Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 363 i Australasian Bus & Coach

Bus patronage in Ballarat is booming, attracting hundreds of extra passengers every day since the Victorian Government delivered more frequent, reliable and direct services earlier this year. New data shows an average of 5768 passengers used Ballarat’s bus network every weekday in August – up 15.6 per cent from the same time last year. Ballarat’s bigger, better bus network commenced in January, as part of the Victorian Government’s $100 million investment in better bus services for passengers across Victoria. Ballarat passengers now have faster and more direct services, with the simpler network of 15 routes operating more often across weekdays and weekends, giving locals better connections to trains and key destinations. “These numbers show local passengers are getting on board with Ballarat’s bigger, better bus network,” Victorian Minister for Public…

Standard Opal fares will be introduced on the Wollongong Shuttle from January 29, bringing it in line with other local bus routes. The Wollongong Shuttle operates between Wollongong Station and the University of Wollongong via Wollongong Hospital, Burelli Street and the Innovation Campus. Services run every 10 minutes during the day and every 20 minutes after 6pm and on weekends. “We are committed to creating the best possible bus network in the Illawarra region and that means delivering regular, reliable, comfortable and integrated services to help customers get from A to B,” a Transport for NSW spokesperson says. The idea is to spread the passenger load more evenly across the network. “The Wollongong Shuttle has attracted on average 3.3 million customers each year for the last five years,” the spokesperson…

About 200 people participated in Public Transport Victoria’s (PTV’s) annual Try Before You Ride passenger safety and education event at Box Hill in Melbourne recently. “We had seniors, parents with children and people with disabilities, including groups from disability organisations and specialist schools,” a PTV spokesperson says. “The feedback we received from participants really affirms that events like these are vital to building the confidence and independence of our passengers.” The event is designed to provide people of all abilities the opportunity to familiarise themselves with public transport. Each year, Victorian public transport operators come together to give customers access to a range of stationary vehicles as part of familiarisation and basic travel training. Participants have a chance to boost their confidence by practising how to board and alight a…

The South Australian Government will invest $300 million over the next 10 years for 400 new buses to service the Adelaide Metro network. A tailored Industry Participation Plan will require the successful tenderer to maximise opportunities for local industry and local jobs, meaning as many of the buses as possible will be manufactured in SA. The 400 new buses will replace ageing buses and those that reach the compulsory retirement age of 25. The contract will encourage innovation with flexible contractual conditions that facilitate the development of new and emerging technologies such as electric buses, microhybrids and hydrogen-powered buses. The new contract is for the supply and support services of approximately 40 buses per year from July 2018 for the Adelaide Metro network. “Upgrading Adelaide Metro’s fleet with 400 new…

Held at the Gold Coast Convention Centre over two days on September 25 and 26, the Australasia Bus and Coach Expo provided a great chance to talk directly to the manufacturers, owners and salesmen – the horses’ mouths! The expo was the perfect opportunity to catch up with some familiar faces and meet some new ones all too happy to showcase their latest offerings. Two days may seem like ample time but, as with these types of events, I probably needed a bit longer to get around and talk more in depth. I did, however, get to meet some passionate bus people, saw some new vehicles for our ever-changing market, and saw products that I had no idea even existed. There were some guest speakers I had hoped to watch…

‘This development has really helped to put us in a strong position within these emerging markets and put us ahead of the competition’ ZF Friedrichshafen AG’s Director Sales Commercial Vehicle Technology Christian Meichle says ZF is on the brink of an exciting global revolution in terms of the type of engine components that are being produced as buses become more advanced. “With the commercial bus industry here in Australia you can clearly see that we are gaining dominant market share,” he says. “This is not only happening in Australia but worldwide. “We have been working on a lot of new developments with our transmissions and our axles — just to keep ahead of the level that the market requires.” One of the main issues ZF is looking at right now…

‘Deliveries boomed in October as 106 new buses were delivered to Australian operators’ Deliveries increased in October 2017 with 106 brand-new buses delivered throughout Australia. This is a huge imporvement in comparison to September, during which just 53 new bus deliveries were reported by manufacturers, representing an increase of 53. The October delivery number stacks up well when compared to the 97 new buses delivered at the same time last year. Volvo had a strong month, its deliveries increasing from 18 in September to 35 in October. Scania followed with 25, which was well up on last month’s 20. Hino and MAN had a strong month, reporting 12 and 10 deliveries respectively. Most other manufacturers delivered less than six vehicles each. The body builders posted very impressive results overall, with…

“Trials serve important roles in increasing people’s familiarity with this technology” The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Industry, Innovation, Science and Resources has recommended that Federal Government join forces with state governments and local councils to fund trials of automated vehicles with a public transport application in urban and regional areas. The recommendation came largely from a submission made earlier this year by the Bus Industry Confederation (BIC) to an inquiry on social issues relating to land-based automated vehicles in Australia. BIC executive director Michael Apps presented at a public hearing on the matter in late May this year. His aim, very broadly, is to ensure that existing bus and coach operators are engaged and have an ongoing key role to play in the adoption of automated vehicles [and…

