Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 386 i Australasian Bus & Coach

THE COMPLEX SALE of major bus entity the Donric Group – which split the assets for two buyers in a minimum $100 million deal across multiple states – successfully concluded the second-biggest bus mergers and acquisitions of the year, according to Pitcher Partners, the commercial advisor leading the transaction. The 40-year-old Donric Group comprised six long-established regional brands: Sunbury Coaches and Sunbury Bus Service, Coach Tours of Australia, and Organ’s Coaches Kyneton in Victoria plus Trans North Bus & Coach and Bowen Transit in Queensland. The business had grown from a small fleet of eight school buses to more than 400 buses, 210 contracts and 16 depots in the two states, it’s reported. Pitcher Partners partner Michael Sonego says the sale was complex given a break-up of the business was…

IVECO BUS has broken new ground in Norway in achieving its biggest ever sale – a total of 217 buses – to Vy Buss AS (formerly Nettbuss AS), the company reports. The deal covers the delivery of city and intercity buses in three different versions with the first buses going into operation earlier this European summer, Iveco confirms. All buses will operate in both Øvre and Nedre Romerike. The bus tender will endure for eight years with the possibility of an extension, Iveco explains. The 217 Crossways delivered will come in three different versions. The largest proportion – 110 buses – are the 14.5m three-axle Crossway LE Line. These buses have 57 seats and room for 52 standing passengers and are powered by the 360hp (268kW) Cursor 9 engine. The…

ROOF-MOUNTED solar panels will feature on the 180 Alexander Dennis double-decker buses scheduled for delivery to Hong Kong operator KMB in the first half of 2020, the company has announced. Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL), which is now a subsidiary of North America’s NFI Group Inc. (NFI) has announced that Hong Kong’s largest bus operator, The Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited (KMB), has placed a “firm order for 180 Enviro500 three-axle double deckers”. Included in the order are 76 short-wheelbase Enviro500 at a length of 11.3 metres, as well as 104 longer vehicles at 12.8 metres. Offering 80 and 98 seats, respectively, they will be among the first buses for Hong Kong to be fitted with three-point belts at all seats, the company states. HERE COMES THE SUN The new…

SCANIA announced a global reveal of its new ‘silent mode’ Generation II hybrid bus, powered by a diesel-electric motor, at the 2019 BusVic Expo and Maintenance Conference. As the company explains, the Generation II technology allows the bus to drive solely on battery power with zero tailpipe emissions for approximately 4km and up to a maximum speed of 45km/h. The Scania K 320 UB 4x2 diesel electric hybrid bus marks a significant step in urban bus functionality and environmental benefits, it states. Employing the 9.0-litre, 320hp (239kW), five-cylinder Euro 6-compliant diesel engine typically used across Australia, and famed for its torquey 1,600Nm output, the hybrid further boosts its environmental credentials with a 177hp (132kW)/1,030Nm electric motor, both of which are seamlessly integrated with the Scania Opticruise transmission, says Scania. The…

SHOWCASING its new generation of city and suburban buses in Europe, the Scania Citywide range offers lower fuel and energy consumption, higher passenger capacity, better ‘drive-ability’, and improved passenger and driver comfort, the company states. At the 2019 Busworld Europe event held in Brussels, Belgium recently, Scania presented its “new generation buses for city and suburban operations”. Leading with the Scania Citywide battery electric bus, the range will encompass buses for all fuel variants with the most comprehensive offer of alternative fuels in the market, it claims. “The new Scania Citywide range features lower fuel consumption, higher passenger capacity, better drivability, and vastly improved passenger and driver comfort,” said Anna Carmo e Silva, head of Buses and Coaches at Scania. “Our guiding light has been to design a bus for…

With all that Australian roads and weather conditions can throw at our vehicles, I-Bus’s advantage is its existing reputation of an industry stayer and success story when customers are looking for a tough bus or coach built to perform and last. Just over a year ago we had our very first drive of an I-Bus 500 Series and we’ve been invited back to the I-Bus headquarters at Burpengary, Queensland, for the release of a new model – the I-Bus Series 2 NQR 26-32 – which had just landed. We heard it was just as tough but smarter and cheaper all around, so it was time to check it out. Built on the Isuzu NQR 87-190 cab chassis (8,700kg GVM 190hp [142kW]), the I-Bus Series 2 NQR 26-32 will deliver a…

