Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 395 i Australasian Bus & Coach

PENALTIES will apply to some bus and truck operators for avoiding Sydney’s new NorthConnex toll road, with gantry-camera vehicle-size monitoring in use, warns NSW Roads and Maritime Services (RMS). As first reported in ABC magazine’s sister title ATN, amidst the pomp and ceremony of NorthConnex’s first end-to-end drivethrough lurks a Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) memo to commercial vehicle operators in May 2020, on the consequences of avoiding the new toll road. The launch of the $3 billion state-federal initiative saw a photo opportunity for Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Federal Infrastructure Minister Michael McCormack, New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian and NSW Transport and Roads Minister Andrew Constance at the 9km twin tunnels, which travel between the M1 Pacific Motorway at Wahroonga and the M2 Hills Motorway at West Pennant…

AN EXTENSION of “at least six months” to the Federal Government’s JobKeeper scheme is being sought for the Long Distance, Tourist and Charter (LDTC) sector by the Bus Australia Network (BAN) – a collective industry entity – it’s been revealed. In correspondence dated June 30, 2020, and issued to the Hon. Michael McCormack MP, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, the network is seeking for JobKeeper to be extended, “…for at least six months beyond September 27, 2020 in order to get through the December 2020 – February 2021 school holiday period, where there are minimal school extracurricular activities to generate business for this sector of the industry. “An extension of JobKeeper will enable these operators, who are mainly small and medium-sized businesses, to endure…

WITH FAR WIDER applications than just buses, Volgren is to bring a suite of anti-virus solutions for Covid-19 into Australia to improve biosafety for passengers, the company has announced. Volgren’s parent company, Marcopolo, has recently launched a range of global biosafety measures designed to limit the spread of Covid-19 coronavirus and improve the safety of bus passengers, drivers and the general public, it states. Known as ‘Marcopolo BioSafe’, the suite of products includes: Fog In Place (FIP) OnBoard – a dry fog that disinfects the inside of buses, trains or trams without using chemicals that are toxic to humans; protection kits for drivers; and UVC light technology to disinfect restrooms. Australian bus body manufacturer Volgren is investigating how the products could be used in an Australian context. CEO of Marcopolo…

THE NEW eCitaro G complements the electric range from Daimler Buses, marking the “next milestone on the way to locally emission-free local public transport”, it states. With the new fully electric articulated bus, Mercedes-Benz is further expanding its role as a technological pioneer, it says; shortly after the eCitaro G’s market launch, it was confirmed it would be available with new battery technologies, such as being the first bus in its category to be equipped with innovative solid-state batteries, the company states. The first deliveries to several European transport operators are planned for this year, according to Daimler. The ‘artic’ version comes two years after Daimler Buses presented the regular fully electric ‘solo’ eCitaro city bus, which is now a series production vehicle manufactured at the Mannheim, Germany, plant. To…

The buses will be operated for the PTA by Swan Transit in Joondalup, Perth’s primary urban centre in the northern suburbs. They will join the existing Central Area Transit System (CAT) in Joondalup, which are zero-fare routes, Volvo explains. Introducing alternate technologies is nothing new for PTA and Volvo; when Volvo came to market with its hybrid buses in 2013, the two parties conducted a successful trial of the bus in Perth – which not only allowed Volvo to prove the concept, but grow hybrid bus sales across Australia, it said. “Trialling new, green technology is a great use of our public transport network, already one of the most environmentally friendly ways to get around Perth,” said Western Australian Transport Minister Rita Saffioti. “This is the first time we have…

Nineteen seventy four was a very different business world to what it is today – and given 2020’s largely unexpected turn of events (though conspiracy theorists will say contrived) there’s much about those old times that many will be longing for. Yet, for many women then, the path to commercial success for themselves was far from easy. Behind many successful businesses of today – if you dig a little deeper into them – will be the stories of tough, determined, intelligent and passionate women who basically couldn’t and didn’t take no for an answer when it came to pursuing their business dreams and ideas – often brought about through a need to fulfil them. ‘Necessity being the mother of invention’ a suitably gender-specific metaphoric pun to explain it all here,…

Usually a trip to Queensland will mean a stint of warmer, fine weather, but today’s visit to test drive the new RR8 at Penske headquarters in Wacol, just outside Brisbane, gave us a new spin on ‘the show must go on’. To say it was pretty miserable is an understatement, but the RR8 stood out straight away as looking more like a smart coach than school bus. This one’s off to Cowan’s Bus Services in Sandy Hollow, NSW, to be part of the school bus fleet, painted in its company colours: a royal blue tail end, the Southern Cross and distinctive large logo across the front. Mark Nichols, regional sales manager for MAN Bus at Penske Australia, was happy to take this brand new RR8 with only 96 kilometres on…

