Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 418 i Australasian Bus & Coach

UK ELECTRIC VEHICLE fleet and battery storage specialist Zenob? has announced that it will make its entry into the New Zealand market, facilitated by investment from New Zealand Green Investment Finance (NZGIF). NZGIF is providing a NZ$20 million (A$18.08 million) finance facility to support Zenob? with the deployment of electric bus (e-bus) fleets under long-term lease agreements with major operators in New Zealand. A further NZ$30 million (A$27 million) is being held in reserve to support additional uptake, which NZGIF hopes sends a strong signal to the public transport sector that commercial, zero emission solutions will be more accessible. The deal is designed to smooth the transition from diesel to electric buses for operators, removing technological and financing risk through competitive pricing. NZGIF chief executive officer Craig Weise said he…

KINETIC HAS MADE its commitment to diversity and inclusion spectacularly clear with one of its iconic SkyBus red double decker buses completely transformed with a rainbow-coloured design. The ‘Pride Bus’ will be sure to turn heads as it transports SkyBus passengers between the city centre and Melbourne’s two major airports at Tullamarine and Avalon as part of the company’s airport transfer service. Kinetic says the initiative serves as both a welcome to visitors landing in Victoria and a permanent reminder to the broader community that everyone should feel safe, respected and welcomed in Melbourne. Mike Lewis, inclusion and equity manager at Kinetic, said the initiative was a very visible celebration and recognition of LGBTIQ+ communities. “We wanted to unveil the design in the lead up to IDAHOBIT [International Day Against…

THE FEDERAL Labor government pledged $125 million to manufacture 130 electric buses in Perth ahead of its recent election win. The West Australian state government will match the $125 million commitment, with the aim of creating 100 new local jobs and transitioning 300 existing jobs to clean energy. The plan is to deliver a local facility to build the buses. “A core part of my pitch to the Australian people is making more things here,” said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. “One of the lessons of the pandemic is we have to stand on our own two feet – we’re vulnerable if we’re at the end of supply chains.” “We know that the public is very keen for cleaner forms of transport.” WA Transport Minister Rita Saffioti is confident WA has…

It’s no easy feat to confidently build and launch a vehicle in Australia’s minibus class. The sector has an established, long-running and loyal operator following, so any new entrants to the market will need to have a product with features that ensure it gets a look in. Yutong is confident the new D7 can compete against its rivals. In a tightly-held market, there’s always room for a new player if it can bring the goods to the table. Yutong brought the first D7 to Austrlia in 2014 and, since then, it’s been an evolving product. The initial D7s that came here had a different name to suit the Australian market, as did all the Yutongs. But they were all changed about three years ago when Lou Riccardi joined Vehicle Dealers…

E-T-A Engineering Technology’s systems may not be noticeable to many passengers. It can’t be seen when boarding planes, trains or buses. But, inside these vehicles, E-T-A’s technology is protecting circuits and keeping passengers safe before anything can go wrong. Its circuit breakers monitor circuit performance to pre-emptively protect passengers and operators from malfunctions or breakdowns before they can happen. “With technology going the way it is, people and manufacturers now want smarter systems,” E-T-A managing director Andrew Skaltsounis told ABC magazine. “Our electric systems monitor the wear and tear and run time of circuits so, when it comes to maintenance, we know when it’s best to check bus parts. “This is when our smart systems come into it – they monitor how long a circuit has been running through our…

NATIONAL BUS INDUSTRY SUMMIT 28–29 JUNE 2022 CANBERRA This two-day summit program will cover some of the critical issues currently facing the bus industry, and also what’s on the horizon. The summit will focus on three areas that are of high impact across the entire operational and supply chain of the bus industry. The summit will commence Tuesday 28 June, addressing the areas of accessible transport, heavy vehicle law and zero emission technology and transition. Day 2 of the summit will see dedicated seminars and workshops in the areas of industrial relations for operators and technical issues (current and emerging) for suppliers. The BIC will also host an industry dinner on the night of day one. movingpeople.com.au/summit BUSVIC MAINTENANCE CONFERENCE & TRADE SHOW 7–8 JULY 2022 The Melbourne Showgrounds will…