MOBITEC SYSTEMS SINCE BEING implemented in November 2017, the Mobitec/ Consat MX4 computer system on Sydney’s Northern Beaches’ strikingly bright-yellow MAN double-deck B-line bus system arguably showcases the world-leading passenger information technology to the domestic market, says managing director Bob Barwick. The ‘Headway’ technology allows drivers to take advantage of this technology to plan in real-time. This information can also be used by the central control room, and even displayed in real-time to the passengers on the bus or at the next bus stop, he explains. “The system also has a tool for driver behaviour. Unlike other systems which are hybrid and only give a basic solution, Mobitec/Constat consider the bus chassis and specific route information to give a more realistic experience. Determining the difference between chassis on fuel consumption…

TOURISM AND TRANSPORT company SeaLink Travel Group has purchased Transit Systems Group, Australia’s largest private operator of metropolitan public bus services that also has bus operations in London and Singapore, it’s reported recently. In a move set to make SeaLink a world-class juggernaut in multi-modal passenger transport solutions, the purchase price incorporates an enterprise value of $635 million plus an earn-out component of up to $63 million. The acquisition will create Australia’s leading integrated land and marine passenger transport business with enhanced scale and capabilities to competitively deliver services under government contracts, the company states. SeaLink is an Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) listed company with a market capitalisation of approximately $375 million. This is expected to grow following SeaLink’s equity raising announced on the Australian Securities Exchange and the completion…

VOLGREN AND VOLVO have supplied New South Wales bus operator Busways with the first 12 of an order of 24 new low-floor, seatbelt-compliant school buses. The order was made late 2018 and will see the Volgrenbodied, Volvo B8 Euro 5-chassis buses used for Busways route and school services operating across Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour and Yamba on the NSW north coast. Busways asset manager Chris Wolf says the new buses reinforce the company’s commitment to passenger safety and innovation across their fleet. “The vehicles being delivered are replacing our older buses and, although they’re still operating and in good condition, the modern advancement and the new safety systems Volvo offer – including ABS, EBS and on-board warning systems – helps improve the overall standard of buses,” he said. John Allen,…

THE NORTHEN TERRITORY’S largest bus operator, Buslink NT Pty Ltd, is facing charges after one of its bus drivers was pinned and killed in a bus rollaway incident, a NT WorkSafe investigation has found. On October, 26 2017, the 59-year-old Buslink NT employee was driving a chartered bus taking cruise ship passengers on a day trip. During the scheduled lunch break at the Humpty Doo Hotel, the driver returned to the bus. As they were returning to the hotel, the driver noticed the bus rolling forward and ran back to open the bus door to engage the interlocking braking system. During their attempt to reach the door switch, the driver fell forward into the path of the moving bus, NT WorkSafe explains. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of $1,500,000.…

TRANSDEV AUSTRALASIA and Newcastle, NSW-based mobility tech start-up Liftango are now in a new partnership sharing industry expertise and resources to develop on-demand transport solutions, the companies announced recently. Take-up of on-demand services continues to grow as customers seek more personal, adaptive and technology driven transport options, according to Transdev. It is estimated that one in five Australians have used on-demand rideshare services in the past three months. Transdev and Liftango have partnered to deliver on-demand services as part of the NSW Government’s ‘Sports Hopper’ trial in the Sutherland Shire in Sydney, Australia. The two companies have partnered on several on-demand projects elsewhere throughout Australia, Transdev confirms. Transdev CEO Luke Agati says the two parties had shared ambitions to improve connectivity and promote greater adoption of public transport services across…

