Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 411 i Australasian Bus & Coach

MAJOR MELBOURNE bus operator Ventura Bus Lines has added its first battery-electric bus (BEB) to its fleet, taking delivery of the e-bus from longtime partner Volgren. The Volgren Optimus-bodied BYD D9RA e-chassis bus was a combination chosen after several years evaluating the current crop of BEBs, according to Ventura’s managing director Andrew Cornwall. “Ventura customers enjoy high levels of reliability and punctuality for their bus services, so it was critical that we chose a very dependable solution for our first BEB,” Cornwall stated. “Ventura has been buying buses from Volgren for over 20 years and we have built a very respectful partnership.” Ventura general manager of fleet and maintenance David Burgess says investing in any new technology requires a strong customer focus. “Our long-term relationship with Volgren gives us a…

WITH THE INTRODUCTION of high-voltage bus systems in Australia, Volvo Bus is reinforcing its experience in, and focus on, safety – especially with its newly-launched BZL electric chassis, it reports. As Australasian state and ‘regional’ governments and operators move to convert their bus fleets to electric in the coming years, Volvo Bus Australia (VBA) is across the inherent challenges that come with operating these vehicles – it has successfully run its hybrid tech locally, it reminds – and the increasing importance of ensuring safe and effective operations, the company explains. This electric technology incorporates a range of new operational factors, including high-voltage cables, batteries, electric charging interfaces and energy storage – requiring a long-term strategy to ensure extensive understanding of the way these vehicles are built, operated and serviced, it…

PERFECTLY POISED for the Queensland government’s NC5 funding category – and featuring arguably one of the best-looking school bus front ends – the all-Australian-built Marathon is attracting “plenty of interest” prior to official launch, local distributor Bus Stop Sales (BSS) reports. In a collaboration that proudly supports Australian manufacturing – underwritten by an all-American driveline – the current Marathon nameplate first debuted onto the Aussie bus scene more than 30 years ago and is now re-introduced by Queensland-based, family-owned and operated BSS. The new Marathon school bus is a combination of proven and uncomplicated Iveco Delta bus chassis assembled in Victoria, the company explains, with renowned Queensland manufacturer Coach Concepts building the sharp-looking body. In announcing the completion of the first of 10 pre-launch new Marathon school buses in September,…

AN INCREASED domestic American demand for affordable, ‘sustainable’, collective mobility has contributed to German transport entity Flixmobility’s – of Flixbus and Flixtrains fame – decision to buy iconic Greyhound Lines Inc., USA, the company announced, recently. With the United States’ intercity bus lines said to be a lifeline during the pandemic for communities and essential workers, these look like being expanded and enhanced following global mobility provider Flixmobility acquiring Greyhound in America (“Greyhound”) – the largest provider of long-distance bus transportation in the United States – from Firstgroup plc. This acquisition, “…marks another important step in Flixmobility’s vision to provide easy-to-use, affordable, and environmentally friendly travel for consumers across the globe,” the company explains. The purchase brings together Flixbus’ innovative global technology and shared mobility expertise with Greyhound’s iconic nationwide…

IN PASSING October 17, and starting as a small family-run business, BCI’s 30 years of being in the Australian bus industry has marked it as an established historical member, which has distributed its buses around the country through its network in Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Perth and Adelaide. In 1991, BCI founder Ron Nazzari created a local bus body builder that would become, in time, an international manufacturer exporting to prime markets around the globe, it states. Current BCI CEO Desmond Armstrong says he’s confident about BCI’s future and contribution to the transportation industry on our soil: “Over the past 18 years – my time at BCI – I’ve seen the company grow from strength to strength and that has only been possible thanks to our fantastic staff and certainly our…

IN A MOVE to demonstrate its R&D and manufacturing capabilities – and no doubt garner mass interest from investors looking to enter into the EV space – Young Liu, chairman of Hon Hai Technology Group, a global leader in smart manufacturing – introduced three autonomously developed electric vehicles, recently. These were the Model C recreational vehicle, the Model E sedan and, most interestingly for the global city bus market, the Model T electric bus. According to the company, the announcement underlines Foxconn’s, “…commitment to become a global next-generation automotive manufacturer.” ‘STYLISH BUS’ Positioned as an intelligent transportation solution, the Model T is, “…a stylish urban bus,” according to the company. Its high rigid body design and protection meets the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) regulations and standards, Foxconn confirms. Additionally, the…

Thick red dust and ochrecoloured hues saturate the vast plains and ancient rocky outcrops of the famed Pilbara region, stretching the width of north Western Australia. Here, in the heat of the day and the dusks and dawns punctuating the night – long from view of undisturbed city dwellers often ignorant of the region’s beauty and rich mining resources – umpteen commercial vehicles traverse the landscape, ferrying loads of precious metals and minerals from the mining sites and the most precious cargo of all, back and forth to go garner them – people – via passenger coach, who Fly In Fly Out (FIFO) for the work. It is a tough ol’ land out there and not the place where comfort and safety can be compromised, as a coach’s reliability is…

