Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 394 i Australasian Bus & Coach

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been signed between key multi-national strategic partners to explore delivery of innovative and sustainable transport solutions, according to Australian signatory Transit Systems. The company – now part of the SeaLink Travel Group – has joined the alliance to establish the ‘H2OzBus Project’, leveraging its global network to further continue evaluating and demonstrating the concept of hydrogen fuel-cell electric buses for use in public bus transport in Australia. Transit Systems has joined forces with strategic partners Ballard Power Systems, BOC Limited, Palisade Investment Partners and ITM Power (‘Consortium’) by signing the MOU. The Consortium will collaborate on a project to further investigate deploying an initial 100 hydrogen fuel-cell electric buses in cities across Australia in Phase 1, with the intention to use this as a…

SYDNEY-BASED passenger transport company Ambient Transport Pty Ltd is facing legal action in the Federal Circuit Court over alleged driver pay shortcomings, as commenced by the Fair Work Ombudsman. Fair Work Inspectors commenced an investigation after receiving requests for assistance from drivers who had been engaged by Ambient Transport between May and October 2019, to transport passengers, Fair Work reports. A Fair Work inspector issued a Compliance Notice after forming a belief that drivers had not received all earnings under the Passenger Vehicle Transportation Award 2010 – including one employee not receiving any earnings at all – and the company had contravened provisions of the award relating to penalty rates for weekend, early morning, and night work, it claims. The regulator alleges the company failed to comply with the Compliance…

MERCEDES-BENZ VANS has added a new 12-seat ‘minibus’ to its massive range of some 1,700 different Sprinter variants possible, the company recently announced. According to the company, the Sprinter opens up “almost unlimited application possibilities with a multitude of variants fit for a wide range of transport needs and sectors”. Its new 12-seat minibus Transfer model is “more comfortable, more versatile and safer than ever before”. The 416 Sprinter Transfer gets a chrome grille, alloy wheels, fogs lamps, high-performance headlamps and partial LED tail lights, comfort overhead control panel, electric rear sliding door, light and rain sensors and, from the 120kW engine, more power, says Mercedes-Benz. Access to and from the rear passenger compartment is easy thanks to the electric sliding rear door and step – operated by the driver…

VERY SPECIAL KIDS – a charity helping approximately 900 families across Victoria who have a child with a life-threatening condition – will have its work supported thanks to a new community partnership with Transdev Melbourne, it’s been announced recently. The partnership aims to support the important work of Very Special Kids by raising awareness and funds among Transdev Melbourne’s staff and customers, and coincides with the organisation’s biggest annual fundraiser: the 24-Hour Treadmill Challenge, which has been impacted by Covid-19 restrictions. Free services offered via Very Special Kids include: counselling, advocacy, sibling programmes, bereavement support and specialist care at the charity’s hospice. Transdev Melbourne’s support for Very Special Kids will include raising awareness and fundraising through Transdev bus advertising, digital billboards and ongoing coverage on Transdev’s social media channels and…

IN WHAT has otherwise been a very challenging time for the bus industry, the Covid-19-related slowdown has enabled QOCS and Coachworks in Brisbane to tackle various aspects of the buses’ regeneration, which will no doubt please avid bus enthusiasts. “The club is an important part of the industry and we are always happy to support them with their projects,” said Coachworks general manager Scott Isaacs. “The Covid-19 slowdown has meant that the timing of these projects is mutually beneficial. “Our team always enjoy working on club buses and it’s a great talking point for our customers and suppliers when they visit our workshop,” Isaacs said. QOCS club president Nick Wilson commented: “Once again, we are extremely grateful of the support and generosity of Coachworks, who have made these projects possible…