THE TENDER for Sydney’s Northern Beaches and the Lower North Shore bus contract – Region 8 – is now officially open, Transport for NSW (TfNSW) has announced. The “competitive tender process” for operating Region 8 bus services is an opportunity for leading transport operators from both Australia and overseas to demonstrate how they will deliver improved services to customers on behalf of the NSW government, TfNSW explains. “We’re looking for an operator to deliver new and innovative services for our customers on the North Shore and Northern Beaches. This will mean more frequent and convenient services throughout the day, including turn-up-and-go and on-demand routes,” said Elizabeth Mildwater, deputy secretary – Greater Sydney, at TfNSW. “We’re also looking for operators to show us how they can help the government transition to…

A LOOMING ELECTION at the time with expert opinion it will take another 12 to 18 months before the Australian bus industry is able to “transition out of this crisis”, the federal government is being asked to “step up and do more” to “protect our industry and the people we support”, says the Bus Industry Confederation (BIC). Australia’s peak bus body – representing an industry responsible for transporting alone more than 500,000 coach passengers every day – made the call for a national rescue package in its advisory role to the Tourism Restart Taskforce, which was established by the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in April 2020. Speaking on behalf of the BIC following the recent release of the Tourism Restart Taskforce’s plan to rebuild Australia’s tourism sector, executive…

RECENT CORONAVIRUS case number increases in Victoria has put new emphasis on hygiene protection strategies on buses and coaches becoming standard – not just optional – sooner rather than later, according to a leading European bus-body manufacturer spokesperson. “We are seeing certain anti-coronavirus measures being ISO certified in Europe due to demand, where the impact of the disease has reportedly been much greater than here in Australia, in terms of cases and deaths,” said Daniel Castro, director at Irizar Asia Pacific Pty Ltd based in Melbourne. “Unfortunately, what we are seeing here in certain parts of Melbourne, Victoria, right now could be an indication that such a virus or maybe even future viruses could repeat and would need to be best managed and mitigated quickly, so maybe anti-viral strategies and…

UK BUS AND COACH operator National Express has started to fulfil its pledge to no longer buy diesel buses, with the first of 29 ADL-BYD Enviro400EV electric double-deckers starting service recently, the company has announced. Following an official late February statement outlining “…its vision to become the UK’s most sustainable bus and coach company,” the National Express Group stated it will: “…not buy another diesel bus for our UK operations”; “Will lead the transition to zero emission coaches, with a target for the first electric coaches to be in service next year”; that its ambition was “…our UK bus and UK coach fleets will be fully zero emission from 2030 and 2035, respectively”; and that “…environmental targets will make up 25 per cent of senior executive long-term incentive plans.” On…

AUSTRALIAN electric bus charging specialist Electromotiv has secured its largest e-bus leasing deal to date, following Kiwi operator Go Bus signing on for nine Yutong E12 buses, the companies announced recently. The agreement between zero-emission charging and refuelling provider Electromotiv and Go Bus is a multi-million dollar contract, and includes Yutong E12s serviced and maintained by Electromotiv partner, JW Group. Managing director and co-founder of Electromotiv Toby Roxburgh says the three-way partnership demonstrated that, as operators look at ways of transitioning to zero-emission fleets, leasing was becoming a convincing commercial option. “The big advantages of leasing are that it removes upfront costs, reduces risk and enables operators to pick and choose the best technology,” Roxburgh said. “Governments and operators are reviewing their procurement solutions as they transition to zero-emission buses,…

GRACING a range of chassis brands and models since the first two examples (stock units for Mercedes-Benz and Hino) debuted at the 2009 Australian Bus and Coach Show that September, the school/charter bus SB50 – along with its popular CB80 “New Generation” city bus stablemate – incorporated hundreds of high-quality new internal and external parts designed and manufactured using the latest 3D computer-aided design techniques, including 3D computer surface modelling and automated manufacturing techniques. Such production requirements arguably led to Custom needing to streamline and expand its operations, necessitating its move from Smithfield, NSW, to a new plant in Villawood in 2010. Once there (and eventually under ADL ownership), ‘Custom Coaches’ would be able to commence using its new five-axis laser tube cutter – the ‘most sophisticated version in Australia’…

