Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 364 i Australasian Bus & Coach

“It will provide faster, safer and easier transitions between transport options” A new interchange at Macquarie Park will make commuting to and from the second biggest business district in New South Wales easier for more than 20,000 public transport users. The New South Wales and federal governments agreed to build the major new interchange as part of a $100 million investment recently. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says the joint project will streamline the commuting experience for transport customers and reduce congestion on local roads. “This interchange is a game-changer for peak-hour commuters who travel to and from Macquarie Park every day,” he says. “It will provide faster, safer and easier transitions between various transport options and John Alexander has campaigned tirelessly for better transport services for his community. “We are…

Dedicated ‘Bus Only’ lane markings will be implemented as features of Adelaide’s $160 million O-Bahn City Access Project. Works commenced in early December, with dedicated lanes to appear between the end of the busway at Gilberton and the cross-city priority bus lanes on Grenfell Street. The lane markings are designed to reinforce the intended use of the bus lanes installed along Hackney Road as part of the O-Bahn City Access Project, improving travel times and reliability for users of the O-Bahn and reducing city traffic congestion – particularly on the Inner Ring Route. Dedicated bus-only lanes feature a red painted outline and a red and white ‘Bus Only’ message. The lanes will be operational upon completion of the markings. Motorists face a maximum penalty of $2500 for driving in a…

Privately owned multinational public transport business Transit Systems has acquired demand-responsive technology platform Bridj, which delivers the software behind the technology. The software will analyse demand and provide bus services based on that demand to a key Western Sydney employment precinct. The trial started in late November and will run for six months. Following the trial, Transit Systems hopes to make the new service permanent. THE CONCEPT Five 16-seat Iveco Daily shuttle buses will service the Wetherill Park and Fairfield employment precincts using routes and frequencies determined by customer demand. Customers will use the Bridj smartphone app to request a bus, booking a seat on the next service. Bridj’s big data analytics software then uses algorithms and real-time data to work out the best way to service customers’ requests through…

Named after the joule unit of energy, ‘Jouley’ is the first all-electric bus developed by Thomas Built Buses, a subsidiary of global giant Daimler. The 81 passenger Saf-T Liner C2 Electric is equipped with PowerDrive 7000ev from Efficient Drivetrains, a specialist in electric powertrains. The battery power is 100 to 160kWh, which enables a range of up to 160 kilometres. With additional battery modules there is the opportunity to increase the range. The vehicle is controlled by PowerSuite vehicle control software and PowerTracker telematics and diagnostics system, which monitor the location of the bus and vehicle condition in real time. “Jouley is our first electric bus and a working example of not only how important electric vehicles are to us, but how important they are to Daimler as a whole,”…

Bus Travel NZ has taken delivery of three Wrightbus StreetLite single-deck vehicles. The vehicles are the 11.5m ‘door forward’ variant including two- and three-tier independent luggage racks with seating for 39 passengers. All feature Daimler Euro 6 engines with Voith D824.6E gearboxes and also include Wrightbus Micro Hybrid technology, which maximises fuel efficiency and reduces emissions. Bus Travel NZ is part of the Leopard Coachlines group, which specialises in Auckland airport services and transfers, in addition to New Zealand-wide coach touring. The three new StreetLites will be deployed from Bus Travel NZ’s Manukau depot at Auckland International Airport and will be part of a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week service for airport customers and employees. Bus Travel NZ is the first Kiwi customer for Wrightbus, which is represented in New Zealand and Australia…

 The Bendigo community will help shape the Victorian Government’s $15.8 million investment in public transport in the region, following a recent call for public input. “We’re delivering better public transport for Bendigo so more people can visit our great city” Two workshops were held in early December seeking feedback into detailed plans for Bendigo Station precinct upgrades, and potential long-term opportunities throughout central Bendigo, with an online survey also available for participants to fill out. The master plan is being led by VicTrack, which is working with Regional Development Victoria and the City of Greater Bendigo to investigate the potential development and land use opportunities in the precinct. Bendigo Station is set to receive a new pedestrian overpass with lifts and stairs to enable better pedestrian movement between platforms, a…

With more than 1000 employees, Hato Bus is no small deal. It is one of the biggest bus operators in Japan, servicing mainly the Tokyo area; its sightseeing buses run more than 200 services in a single day. Hato Bus sightseeing business division corporate executive officer Yoichi Matsui says the introduction of its latest ‘Astromega’ double-decker sightseeing bus model about five years ago has allowed for more passengers, giving them all a better view of the world-famous Tokyo skyline. This particular model had never been used before in Japan, but Matsui was determined and quickly set about negotiating the safety standard for conformity to Japanese on-road regulations. “The domestic bus makes did not produce a double-deck bus, so I sourced one from Europe called the Astromega,” Matsui says. ABC went…