Bus operations run in this family. The Oliveris are well-known in the Australian bus transit sector. The business was set up by Giovanni Oliveri and his brothers in the early 1950s. As the business expanded and families grew, they branched out in different directions within the transport sector. In 1992, Giovanni and his wife Caterina Oliveri’s five children separated from the other Oliveris to set their own businesses under the G&C Oliveri Group. Today, the five siblings - Joe Oliveri, Frank Oliveri, Carmel Faruggia, Domenica Sprock and Frances Oliveri - make up the board of directors of Southern Cross Transit, as well as Sydney-based Interline Bus Service. The sole shareholder is their mother, Caterina. Frank is the managing director of Southern Cross Transit, while big brother Joe is the managing…

AWARD-WINNING European bus manufacturer Ebusco is to ultimately produce zero-emission buses here in Australia, for Australia and New Zealand, by partnering with Bustech and Precision Buses – now part of the Australian Bus Corporation (ABC) – the companies have jointly announced. Ebusco, a Dutch pioneer in electric vehicle technology and smart mobility solutions, is launching this regional partnership with the ABC – the largest Australian-owned bus group in Australasia, it states, for the “future of zero-emission buses in Australasia”. Simon Pearce, newly appointed strategic director of Asia Pacific for Ebusco, explained: “The Australian Bus Corporation and Ebusco initially met at the [2019] BIC conference in Canberra, Australia. After an initial discussion between Dan Marks (director/owner of Precision Buses and Bustech), Peter Bijvelds (CEO Ebusco) and Michel Maanen (CCO and COO…

A FOCUS on ‘lean manufacturing’ and eliminating disturbances from the bus production line will allow Volgren to “double capacity” at its Dandenong, Victoria, manufacturing headquarters, the company confirms. Part of a company-wide transformation aimed at improving competitiveness and delivering more value for customers, the re-design has included a radical rethink of its production line, leading to development of a single, ‘continuous flow’ line. Volgren CEO Thiago Deiro says the new arrangement can work for both diesel and electric vehicles and was designed according to lean concepts. “The previous assembly line was limited to one vehicle per day and was set up with stationary bays. The new chassis area is a continuous line on rails with pre-assembled parts just beside each work station. As soon as this new chassis layout is…

AS THE ZERO-EMISSIONS bus trend gains momentum, charging and refuelling provider Electromotiv has increased its headcount in Australia and New Zealand, the company reports. Adrian Salinas joins the company as operations manager for Australia and New Zealand and Sam Andrist will become part of Electromotiv’s New Zealand arm, working as an economist and analyst, it confirms. Salinas was previously a senior project officer with the ACT government. In that role he played a pivotal part in the largest fleet-based charging station network installation in the southern hemisphere, a 50-station deployment across 10 different sites, Electromotiv explains. He also has global experience in the automotive sector, having worked for GM in the United States and run hydrogen bus trials in Florida and California, it adds. Andrist is a recent graduate with…

DAIMLER’S FUSO has introduced a ‘drive now, pay later’ offer on its key Australian bus and truck models, developed in response to the “… challenging economic environment”, the company has announced. The Fuso Financial offer means customers purchasing select Fuso models can benefit from a 90-day repayment-free period, easing pressure and helping them get back to business, it explains. Eligible customers can defer payments for two months, while Fuso will pay the third monthly payment on their behalf, it states. Terms and conditions apply to the offer, which is valid for 2020-plate Shogun, Rosa and select Fighter models purchased before July 31, 2020, it adds. Customers also benefit from a five-year warranty that applies across the range, according to Fuso. Covering the trucks and Rosa bus for five years, or…

A NATIONAL DAY of thanks – Wear Orange Wednesday – for State Emergency Services (SES) workers during National Volunteers Week 2020, saw Busways staff ‘go orange’. In thanking the SES on Wednesday, May 20, Busways head of human resources Alanna Ward said: “Community volunteering is the heart of what makes us Australian and at Busways we recognise the value of volunteering and have a culture of actively supporting staff to enable volunteering. “Many of Busways employees volunteer with the SES, so this Wednesday our team dressed in orange to celebrate these brave SES men and women whose selfless contributions are such an important part of the fabric of our community,” Ward said. This includes bus driver and long-term SES volunteer Paul Burg, who played an instrumental role in ensuring bus…

