Australasian Bus & Coach Issue 339

I will be the first to admit I’m not a huge Lord of the Rings (LOTR) fan. But Middle Earth’s claim to fame is definitely worth a visit for even the most clueless of the series — something the New Zealand Bus and Coach Association (NZBCA) was well aware of. The annual conference held in Hamilton recently showcased the importance of transport within the tourism sector (page 24). Tourism New Zealand industry relations manager Paul Yeo spoke of the importance of the bus and coach industry as the tourism industry keeps improving. Yeo says about 30 per cent of tourists — most coming from Asia — use bus and coach as their preferred method of travel. Conference delegates donned their best LOTR costumes and like the incoming tourists were bussed…

Bus operators able to contribute services during the 2018 Commonwealth Games are invited to an industry briefing on the Gold Coast in November. The meeting is set for November 25 at QT Hotel at Surfers Paradise and operators who want experience in contributing services to the international sporting event and are up to the mammoth task of transporting people to and from various competition venues from April 4 to 15 are welcome. Bus Industry Confederation (BIC) executive director Michael Apps says the event is huge and will require more than 1,000 buses to get the job done. “No one can pull that number of buses together all in one group,” he says. “Queensland alone won’t be able to do it, this will require a multi-state effort and this is open…

A bold promise by opposition leader Bill Shorten to pledge $10 billion to public transport infrastructure if elected has increased the pressure on new prime minister Malcolm Turnbull to commit Federal Government funds to public transport. The bus industry is delighted at opposition leader Bill Shorten’s pledge to deliver 10 of Australia’s most important public transport projects if elected. The announcement made recently indicates Labor will campaign strongly on the issue in the lead up to the next federal election, which must be held on or before January 14, 2017. Shorten proposes to pledge $10 billion to get the ball rolling and, although this is but a fraction of what it would cost to complete the projects, it may be enough to attract sufficient interest from and financial backers in…

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) released its 2014-2015 annual report, and it has been tabled in parliament. NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto says the report outlines the regulator’s achievements and performance in pursuit of a more productive and safe heavy vehicle industry for Australia. Petroccitto says NHVR has taken a major step towards regulating more efficiently and effectively. He says a solid performance in 2014-2015 has been achieved in close cooperation with the Commonwealth, state, territory and local governments. NHVR’s achievements in 2014-15 include 78,510 access permits issued by the NHVR and jurisdictions and 894 vehicle combinations and 3,762 individual units certified under the PBS framework.…

Sydney bus patrons are feeling the heat as George Street has closed to all traffic in Sydney’s CBD. While major bus timetable and route changes came in last month, the new system was truly tested as other vehicles re-routed away from George Street, increasing congestion and delaying bus services in the CBD. “It’s been more than 65 years since the trams on George Street were replaced by buses and this marks a historic movement towards the future of transport in the Sydney CBD as we make way for Sydney Light Rail major construction,” New South Wales minister for transport and infrastructure Andrew Constance says. “Light rail will change how we travel through the city and all road users need to be prepared to accommodate major construction work.” NSW minister for…

A brand new bus-only bridge will result in more frequent and efficient bus services in and out of Perth’s CBD, the Western Australian Government announced recently. The aim is to get buses into and out of the city faster, ease congestion on arterial road corridors approaching the CBD and provide extra public transport services for major corridors in the northern suburbs. WA transport minister Dean Nalder says the $32 million bus-only bridge will provide travel time savings of up to six minutes across 12 bus routes every week day for about 16,000 bus passengers. The new 110m bridge will enable buses from Perth’s northern and north-western suburbs to bypass four sets of traffic signals in Northbridge and relieve congestion through Fitzgerald Street, which is a primary northern entry to the…