Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 336 i Australasian Bus & Coach

An overhaul of Sydney’s bus network will come into effect later this year to help reduce congestion in the CBD and prepare for construction with the new light rail line. The New South Wales Government has announced the route design of the new bus network which will operate from October 4. Buses in the city centre will operate predominantly along new priority routes on Elizabeth Street, Castlereagh Street, Park Street, Druitt Street, Clarence Street and York Street, and will no longer operate on George Street. Minister for transport and infrastructure Andrew Constance says the change is a key part of an integrated transport plan to keep pace with Sydney’s current and future transport needs. “There will be disruption with George Street out of the equation, but the change will eventually…

Western Australia’s transport minister wants to have one single regulation for buses, taxis and Uber and seeks feedback from bus operators about the plan. The scope of the new legislation is broader than expected as it includes bus services and may have big implications in regards to licensing and fees. WA transport minister Dean Nalder hopes the On-demand Transport: A discussion paper for future innovation will attract submissions from those in the bus industry. “Perth taxis, country taxi-cars, small charter vehicles, tour and charter vehicles and regular public transport vehicles are governed by different laws and rules,” he says. “We want to simplify this with a single piece of legislation.” The reform will include a review of current industry fees and charges. WA bus operators have until October 16 to…

Innovation and technology have always one and the same with the Australian bus industry, and this year’s big bus expo was no exception. The Bus Association Victoria (BusVic) 2015 Maintenance Conference and Bus Expo was held at Melbourne Exhibition Centre on July 8 and 9, with organisers estimating 1,500 delegates attended the two-day event. This was the first time the event was held at the exhibition centre — which provided a complete undercover venue — as previous conferences and shows have been held at Moonee Valley Racing Club. The event combined the annual BusVic Maintenance Conference as well as the Australasia Bus & Coach Expo, which is to be held in the state every three years, following an agreement by Australia’s state associations. About 100 buses were on display at…

Australia’s first Volvo Euro 6 route service bus was delivered to Latrobe Valley Bus Lines (LVBL) at a launch event in Gippsland in July. Volvo staff, Volgren Bus Victoria, Public Transport Victoria (PTV), CMV Group, local politicians and LVBL staff gathered to mark the occasion in Morwell, Victoria. LVBL managing director Rhonda Renwick is proud to introduce the newest member of its fleet the Volvo Euro 6 saying the low emissions bus fits in well with the organisation’s commitment to the environment. “Over the last five years, using our existing fleet, we have doubled kilometres travelled and frequency of our route service,” she says. “We are now providing a viable transport service for Latrobe Valley.” The Latrobe Valley face a number of challenges in business, but these can be overcome…

Australian cities need to increase investment in public transport networks to keep up an increasing demand for services, according to a recent report. The State of Australian Cities report shows patronage on public transport has grown significantly over the past decade, with a rate of average annual growth of 2.4 per cent. This far surpasses the average rate of population growth in capital cities, which stands at 1.8 per cent. It warns investment in Melbourne and Sydney’s public transport network should be increased to meet future demand, since patronage is growing at astonishing rates and before overcrowding becomes an issue. The report shows Melbourne has a much lower proportion of inner-suburb residents using public transport to access the city and inner-suburbs for work, compared to Sydney. Only 35 per cent…

A Queensland coach operator has branched out after acquiring Brisbane’s Made Easy Tours. As well as operating a number of school runs in Queensland, Stonestreets Coaches is one of the largest transport providers to the oil, gas and mining industry in Australia and has been operating since 1983. Stonestreets Coaches managing director Phil Stonestreet says the move represents an expansion of their existing travel division and adds another feather to their cap. “The acquisition of Made Easy Tours will give Stonestreets a larger presence in the international travel industry and will enable us to provide more specialised services to both individuals and escorted groups,” he says. “The addition of the curriculum-based travel products will be especially relevant to our existing school customers.” Made Easy Tours conducts battlefield tours to Europe,…

Australian and Japanese bus drivers have ‘remarkable similarities,’ according to an Australian driver trainer who was in Japan for the deployment of a fleet of Australian-built articulated buses. Scania Australia bus driver development trainer Alana Mountfield recently visited the country to assist a new Scania customer prepare for the deployment of a fleet of Australian-built articulated buses. Niigata Kotsu, the bus operator in Niigata, a city on the north-western side of Japan, is taking delivery of 15 Scania K 360 articulated buses fitted with Volgren bodies. These are the first Scania articulated on the road in Japan and they will run on a new bus rapid transit (BRT) route from the Niigata Railway Station to a major shopping mall, to try to reduce passenger car traffic through the centre of…

The Bus and Coach Association of New Zealand (BCA) is expecting a large turn-out for its conference later this year. Delegates at the NZ conference will be able to take up some of the local culture with a visit to ‘Hobbiton’ and an appearance by a renowned kiwi comedian. The BCA 2015 Annual Conference will be held from October 8 to 10 at Hamilton. About 350 delegates are expected over the two-day event, with almost 50 buses to be on display at Claudelands Arena. CEO Barry Kidd says the show is a great chance for the NZ bus industry to meet and discuss important issues. He is encouraging all those in industry to get along to the event. “I think it is a great opportunity to see the trade show…