While the second quarter of the 2021-22 financial year opened to Australian bus and coach deliveries remaining downbeat, there was a welcome increase on September’s 56 deliveries to reach a total of 66 for October. Though a welcome upward turn, this is also the fourth month of lower delivery numbers, following July’s 69 and August’s 68. In the chassis sector, Volvo led the way in October with 16 deliveries – up five on the previous month – followed by Mercedes-Benz on 10, also up on September. BCI, Hino and MAN were neck-and-neck with eight deliveries each – with Hino showing the greatest improvement from September’s three – while the remaining four delivered 16 between them. In the body-building sector, Volgren once again showed a commanding lead with 18, though this…

OFFICIALLY LAUNCHING the Volvo BZL electric chassis in late September, 2021 – and following years of extensive electro-mobility planning, development and testing, as the company confirms – Volvo Bus Australia (VBA) has consistently utilised Volvo’s stringent European standards to, “…provide a safe, reliable and consistent framework for developing and supporting the Volvo BZL Electric chassis.” These standards, it states, have been at the forefront of VBA’s planning and execution throughout its electro-mobility journey, reinforcing VBA’s values of quality, safety and environmental care, it reports. “From an operator perspective, the Volvo BZL electric offers optimum accessibility and serviceability, ensuring that servicing and repairs can be carried out with ease,” said Mitch Peden, general manager, VBA. “The accessible design of the Volvo BZL electric offers multiple practical access points across the vehicle…

SCANIA BUS AND TRUCK owners and operators will have access to a new company-owned sales and service outlet at Eastern Creek in Sydney’s west early next year, which is taking shape rapidly as the business prepares for the start of operations, the company has announced. The shell of the building has been completed, the floor is going in and much of the fixtures and fittings – that could not have been installed due to the recent Sydney lockdown of the construction industry – has been prefabricated off site and is awaiting delivery in the immediate future, Scania Australia confirms. “It’s full speed ahead at Eastern Creek now that lockdown has lifted,” said Lionel Saunders, Scania state manager for NSW and the ACT. The Eastern Creek branch will open with a…

VOLVO BUS AUSTRALIA (VBA) has been prioritising training across its diesel and electric bus offerings, reinforcing its commitment to providing quality, safe and reliable products and services, it explains. Even through recent, unpredictable, times, VBA has highlighted the importance of, and increased focus on, the delivery of technical training across the country. VBA general manager Mitch Peden said: “This past 18 months have posed many difficulties for the industry; however, we have remained committed to delivering key support to our customers and partners through continuing our specialised training – both through in-person training in ‘Covid Safe’ conditions, and rethinking our approach by delivering online training. “It is a priority for us to equip our customers with necessary training for securing the best uptime for their fleets, and our dedicated bus…

FOLLOWING VDI opening its own Brisbane-based Yutong Centre late last year, the company Bus Stop Sales and Service has – as of 8 November, 2021 – ceased to be a Yutong dealer in Australia, local Yutong distributor Vehicle Dealers International (VDI) has announced. VDI Yutong thanks Bus Stop Sales (BSS) for its support of the Yutong product in these past years and wishes it well in its future endeavours, it states. Having invested in opening its own Yutong Bus Centre Brisbane at Virginia, VDI has continued to provide the level of support that customers expect, it says. Staffed with some of the most experienced people in Australia when it comes to Yutong, this new dealership’s dedicated team can provide full sales support, parts, and maintenance via its fully equipped workshop,…

DISCERNING FORESIGHT and duty of care to responsibly protect passengers, its bus product and an operator’s reputation in any unfortunate – and statistically inevitable (at least until driverless buses become de rigueur) – accidents occurring spearheads Yutong’s next-gen design principles of its electric bus safety program called YESS (Yutong Electric and battery Safety protection Standards). The level of landmark engineering and safety design inherent in its new YESS strategy is impressively being backed by independent outlets – no less than Busworld.org – for it to become a global industry standard, it should be noted. “There is no point not thinking about the rare but worse-case scenario of another vehicle colliding with your electric bus,” explained Yutong Australia/Vehicle Dealers International (VDI)_national sales manager Warren Young. “And given we are talking about…

WE ARE SEEING exciting advancements in the electrification of public transport networks around the world and buses are taking centre stage. E-mobility is rapidly changing the face of public transport. For example, in 2019, the world’s first 12-metre, fully electric, autonomous, 40-seater bus was launched in Singapore, powered by ABB’s HVC 300P fastcharging system, which recharges a battery in 3–6 minutes using a pantograph for endpoint charging. Closer to home and ABB in Australia is supplying and installing electric vehicle charging stations at Perth’s Joondalup Bus Depot to power electric buses along the popular, free 5km Joondalup CAT (Central Area Transit) route commencing early 2022. Additionally, in Queensland, ABB EV infrastructure is charging Australia’s first 100 per cent sustainably powered full-size electric bus by Transdev. The advancements made in just…

