry” My usual bus reviews involve meeting company owners and representatives and having the pleasure of test-driving impressive and innovative vehicles and finding out how these new vehicles came to be. But I wasn’t sure what to expect when attending my first book launch. It was BusNSW executive director Darryl Mellish and his initial gathering of historical records that set the wheels in motion for a plan to recognise and pay tribute to the history of the NSW bus industry. Mellish investigated funding options and applied for a NSW Transport Heritage Grant to offset some of the costs and this grant allowed them to engage an author/historian to undertake the research while BusNSW provided the bulk…

Ventura Bus Lines is helping women and girls travel safely in Papua New Guinea, with the donation of four buses for the Ginigoada Foundation’s women-only bus project. Four buses have departed Melbourne bound for Port Moresby. They are being donated by Ventura as part of the UN Women’s project to make Port Moresby a safer city for women and children. In a 2014 study by UN Women, more than 90 per cent of women said they have been physically or sexually assaulted, threatened or robbed on public buses while travelling around Port Moresby. The Meri Seif Bus service is one of the initiatives introduced in response to these findings. Funded by UN Women and operated by the Ginigoada Foundation, Port Moresby’s Meri Seif Buses are free and for women and…

Transdev employee Steven Arabajiev is being hailed a hero after his prompt action helped save a passenger’s life. Arabajiev was driving a Route 246 bus near St Kilda Rd in early May when an elderly woman boarded his bus. The woman told Steven she felt seriously ill and needed to go to hospital. “She seemed very unwell, it was clear to me she needed medical assistance,” Arabajiev explains. “There were a few other passengers already on the bus, so I explained to them that we needed to get to The Alfred Hospital emergency department straight away, and none of them objected.” It has since emerged that Arabajiev’s quick thinking helped save the woman’s life, as she was having a heart attack. She underwent emergency heart surgery as soon as she…

In last month’s edition of ABC, I spoke with Accredited Heavy Vehicle Training (AHVT) manager Steve Grima, driver trainer Jon Attard, and driver trainer and assessor Tony Stephens about the process of acquiring a licence and what makes the company tick. Having received the lowdown, it was my turn to hit the track. ON THE ROAD Day one of my two-day course started early at Moorebank at 6.30am. I felt nervous – like a teenager going for their first drivers licence. It’s been a long time since being behind the wheel made me feel this way. My trainer, Jon Attard, has been in the industry all his working life. Experience shows in his approach to the students as he was very business-like and professional, very knowledgeable, and was happy to…

“We have had the largest, most experienced team of bus after-market professionals in the industry” Operators now have more choice than ever when it comes to what make of bus or coach they want transporting their passengers. Suppliers have really stepped up their game and taken a much broader approach to the service they provide in 2017. ABC spoke to some of Australia’s leading chassis suppliers to find out what they are working on and what to expect over the next 12 months. VOLVO The latest model of chassis that Volvo Bus Australia is offering to Australian operators looking to build in 2017 is the highly advanced B8R/RLE chassis, which was launched in Sydney recently. “We have added the B8R/ RLE in both Euro 5 and Euro 6 configuration to…

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A A visit to the Bus Preservation Society of Western Australia at Whiteman Park is sure to thrill any bus enthusiast or transportation historian, but the opportunity to meet and interview some of the passionate volunteers that operate the not-for-profit BPSWA made visiting this unique collection of heritage buses an even more special experience. The BPSWA is much more than some older guys taking care of a collection of old buses. They have received national recognition for the work they do in the preservation and presentation of the social and engineering heritage of the historic buses used in Western Australia, and the importance of this collection is acknowledged as one of national historic significance for Australia. “Our aim is to preserve Western Australian bus history for current and future generations…