After holding out for many months, the Australian bus and coach market sees the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic finally reflected in delivery numbers, which eased to 80 in May. That number follows expected trends and drops below the levels of the past two years, but remains well above some of the historical lows, such as 65 in February, 2018, and multiple months in the 50s in 2017. The chassis sector echoes the line-ups of most months, albeit on a smaller scale. Both Volvo and Scania continued their one-two lead in the chassis section on 28 and 24, respectively. No other manufacturer reported more than 10, though an individual positive sees MAN with its highest monthly number. The bodies sector sees a shift with Australasian Bus Corporation’s three entities combining…

PRIVATISATION of Sydney’s remaining bus contracts – Regions, 7, 8 and 9 – have been delayed due to the impact of the Covid-19 coronavirus and will have a staggered ‘handover’ from May, 2021, until April, 2022, reports the Sydney Morning Herald, recently. The SMH article states the media outlet has cited ‘documents’ that essentially outlines a re-envisaged rollout by the NSW state government of the winning tender announcements for the affected regions, due to the current pandemic. “The coronavirus pandemic is delaying the controversial privatisation of bus services in Sydney’s northern and eastern suburbs by up to a year,” the article states. “The contracts for bus regions 7, 8 and 9 – covering Sydney’s north-western suburbs, northern beaches and eastern suburbs – were all slated for handing over to private…

Public transport operator Busways is now mostly using renewable energy to power its Gosford, NSW, bus depot, the company announced recently. Busways says it’s powering its Kincumber bus depot on the NSW Central Coast with renewable energy to further reduce its carbon footprint and deliver a clean, sustainable future. The new 99.6kW solar system installed across the depot’s workshop roof means, on average, 90 per cent of the depot’s power comes from the sun, the company confirms. “On sunny days we are running the depot 100 per cent emissions-free for over 10 hours!” Busways sustainable projects lead Tim Reid said. “We’ve also replaced all old lighting at the depot with LED, reducing use of electricity by 20 per cent.” The $160,000 solar system is expected to produce more than 150…

WABCO’s integration into ZF Friedrichshafen AG as its Commercial Vehicle Control Systems Division has started following final approval by all regulatory authorities involved. The acquisition of Wabco will mean the formation of a “leading global integrated systems provider for commercial vehicle technology”, says ZF with customers worldwide to “benefit from advanced technology innovation, an extensive product portfolio, leading systems integration expertise and an expanded global footprint”, it explains. “The combination of these two successful enterprises will bring a new dimension of innovation and capability for commercial vehicle systems technology,” said Wolf-Henning Scheider, CEO of ZF Friedrichshafen AG. “Thanks to our perfectly complementary portfolios and competencies, we are able to offer unprecedented solutions and services for manufacturers and fleets globally. “In this way, we are actively shaping the future of the…

Bus shows are wondrous things – for bus fans and punters in general alike, if you think about it. Not only do they allow the industry to get a glimpse into the future about what product is newly out or about to be, but also they let mainstream media ‘tease’ the public en masse with how buses are evolving in terms of look, sound and feel. Traditionally (and let’s be honest) the only ‘bus teasing’ to be had was for true ‘bus nuts’ and the ‘automotively perverted’ amongst us – so it’s ok to raise your hands here right now and not be ashamed of such a fact, if you are one. Yet, for the glut of the public transport-travelling public? Perhaps many just saw a bus as a bus…

Today’s drive of the BLK 12.5m President DD3 double-decker is one we’ve been looking forward to since last year’s BusVic Conference and Expo in Melbourne. A real standout vehicle, big and imposing in both size and bold colour, she was definitely a show-stopper. Were such initial impressions justified and echoed at that show by others? We asked Rodd Hood and Athol McKinnon, directors at BLK Bus and Coach Products in Australia. “It certainly opened up a lot of eyes,” Hood said. “It was a big surprise for a lot of people at the show, at what BLK can produce.” “At BusVic, operators were taken aback with this coach. We achieved pure European styling and quality built at BLK using high-end componentry sourced from all around the world.” So … why…