MERCEDES-BENZ presented two new Euro 6 buses and a factory-converted minibus at the 2019 BusVic Expo and Maintenance Conference, held recently at the Melbourne Convention Exhibition Centre (MCEC). Meeting strict Euro 6 emission standards and featuring reduced low-noise levels, the buses are said to enable operators to “reduce emissions with the backing of Mercedes-Benz and its trusted national support network”. A new-release BCI luxury coach body complemented the MB O500RF model; its sleek exterior design is matched by a spacious new interior, including a stylish new-look dashboard, the company states. The O500RF also features the 10.7-litre OM470 Euro 6 engine linked to an eight-speed automated manual transmission. It delivers substantial performance with 390hp (291kW) and 1,900Nm, while also returning impressive fuel economy, it’s claimed. Mercedes-Benz also proudly presented a smart…

JAPANESE VEHICLE GIANT Toyota has recently improved the ‘preventative safety performance’ of its ‘Sora’ Fuel Cell Electrified Vehicle (FCEV) bus, which is to be showcased in action during the summer 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, July 24 – August 9 next year. Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) says approx. 90 per cent of its vehicles will be electrified at the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020, aiming to achieve the lowest emissions target level of any official vehicle fleet used at such events. The company will provide a total of around 3,700 mobility products and/or vehicles. Out of those mobility products and/or vehicles, 2,700 will be part of the official fleet providing transportation support between venues during the Olympic Games. Aside from that official fleet, Toyota will also support Games operations with…

Forecasts predict that by 2050 the world’s population will exceed nine billion people and 75 per cent of them will be living in cities. Due to the special nature of this country, 92 per cent of Australians already live in cities. Public transport is one of the biggest challenges metropolitan areas are facing in the 21st century. Our sophisticated technology of automatic passenger counting plays an important role in the evolution of cities and further improvement of public transport systems. Every day, our IRMA sensors accurately count millions of passengers in cities all over the world – seven days a week, 24 hours a day. The Berlin-based company iris has been supplying the global market with reliable technologies for automatic passenger counting for more than 27 years. Now, the company…

OPERATING AS SWAN TRANSIT, the Transit Systems Group (TSG) has continued to expand its services in Perth. The Group has retained the Marmion and Claremont Metropolitan Bus services contracts for another 10 years, and has been awarded an additional contract to provide services for Joondalup, it confirms. Commencing on January 19, 2020, more than 6.5 million customers per year in Joondalup will start boarding with TSG on Swan Transit services, joining 25 million current passengers (per year) in the state, according to TSG projections. The Joondalup contract – believed to be previously operated by Transdev Perth – will see the business transition more than 300 employees, three depots and 170 buses into the Swan Transit network, which already includes 626 buses and 13 depots locally. The announcement to switch operators…

MASS JOB LOSSES and protests from ex-workers given the perception that millions in company funds were misdirected to a Wright Family-established ‘church’ have hallmarked the recent news that UK bus manufacturer Wrightbus has gone into administration. In what is being touted as another Brexit blow for Northern Ireland, on September 25 appointed-administrator Deloitte confirmed that 1,200 employees at Wrightbus had been made redundant; a massive low for the company and the local Ballymena, Northern Ireland, economy. Michael Magnay and Peter Allen of the professional services firm Deloitte were recently appointed as joint administrators to Wrights Group Ltd, Wrightbus Ltd, Wright En-Drive Ltd, Wright Composites Ltd and Metallix Ltd. More recently known for producing the ‘Boris (Johnson) Bus’ – the 2013 modern interpretation of a London Routemaster (New Routemaster) – and…

BUSES ACROSS JAPAN could now soon be able to draw up closer to the kerb – thereby bettering access for wheelchair users, senior citizens and those with strollers – thanks to a new kerb-stone design, tyre manufacturer Bridgestone Corporation has announced. According to the company, it allows buses to pull closer because the design includes a specially engineered slope that more smoothly interacts with the shape of the tyre to decrease tyre sidewall wear and vibration. It can also be customised to fit common tyre and vehicle sizes that use a specific kerb location, the company explains. The result is a significantly smaller gap between the kerb and bus entrance, which provides easier and safer on-and-off access for passengers. MULTI-VEHICLE APPLICATION The new barrier-less docking system was first introduced in…

