Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 413 i Australasian Bus & Coach

THE CURRENT ‘collaboration agreement’ between the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) and UITP Australia New Zealand (UITPANZ) is set to end on 30 June, 2022, the organisations have jointly announced. As indicated in a statement released to the media, UITPANZ will transition into a new, standalone association with a new name that will, “…focus on the unique challenges facing the public transport sector in Australia and New Zealand,” it explains. Both associations will continue to work together in, “…advancing public transport and sustainable mobility through joint projects,” they confirm. The new public transport association for Australia and New Zealand will continue to deliver its services including events, networking, policy development and thought leadership in the region, UITPANZ (listed online as a regional office of UITP) explains. This step allows…

COMFORTDELGRO Australia’s (CDC) Regional Division has been highly commended at the NSCA Foundation and GIO Workers Compensation’s 28th Annual National Safety Awards – for its outstanding work, health and safety initiatives, it was announced recently. Finalists were formally recognised and winners announced at an NSA gala luncheon – held as part of Australia’s longest running and independent safety awards – on Wednesday, 8 December, in Sydney. This year’s event was hosted by television sports presenter, reporter, and commentator Stephanie Brantz, with the Royal Australian Navy’s first female pilot Natalee Johnston delivering the keynote presentation. NSCA Foundation event manager Richard Cornish says the awards continue to celebrate organisations and people that actively promote workplace health and safety as a cornerstone of elite business performance. “The ‘Best Communication of a Safety Message…

NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto says the results of the National Roadworthiness Survey 2021 (NRS:2021), which inspected 13,325 heavy vehicle units across 8,338 heavy vehicle combinations – including bus and coach – in all Australian states and territories between May and June, 2021, showed significant improvements. Overall there was a 16 per cent decrease in the incidence of ‘non-conformities’ amongst hauling units since 2016. The decrease in incidence of non-conformities was greatest amongst bus/coaches (down 22 per cent) while least amongst rigid trucks (down 15 per cent). The incidence of non-conformity was lower for semi-trailers (31 per cent), B-doubles (25 per cent), roadtrains (25 per cent), bus/coach (8 per cent) and plant vehicles (13 per cent). “In the last five years, we have seen the rate of non-conformities drop from 48…

It may well be – and one would hope not – ‘bad jazz’ to some New Zealanders these days, but when Dave Dobbyn and his trusty Herbs sang, “Hey, I got a lot of faith in you. I’ll stick with you kid, that’s the bottom line,” they arguably weren’t just talking about personal or pet relationships, but business ones, too. And while that adage goes some way to encapsulating the fundamental core of any solid working relationship or ‘contract’ between customers and a business, suppliers and receivers, buyers and sellers, it holds greater truth when it’s underwritten by the ubiquitous common denominator of … time. Lots of it. Having started in 1924, and delivering quality service, bus operation and technical innovation to Kiwis now for more than four generations, it…

Increases on no fewer than 10 NSW toll roads brought in the new year and the state branch of the Transport Workers Union (TWU) was quick to call on recently appointed NSW Roads Minister Natalie Ward to address, “…out-of-control toll road costs,” as her, “…first order of business,” recently. It should be noted these ‘cost concerns’ overlap somewhat with those outlined late-2021 from BusNSW, which itself appeared at the public hearing following an earlier submission to the NSW Inquiry into Road Tolling Regimes. Here the state bus association highlighted: that buses and coaches in NSW are subject to the same charges as trucks; the distinction between the contracted and non-contracted long-distance, tourist and charter (LDTC) sectors of the industry; and that while the cost of tolls for metropolitan bus operators…

MELTON SOUTH residents in Victoria now have a new way of getting around their locality after bus operator Transit Systems launched its Bridj-powered on-demand Flexiride Melton South app and service there, recently. As part of the launch, Victorian Minister for Public Transport, Minister for Roads and Road Safety, The Hon. Ben Carroll, booked a trip with the Flexiride Melton South app – from Melton Station to Melton Bus Interchange. Bridj-sourced Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) Technology underlies the Flexiride Melton South app, the operator states. Kelsian Group – which owns Transit Systems – CEO Clint Feuerherdt says the technology encourages customers to leave their car at home, providing an integrated and personal service to get to a train station, interchange or other local hub locations. “We are pleased to deliver on-demand…

AHEAD OF MULTIPLE 2022 initiatives – and with an impending “milestone bus delivery” announcement soon – Irizar Asia Pacific has appointed a new sales manager for its southern and western regions, industry specialist George Stavrinou, the company has announced. As an experienced commercial vehicle executive, Stavrinou assumes the role of sales manager for Irizar in VIC/TAS/SA/WA, it confirms. Stavrinou joins the Irizar team having previously spent seven years with leading bus and truck manufacturer Iveco and he also has extensive experience in the vehicle instrumentation industry courtesy of a 13-year tenure with VDO Australia. Additionally, Stavrinou holds tertiary qualifications in electronics and marketing – no doubt a boon for Irizar in Australia. Stavrinou says he is excited at the prospect of working for a prominent and well-regarded brand within the…

The collective says it is committed to initiating and accelerating the necessary buildup of charging infrastructure for the increasing number of customers of electric vehicles in Europe and contribute to climate-neutral transportation in Europe by 2050. In November, Daimler announced partnerships with fuel companies BP and Total to investigate building nearly 200 hydrogen refulling stations across Europe. “[The] signing announcement is great news for the transport industry and society, as it underlines all of the partners’ strong commitment to making CO2-neutral trucks a reality,” said Daimler Truck CEO Martin Daum. “It is remarkable that three fierce competitors in the area of trucks and vehicle technology are taking action together to start establishing the needed charging infrastructure. “Together with Volvo Group and the Traton Group, we want to send a clear…