It will take a bit of time, but they will get here. Volvo’s bringing in some Australia-friendly electric bus tech matched to a suitable Volgren body and it will eventually be used on a Perth CAT bus route by early 2022. That’s the short of it. The long of it? We’ll get to see one of four of these e-buses much sooner – relatively – at the 2021 UITP Global Public Transport Summit in Melbourne, scheduled to be held in the middle to very late of next year. When ABC magazine published online a 10.00am embargoed announcement about the Volvo electric buses on Thursday, July 2 earlier this month (might have been 9.59am and 46 seconds … but hey, who’s counting, right?) stating these Volvos were coming next year, the…

THE UNIVERSITY of New South Wales – one of Australia’s leading research and teaching universities – has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Dutch e-bus manufacturer Ebusco, to “accelerate development of zero emissions transport”, the entities have announced. The Sydney-based UNSW’s agreement with the Dutch electric bus manufacturer will bolster research and development of electric vehicles and sustainable transport in Australia, they state. UNSW President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Jacobs, says the partnership reflects UNSW’s commitment to a more sustainable future. “This new collaboration with Ebusco will help make significant advances in areas such as renewable energy and manufacturing – both areas of research strength at UNSW,” Professor Jacobs said. “We are committed to taking action on climate change and to working with industry as such partnerships are key…

A LONG-AWAITED decision on an industrial relations-shaping ‘work status’ case has cast casual drivers into the Australian bus industry’s spotlight during an expert-led round-table discussion, recently. If the decision stands, operators will be required to make dramatic changes to their work forces and perhaps further changes made to the Awards and Enterprise Agreements. The conjecture comes following a Bus Industry Confederation (BIC)-led Industrial Working Group’s online seminar held on June 12, 2020, where Professor Andrew Stewart – Professor at Law, Adelaide University – gave his views on what the decision means for the bus industry. THE CASE On Wednesday, May 20, 2020, the eagerly anticipated decision in the Workpac Pty Ltd v. Rossato was handed down. The case related to Mr Rossato, a casual worker employed by labour-hire company WorkPac…

IN THANKING all those who “…keep our country moving forward safely,” a family-run Queensland bus operator has updated its corporate branding to honour all essential workers – “including all bus drivers”, Koala Koaches has announced. The company has recently updated its livery by re-introducing a graphic of a koala, and a gum leaf, to its signage – even more so emotively poignant and respectful given the destructive bushfires across Australia earlier this year – and changed to using teal and charcoal colours. Yet perhaps most impressively, the company has honoured its namesake iconic animal and those at the forefront of the current Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic situation by including stickers of a large koala head wearing a face mask, underwritten by the words: “THANK YOU all Essential Workers!” According to the…

ONE OF BRISBANE City Council’s first purpose-built buses – a 72-year-old diesel-powered British AEC Regal III – made a sentimental spin around the city on July 10, after a “breathtaking restoration”, organisers announced. The restoration was funded by a $19,000 Queensland Government Gambling Community Benefit Fund grant. Bus 80 – a British AEC Regal III chassis with a Commonwealth Engineering body built in Sydney – was one of 12 diesel-powered buses brought into service in 1948, QOCS explains. “Between October 1947 and April 1948, the Brisbane City Council began consolidating the bus system in Brisbane by compulsorily acquiring 20 private operators,” QOCS president Nick Wilson said. The gleaming silver Bus 80 cost £5,110, the equivalent to approximately $319,800 in today’s money, it states. The bus began operating from the BCC’s…

Chief executive officer of Volgren, Thiago Deiro, says the Volvo-Volgren e-bus was a major new milestone in a partnership spanning four decades. “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Volvo on their first electric bus for Australia. Both engineering and design teams have been working together on this project to deliver the very best solution to the Public Transport Authority of Western Australia (PTA). “This is one of the important builds in this company’s long history because we’re working with technology that will be used for many decades to come.” Deiro says Volgren has partnered with the PTA since 1999 and was immensely proud that the first zero-emission bus to hit the streets of Perth would carry a Volgren body. “Our connection to the PTA – and to Western Australian public…

The usual end-of-financial year rush has seen Australian bus and coach deliveries jump a remarkable 83 per cent month-on-month to finish on 146 for June. It’s the fifth consecutive month where deliveries have fluctuated between double and triple figures in a Covid-impacted 2020, marking the second-highest figure for the year – behind January’s 172 – though June traditionally represents a bump in the market. In the chassis sector it was Scania reigning with 46 deliveries, the Swede’s yearly best, driven in particular by a significant Transdev order. Interestingly, regular market leader Volvo’s 28 matched last month as its equal lowest for the year. Better news for Mercedes-Benz breaking the 20-delivery barrier and setting a yearly high of 22. Australian Bus Corporation’s (ABC’s) Bustech brand also broke new ground in 2020…