A massive review of Hobart bus services is set to see some significant network changes, in a city that relies on bus as its sole mode of public transport. The network review will result in fewer, but more direct routes and services will operate in the evenings and on weekends in areas that currently only have weekday daytime runs. The existing Metro Express network will be replaced more direct express services that will stop at all stops in their home suburb and then travel directly to and from Hobart City. The review includes improved levels of service, including the expansion of bus routes into new areas of Brighton, Old Beach, Tranmere and Oakdowns. It will also see poorly-patronised and lengthy, winding routes that travel via narrow streets and are difficult…

Communication is one of the fundamental skills many businesses focus on — but still struggle to get right. And communication with public transport customers is particularly important if service providers want to get it right, according to key speakers at the recent Australian Transport Summit. Throughout the event, communication with passengers was one of the key elements continually addressed by speakers. Particularly in the day and age of so many difference methods of communication, customers want to know what is going on. Road works, train delays, bus hold ups — they are all going to happen, but communication will generally take the sting out of the issue for most customers. The summit was the fourth of its kind, which has been held and is a joint event between Transport and…

PERCENTAGE BY REGION PERCENTAGE BY APPLICATION SALES BY CHASSIS Deliveries have taken a significant downturn for the first month of the financial year, with a total of 113 buses delivered in July, compared to 149 the previous month. Volvo remained the market leader with the delivery of 45 buses, followed by Mercedes-Benz with 18 vehicles. Notable deliveries were made to State Transit Authority (STA) with seven Volvo buses in New South Wales. SALES BY BODY Volgren delivered the most buses (31) this month, although a notable number of body builders were unreported (14) which may skew the data slightly. The majority of builders each delivered less than 10 buses for the month. SALES BY AIR-CONDITIONER Thermo King remained the market leader in July being included in 38 deliveries, although this…

There are a number of public transport and road-upgrade goodies in the 2015-2016 Queensland Government Budget released recently. More than $18.8 billion is allocated to Queensland’s transport infrastructure over the next four years as part of the Queensland Transport and Roads Investment Program (QTRIP). The QTRIP plan includes spending on public transport, roads, rail, marine and active transport infrastructure. Queensland Bus Industry Council (QBIC) executive director David Tape says the budget represents a significant investment in the transport and main roads portfolio, but lacks investment in bus. “Widening of the Gateway Motorway, progression of the Toowoomba second range crossing and significant investment in new generation rail rolling stock outlines a massive investment,” he says. What was disappointing was the lack of any visible dollar allocation to congestion combating projects, busways,…

A second Big Red Kidney Bus will eventually be added to the Kidney Health Australia‘s fleet thanks to a $150,000 fundraising effort. The Rotary Club of Croydon has committed to raising the funds, which will be enough to refurbish a donated bus. The bus will be fitted with mobile dialysis equipment and travel around Australia — allowing those who rely on dialysis to plan their holidays in places where the bus will be operating. Kidney Health Australia CEO Anne Wilson says the first kidney bus has been operating for a year and has given thousands the freedom to travel and holiday in places where they wouldn’t normally have access to dialysis machines. “With a second bus now in the planning we will consider expanding the reach of the service to…

Coffs Harbour is known as a sunny holiday destination on the New South Wales coast, but one bus operator sees ‘clouds’ on the horizon. Ryans Bus Service is based in Coffs harbour, NSW — or roughly halfway between Sydney and Brisbane. The business was started in 1943 by operations manager Nigel Tooth’s great grandfather, Victor Ryan, and then run by his grandfather, Reg Ryan, who passed away in the late 1980s. It was then subsequently taken over by his parents Sam and Jenny Tooth. The pair has since ‘semi-retired’ and Nigel runs the operation in conjunction with his sister Naomi Geurts. Nigel has taken a special interest in embracing new technology and has recently developed a new cloud-based app to help simplify many aspects of running a bus operation. Ryans…

What its backers say is the first electric bus to be designed, engineered and manufactured in Australia has been unveiled at the BusVic 2015 Maintenance Conference and Expo recently. The futuristic route bus is developed by Queensland manufacturer Bustech, which is part of Transit Australia Group. The luxurious interior with plush leather seats was likened by some show-goers to a pole dancing club; and the whole bus was strangely enclosed in a bubble that looked like a giant jumping castle. But there seems little doubt this electric people mover is more than a novelty. Transit Australia Group CEO Michael McGee says the bus uses the most advanced battery and regenerative braking technology, and is a “game changer”. “Our environmentally friendly electric bus is the future of public transport,” McGee says.…

For anyone who hasn’t caught a bus in the centre of Brisbane before, it’s a pleasant eye-opener. An underground bus station in the CBD; dedicated bus roads and stations a little further out; and electronic boards showing how long until your next bus arrives. ABC magazine recently caught a bus from the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre to Nathan in the south, and the old-style courtesy and friendliness of the passengers and drivers was striking. People even called out ‘thank you’ to the driver as they departed from the middle door. After guiding this passenger to the correct stop, the happy driver gave a big wave as she drove off. She had begun the trip five minutes late because of peak hour congestion on Victoria Bridge across the Brisbane River,…