The competition was no match for a Scania Touring in Italy-based BusToCoach’s comparative test of 11 2-axle coaches from six bus builders recently. It recorded an impressive and unbeatable figure of 18.2 litres/100km, comprehensively outperforming its rivals. The competition lined up coaches from Irizar, Iveco, Mercedes, Setra and Temsa for a fuel duel that included 347km of varied road conditions in Lombardy, Piacenza and Liguria. The Touring’s consumption was an impressive 12 per cent lower than the runner-up, and 31 per cent better than the thirstiest coach in the test. The results for the Scania Touring HD 12.1m coach surprised even seasoned bus experts. “The results have exceeded all expectations in terms of consumption, plus a remarkably interesting purchase price,” the judges commented. “The consumption turned out to be better…

“Deliveries decreased in November with 91 brand-new buses delivered throughout Australia” Deliveries decreased in November with 91 brand-new buses delivered throughout Australia. This pales in comparison to Ocrtober, during which 106 new bus deliveries were reported by manufacturers, representing a decrease of 15 vehicles. Volvo led the way even though its deliveries decreased from 35 in October to 24 in November. Scania followed with 20, keeping on par with last month’s tally. Bustech and Yutong had a strong month, reporting 10 and nine deliveries respectively, with Hino and BCI following on seven and six, while other manufacturers delivered less than six vehicles each. In terms of body builders, Volgren led the pack on 30, that number consistent with the 31 delivered in October. Bustech was next on 12, then Yutong…

“It’s a great example of what can be done when we reimagine waste as an untapped resource” While coffee has been driving society’s productivity for years, it will now also help power London’s iconic buses. British startup Bio-bean has partnered with Shell and Argent Energy to create a coffee-based biofuel that will be used in London’s diesel buses. It is estimated that Londoners drink more than 20 million cups of coffee a day, with 200,000 tonnes of grounds produced by the capital alone each year. Consumption on such a scale brings with it a lot of waste, but Bio-bean’s solution is to convert that waste into productive use. The company claims its factory can recycle 50,000 tonnes of waste coffee grounds each year, creating a coffee-derived B20 biofuel on a…

“Northern Beaches customers are finally getting major service improvements” Penske Commercial Vehicles delivered 38 MAN A95 double-deck buses to Transport for New South Wales recently. The MAN A95 ultra low floor bus chassis is based upon MAN’s existing urban bus chassis range and features a Euro 5 10.5-litre MAN D20 horizontal inline 6-cylinder engine with compound turbocharging and intercooling that delivers 320hp. “The extremely low levels of driveline noise and vibration, along with low exhaust emissions, benefit both the environment and passengers,” Penske Commercial Vehicles National Bus Sales and Service Manager Clint Stoermer says. “The A95 chassis is equipped with a ZF EcoLife six-speed automatic transmission with integrated hydraulic retarder, all of which maximise operating economy and improve service life. “The combination of stabilisers on all three axles with an…

The crowd poured in as the first presentations of day one got underway at the Hotel Grand Chancellor in Hobart. Tasmanian Premier and keynote speaker Will Hodgman opened the conference, saying TasBus and the Bus Industry Confederation (BIC) undertake a superb job advocating on behalf of bus operators and helping his government understand the challenges they face. “We are experiencing the strongest growth in tourism of any state in Australia and the number of tour operators we have here has grown in line with this,” Hodgman says. “Buses are our primary mode of public transport here in Tasmania and we have about 140 contracted operators. “We are redesigning Tasmanian publicly funded bus services to ensure efficiency and effectiveness for the next decade. “In regard to the new contracts, this is…

Isuzu Trucks has been a leader in the Australian truck market for 28 years and today about one in every four new trucks sold in Australia carries the Isuzu name. In terms of buses, the I-Bus is a relatively new concept to the Australian market. Uniquely, it is built on the Isuzu truck drivetrain and chassis, making it a very strong bus. I met with I-Bus Australia sales consultant Craig Marshall to learn more about this vehicle and give the 500 Series a drive myself to see just how these tough workhorses handle. “I-Bus is basically Brisbane Isuzu, a franchise of Isuzu Trucks; there are 53 Isuzu dealers around the country that are individually owned and operated,” he says. “The I-Bus side of the business only began about two years…

The Smart Move Newcastle project will integrate digital technology in vehicles and infrastructure to deliver a more convenient multi-modal transport system and yield productivity and energy efficiency gains. Part of the funding allows for the deployment of an autonomous bus, likely to be a French-built Navya driverless shuttle bus or similar. In addition to the $5 million contribution, Newcastle City Council together with partners will contribute $10 million. “Council is grateful for this funding and the Australian Government’s recognition of our leadership in realising a smart city,” Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes says. “Just 52 of 176 applicants received funding under the Smart Cities and Suburbs allocations, and our success is a credit to the brilliant smart city strategy that Council endorsed in July and the quality of the submission by…