SkyBus has launched a new direct service connecting passengers in Southbank and Docklands to Melbourne Airport. The new service has a daily operation from 7am to 7pm with buses every 30 minutes on weekdays and hourly on weekends, and started on November 5. The Southbank Docklands Airport Express will have four pickup points within the Southbank and Docklands precincts, including one at Harbour Esplanade, two stops on City Road and one on Whiteman Street. SkyBus co-CEO and director Michael Sewards says the new service will not only provide better connectivity for the wider Southbank and Docklands communities but provides a vital direct airport connection with Melbourne’s expanding convention and conference facilities – and hinted there is more to come. “We are committed to develop and invest in further dedicated airport…

“The number of fatal bus crashes has now reached pre-2012 levels again” Statistics show that 213 road fatalities involved heavy vehicles last year, with 11.3 per cent of those including a bus. The number of fatal bus collisions is up marginally on 2015 after three years of declining crash death rates, and has now reached pre-2012 levels again. These findings are detailed in the Federal Government Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development’s road trauma involving heavy vehicles 2016 statistical summary, which was released last month. This report presents counts and rates of fatal crashes, fatalities and hospitalised injuries from road traffic crashes in which one or more heavy vehicles were involved. Of the 213 deaths, 50.2 per cent occurred in crashes involving an articulated truck (down on 2015 numbers), 42.7…

Brisbane-based bus and coach body builder Coach Concepts is stepping things up a notch with the recent release of the latest 2017-series body that turned plenty of heads at the recent Australasia Bus & Coach Expo on the Gold Coast. Coach Concepts co-director Mark Gamer says it took a while to make the updated body a reality, but he is very pleased with the result and what the organisation can offer bus and coach operators in 2017. “The front and rear have completely changed,” he says. “It now has full LED headlights in the front and the rear lights are also now full LED. “We looked closely at the latest coaches that are coming out of Europe and also opted to go with more of a curved front. We are…

I recently visited Bundaberg, a large country town in Queensland not far from the coast with a population of about 50,000, to visit local bus company Bundaberg Coaches. It is surprisingly very green and has beautiful tree-lined streets and some great historic buildings. I hadn’t visited Bundaberg for almost 20 years and was looking forward to a test drive in a newly arrived Denning Coach around this picturesque place. Jason Beresford is the owner and director of Bundaberg Coaches. When you speak with him, you assume from his knowledge and the company’s success that he boasts a long career in the bus industry. Yet, asked about his background, he describes his prior history in the air force and in aircraft maintenance, so the purchase of the company was a huge…

Canberra will get its new rapid bus network two years ahead of schedule with nine more direct routes starting next year, the Australian Capital Territory Government has announced. The first stage of light rail is also on track for completion towards the end of 2018. ACT Minister for Transport Canberra and City Services Meegan Fitzharris revealed the new network while opening the Dickson Bus Interchange recently. “A new era of public transport in Canberra starts in 2018, making it easier than ever before for all Canberrans to get where they need to go,” she says. “Our upgraded network will revolutionise the way people use public transport in Canberra, taking cars off the road and increasing patronage across the city. “The first stage of light rail will free up a million…

“We are giving thousands of customers an early Christmas present this year with more services and better connections” More than 8600 new weekly public transport services will start at the end of this month in New South Wales. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says this is a ground-breaking moment for public transport that will transform the state’s network. “We are giving thousands of customers an early Christmas present this year with more services and better connections between modes to help them get to where they need to go,” Berejiklian says. “This will mark the biggest ever change to our transport network and means that we have added 27,000 additional weekly transport services since 2011.” Almost 7000 new weekly bus services on routes serving the Northern Beaches, Eastern Suburbs, Inner West, Lower…

‘Our customer-focused strategy is what drives our success’ The next 12 months is shaping up to be a busy year for King Long as it looks to invigorate sales with a planned launch of the brand-new 28-seater, midi range, as well as a suite of upgrades to its full-size coaches. “Our customer-focused strategy is what drives our success,” general manager Anthony Fisicaro says. “We continue to develop our roadmap and evolve our products by listening to customers and bringing together their ideas and feedback with the latest technology and industry trends.” King Long has been working on a 28-seater scheduled for launch in early to mid-2018 and was designed with tour companies and schools in mind. “We’ve had customers asking us for a 28-seater to cater for smaller group sizes…

On a clear early spring afternoon, ABC met up with Calow’s Coaches director Darren Calow to talk about the ins and outs of his operation and purchase of former Coles Bay bus service provider Bicheno Coaches a few years back. While it’s been almost three years since he picked up the popular Coles Bay service, the move has undoubtedly helped put his organisation in a better position strategically. “Bicheno Coaches was run by Gill Roberts, he was looking to retire so he came to us first to see if we wanted to buy his business,” Calow explains. “That’s when we took over the Bicheno to Coles Bay bus service and we merged – or at least connected – that with the all the other services we already had heading north…

Six participating coaches were brought together for the latest edition of the Coach Euro Test trials in Lingkoping, Sweden, recently. These included the Irizar i8 Integral, the Iveco Bus Evadys, the Mercedes-Benz Tourismo, the Neoplan Tourliner, the Scania Interlink HD and the VDL Futura FDD2-141 double decker. The Irizar i8 came out on top, performing exceptionally well in braking and acceleration tests and the open road driving tests on a mixed 30km route. The Irizar vehicle submitted was a 3-axle, 14m version of the i8 and was competing with three other 12m, 2-axle vehicles – which are significantly lighter. The jury of journalists from 22 European countries was also impressed by its exterior and interior design, and responsive breaking and turning circle. “The Irizar i8 is a thoughtful combination of…