WRL predominantly operates school bus services in Parkes, with a small portion of work around extended charter and school excursions along the NSW east coast. Peter McQuie runs the business with his son, Christopher (Chris) McQuie, who joined WRL in 1991, not long after finishing high school. In the early days, Chris assisted in the administrative side of WRL, but has since moved to the position of company director and general manager. Peter continues to have a key role in the business – managing the registration, insurance and the workshop liaison side of things, given his mechanical background. Chris looks after the day-to-day operations while managing a team of 25, including both permanent and casual staff. Both men are very happy with their team; however, one obstacle that they constantly…

COMMUTERS SEEING more ‘green power’ on Sydney’s inner-West urban streets via Transit Systems currently operating 15 electric buses – with 40 more ordered – has led to creating, via retrofit, the largest electrified depot in Australia, the operator confirms. Taking the successful electric bus pilot programs to scale has required significant planning and infrastructure works to ensure the grid and electrical network can cope with the charging and energy storage needs, according to Clint Feuerherdt, CEO of Sealink Travel Group, which owns Transit Systems. “With responsibility for transporting over 207 million passengers each year, we strive to not just meet the community’s needs today, but ensure we future-proof our solutions with sustainable outcomes that will benefit us all tomorrow,” he said. “Part of achieving this today has been our active…

COMFORTDELGRO Corporation Australia (CDC) has completed its previously announced acquisition of the largest bus operator in the Rockhampton, Queensland, region, the company has announced. Young’s Bus Service is now officially a part of CDC’s expanding regional bus portfolio, complementing its other operations in regional Australia, it states. The acquisition brings 42 additional buses and two depots under the control of CDC, along with the delivery of route, school, and charter bus services in the area, it confirms. It has also boosted CDC’s Queensland fleet size to 197 buses, while the total number operated in Australia is now close to 2,500 buses, it adds. CDC Australia CEO Nicholas Yap says the finalised acquisition of Young’s Bus Service is another demonstration of the company’s growing commitment to public transport customers and communities…

MORE THAN 1,000 bus drivers across Sydney’s inner west and south west have voted overwhelmingly ‘for the right’ to take industrial action over Transit Systems’ refusal to accept same-job, same-pay provisions, the Transport Workers Union (NSW branch) has announced. Bus drivers in NSW contract areas Region 3 and Region 6 of Sydney’s bus network – which Kelsian Group Limited (formerly Sealink Travel Group) operates via subsidiary Transit Systems – voted convincingly in favour of taking action, with 97 per cent and 92 per cent voting in favour, respectively. In an industry first, the Protected Action Ballot (PAB) for Region 6 covers members of both the TWU and Rail, Tram, and Bus Union (RTBU), meaning more than 800 drivers in the region now have the right to take industrial action, TWU…

THE FLEET – using CRRC as preferred supplier with the buses imported as complete units – will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the AT Metro bus fleet by an estimated 11 per cent per year – almost 10,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually (relative to 2019 emissions.), AT states. These BEVs will replace around 12 per cent of the diesel bus fleet in Tamaki Makaurau, in alignment with AT’s Low Emission Bus Roadmap 2020 (LEBR), it confirms. These additional BEVs will significantly boost the number of zero-emission buses operating on AT bus services across Auckland, with NZ Bus providing services in the city centre and across some of the city’s most congested urban areas, the company confirm. Auckland mayor Phil Goff says the new electric buses will help the city…

No public transport journey is complete without the comfortable, safe, tactilepleasing and visually inviting components within a vehicle. For passengers, where seats are the main superstructure to which a traveller makes that connection during their journey, the materials used on these are arguably the biggest advertisement and main point of contact as to how that journey will be. Textiles specialist Camira Fabrics has been supplying high-end quality materials for a range of bus and coach seating applications globally for many years, which is to be expected from a company soon to successfully reach its 200th anniversary in 2022. Here, ABC magazine takes a brief look at how – and why – it all began and where it’s going in future. THE ORIGINS The company’s story began in 1822, when a…

THE TRANSITION to hydrogen will make Emerald Coaches the first of its kind in Australia to, “…commit to a zero-emissions target by introducing hydrogen fuel cell electric buses to their fleet from 2022.” As the largest provider of school bus services in the Central Highlands, the company will complete more than one million passenger trips per annum on hydrogen-powered buses, starting at the end of next year. In a timely announcement ahead of the COP 26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow that took place recently, the project will offer a, “…completely sustainable transport solution” with “…benefits to the environment, local community, and passengers” and is “…estimated to cost approximately $100 million dollars,” according to the company. Emerald Coaches’ diesel-powered vehicles currently use in excess of one million litres of…

WRL was established in 1971 by Peter McQuie with the acquisition of one school bus. Four years later, Peter and Merv Hennock, a former bank manager, purchased Wasers Bus Service to expand the service to six school buses and runs. In 1978, they purchased two coaches to enter the long-distance tour and charter business. Peter finished the decade by buying Hennock’s shareholding in the business, as he geared up for further growth of WRL in the decades to follow. In 1981, WRL secured a contract with Electrolytic Zinc Co at Cobar to provide transport to the then-new Elura Mine, 50km from the township of Cobar. WRL purchased three identical air-conditioned Denflex buses to be used exclusively for the mine contract, which lasted until June 2010. Also in the early 80s,…