PENSKE COMMERCIAL VEHICLES’ MAN bus team – together with Bus and Coach Sales Australasia (BCSA) and body builder Bonluck–unveiled the ‘MAN President’ at the 2019 BusVic Expo and Maintenance Conference recently. With sharp modern looks, a 1,400mm floor line, 11 cubic metres of luggage capacity, and MAN’s proven quality, reliability and efficiency underneath, it is an ideal solution for day charter or coach applications, according to Penske. The MAN President will soon have company in the form of an entry-level Senator bus range, which is a well-equipped school or charter bus for operators seeking a price-conscious yet highly reliable solution – without needing to compromise on the underpinning MAN quality, it explains. Both the President and Senator are built on the well-established IC 19.320 RR8 chassis from MAN’s modular Lion’s…

USNSW INVITED 25 B up-and-coming state industry professionals to attend a one-day forum in Sydney, recently, marking the second successful Volvo-backed Young Leaders gathering to date. BusNSW executive director Matt Threlkeld says BusNSW was very pleased to be hosting the Young Leaders Seminar in conjunction with Volvo Bus Australia. “We needed a partner to make this event happen and Volvo Bus Australia has been a long-time advocate for the development of young people in the industry,” Threlkeld said. “The event follows a successful inaugural event last year and the forum is designed to develop and promote the next generation of leaders in the industry,” he explained. “Participants were from metropolitan and regional areas, family businesses and multi-nationals, and are involved in business functions including operations, administration, planning and maintenance. “We…

Tucked away nondescript in a quiet corner of the 2019 BusVic Expo and Maintenance Conference, held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre recently, the DD3 did well to make itself the centre of attention for many at the show – regardless of whether they were looking to buy a high-end double-decker at all. Daubed in a gorgeous burgundy hue – the official name of which at this stage must still remain a secret – the Bonluck DD3 double-deck, as distributed locally by Queensland-based Bus & Coach Sales Australasia (BCSA), looked stylishly hedonistic without being visually obtuse; svelte and suave it stood as its roofline cascaded down, waterfall-like, into at striking front end that spoke volumes about what potential occupants would be treated to once they were wooed inside. From…

As the third largest private bus operator in New South Wales, Buslines Group is a swift operator that continues to drive innovation across its business. After taking over Ulladulla Buslines in December 2018, the company has been focusing on safety and a trial of a contactless payment system. In addition to the 16 vehicles that were bought as part of the Ulladulla acquisition, the Buslines Group purchased a school bus fitted with seatbelts as part of the NSW government’s mandatory seatbelt program. Buslines Group manager Chris Moule says any future buses built for Ulladulla Buslines will be fitted with seatbelts. In July 2013, the NSW government announced that seatbelts would be mandatory, and standing would be phased out, on school buses operated in rural and regional areas within 10 years.…

AMAZING CONVERSATION At BusVic 2019, we would hear from a range of expert speakers and aficionados bringing to light a stack of insightful public transport and bus-specific topics – and it was a mentally engaging theme kicked off from the start via keynote speaker and former Australia Prime Minister John Howard. The legend that he is now had assembled punters eagerly engrossed by his erudite thoughts on a range of topics – and his delivery was truly a special experience. John Howard served in the Australian Parliament for 33 years, his last 11 years as the Prime Minister. He offered eloquently and intellectual It was huge! How huge? Well, when the BusVic Expo registration queues on the first morning stretched all the way to the back – and ordered alphabetically…

Bus and coach deliveries reached a figure of 122 in September, which may be another slight dip on the previous month, but would easily be one of the highest numbers in previous years, underscoring the strong results seen in 2019. In fact, 122 is now the exact average monthly figure this year, a high benchmark indeed for these pages. Swedes Scania and Volvo were well ahead of the pack in September, with the former falling just short of a half century – comprising a large Transdev order of 29 units – while the latter notched up 41. Mercedes-Benz was the only other maker to hit double figures in September. ‘Victoria was back on top in the state charts, accounting for 33 per cent.’ For the body builders, Volgren went from…