For charter and tour specialist Walters Passenger Service, business was severely affected in March, 2020, when Covid-19 hit. Almost two years on and it has started to pick up again – but slowly. “It was heartbreaking to see our coaches and self-drives parked up for months,” said Walters Passenger Service operations manager Carmel Moore. “We are grateful for rail replacement and our school contracts, which gave us the opportunity to keep our staff employed. Covid procedures and cleaning practices have changed and shaped our business over the past few years. The safety of our staff is the most important thing in this time of uncertainty.” The business currently operates school bus runs around Kyabram and North Central Victoria, as well as interstate tours (when the latter becomes a reality again).…

There’s always an undeniable love of a double-decker; people gravitate to them and, for children, the race to get a seat upstairs means that these buses always are a popular drawcard for passengers. It’s easy to understand why operators love to have these crowd-pleasers in their fleet, as they are popular and versatile, with enduring appeal. Today’s drive is of a 1990 Denning Landseer double-decker – one of two that are part of that Fantastic Aussie Tours fleet in Katoomba in the beautiful NSW Blue Mountains. A popular and, in normal times, very busy tourist destination, the two double-deckers in the Fantastic Aussie Tours livery are instantly recognisable driving along the Great Western Highway. Purchasing a vehicle that many would consider to be at the end of its working life…

TRANSITIONING to a low-carbon society via a portfolio spanning multiple industries – and all underwritten by innovative technology – has earned ABB Australia the peak Excellence in Sustainability accolade (belatedly) at the 2020 Swedish Business in Australia Awards, recently. The retrospective winners (due to lockdowns) of the 2020 and current 2021 business awards were announced virtually recently, and will be presented on stage and celebrated at the Swedish Australian Innovation Technology and Design Summit on 16 March, 2022. Four inspirational companies – newcomers as well as established – won the 2020 Awards, showcasing the successful Sweden–Australia business connection, organisers outline. The entries for the 2020 year’s awards, according to the jury panel, were of very high and equal quality, which made the evaluation process very hard, but after careful screening…

THE FIRST of 50 new Alexander Dennis Enviro500 double-deck buses with optimised ‘passenger throughput’ for the Singaporean Land Transport Authority (LTA) have entered service, ADL confirms. Tailored to the authority’s requirements – resulting in a three-door, two-staircase layout that helps with smoother and quicker boarding and alighting, says ADL – the buses follow the LTA’s awarding of the order in April, 2019. According to the company, a cross-functional team of Alexander Dennis engineers worked with the customer and suppliers to design and build a bus that fully reflects the operational requirements of Singapore’s busy bus services. Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) is a subsidiary of NFI Group Inc, one of the world’s leading independent global bus manufacturers. The new Enviro500 double-deckers have three passenger doors and two glazed staircases, with the…

FOLLOWING delivery of its 100th electric bus in partnership with Cummins, the California-based Gillig LLC has entered into a development agreement with RR.AI – developer of autonomous mobility solutions based in Maryland, USA – for next-gen advanced driver assistance on its buses in North America, it’s been announced. A manufacturer of heavy-duty transit buses, Gillig’s president and CEO Derek Maunus said of the advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and SAE Level 4 autonomous vehicle (AV) technology: “We see this partnership as a great fit for both our companies. “The Gillig team is passionate about delivering transformative products and solutions that make transportation safe [and] efficient, and help eliminate roadway congestion. RR.AI is equally committed to those important goals. “We’re excited to work with such a technology leader to bring advanced…

ROYANS HAS undergone significant expansion despite the effects of the pandemic, and now has a national footprint across both Australia and New Zealand, with a network of 26 branches, it confirms. “The acquisition of Coachworks in the Brisbane suburb of Acacia Ridge is really important for us, as Scott and the team at Coachworks provide us with the experience and expertise we are looking for, to further expand our services to the bus and coach industry,” said Royans Group CEO David Church. “Royans have always had a presence in accident repairs for the bus & coach segment of the transport industry, and we wish to expand our involvement and the specialist industry knowledge Coachworks provide will allow that. That knowledge will filter into our other branches, just as our accident…

Wayne is the third generation of the Walters family to carry the bus company torch. His granddad, Vic Walters, set up Walters Passenger Service in 1952 after buying three school runs and buses from Gordon Underwood in Euroa. “Vic had a love for vehicles – he got his brother-in-law, who was a body builder in Bendigo, to build him an elite coach in 1954 – fitted with a Cadillac motor,” said Wayne. After Vic retired, his son, Neville, took on the operations full-time. By 1975, he had replaced the old fleet with Bedfords and, in 1986, he purchased his first Austral Coach to begin some charter work. His wife, Lorraine, helped with the charter bookings and cooking during their trips. Walters Service soon became one of the most well-respected bus…

December deliveries figures rounded off the year in style with the total of 123 the highest result recorded since June, 2020, and an extraordinary 47 ahead on November’s result. In the chassis sector, Volvo was nudged from the top spot by Scania, which outstripped the rest of the pack with a commanding total of 48. Volvo followed on 26 deliveries, up five on the previous month, while Mercedes-Benz was up four on 17. Yutong showed its strongest result since last May, with a December total of 11. The remaining 21 deliveries were spread across six other manufacturers. In the body-building sector Volgren retained its position for a fifth month running, bringing its highest result since June with a total of 39. Bustech Group, with 23, and Scania, on 13, also…