Paul and Roz Willcocks met on a Top Deck Overland tour bus, and now they will be spending plenty more time in one. Paul Willcocks still fondly remembers the first time he drove a Top Deck Overland tour bus in the 1980s. “I was backpacking and sailing around the world, jumping boat to boat,” he told ABC magazine. “I got to London and saw an advertisement for Top Deck and they were desperate for road crew. “I went to do the training trip and got the shock of my life. But I ended up driving around Europe for a season doing half a dozen trips.” After stumbling upon Top Deck Overland tours, Paul found it hard to leave. He was driving or acting as a tour guide on what was…

BusNSW has announced that online registration is open for the Australasia Bus and Coach Expo to be held at Sydney Showground at Sydney Olympic Park on October 5–6, 2022. BusNSW executive director Matt Threlkeld said that all attendees will be required to provide some basic details to be allowed entry to the Expo and this is best done online beforehand to ensure quick and convenient entry on the day. “There is free entry for visitors to the Expo, which is a big plus for all bus and coach industry participants, including operators and staff,” Threlkeld said. “Name badges for entry to the Dome and identification during the Expo will be generated at entry kiosks using a QR code from the online registration confirmation.” The event will include the Volvo Welcome…

TRANSIT SYSTEMS bus drivers across the nation have pledged their names in the National Road Safety Week 2022 campaign, raising awareness of the 1,200 people who die on the road each year and the 44,000 who are injured. Traffic injury is the leading cause of death for Australian children under 15 and, with 3,000 buses on the road, Transit Systems is passionate about educating, training, reminding and applauding drivers for their dedication to safe driving, year-round. Chief operating officer Greg Balkin said that while National Road Safety Week highlighted the cause and championed awareness, he was proud of the company’s bus drivers for taking care every single day. “As public transport providers, we spend the majority of our time out on the road each day,” he said. “This week serves…

DONATED BY BUS operator Kinetic, the vehicle visited Melbourne’s north-west in its first week on the road as part of a new initiative that has already reached over 1,650 families since December. The 18-metre ex-SkyBus articulated bus is designed to offer a miniature supermarket experience. With entry at the back and an exit at the front, the vehicles have purpose-built shelving and refrigeration stocked with a range of fresh produce, pantry and staples. Each bus has the capacity to stock approximately 600 kilograms of fresh produce including fruit and vegetables, 150 kilograms of chilled items, 100 kilograms of frozen goods, and 1,000 kilograms of pantry staples like rice, pasta and legumes. The program is expected to visit up to six locations every week as it matures, with Foodbank Victoria partnering…

For 70 years the Dyson Group has been led by one family. Now it’s handing over the reins to a new name. When Laurie Dyson returned from WW2 and bought a bus business, he could never have expected it to become a booming family empire. Fast forward 70 years and the Dyson Group is a prominent player in Melbourne’s public transport industry. But now, the north-east Melbourne-based group, which also has a with a large presence in regional Victoria and New South Wales, is about to hand over management to a person without the historic Dyson name attached – Andrew Jakab. Cousins Neil and Shane Dyson have worked at the family business since 1975. They both rose to become joint managing directors and oversaw the Dyson Group’s expansion in the…

As the world shifts to greener modes of transport, the bus industry is leading the way in many respects. It should not come as a surprise to those who work in the industry – buses often operate in city centres, around pedestrians and alfresco dining spaces, so quickly transitioning fleets to zero emissions is helping to improve air quality in cities. A number of governments are electing to go electric but many fleets are also utilising hydrogen, so which is better? ENERGY STORAGE A hydrogen engine works in a similar way to an electric bus but the way the energy is stored and harnessed is where the two differ. Hydrogen is a clear gas that can be harnessed in a number of ways, including using fossil fuels, but when produced…

ZF is taking a careful approach to introducing its latest bus fleet management system to the Australian and New Zealand market. It says it’ll be worthwhile when it unveils the detailed technology this year. When ZF Services sought to convert from the diesel bus market to the electric vehicle space, it focused on efficiency. Recent global data from ZF’s Bus Connect telematics system vindicates this angle. The current solutions are slashing 30,000 tonnes of carbon emissions from electric buses monthly while saving 10,000 litres of fuel monthly for diesel vehicles. With plans to introduce this system to the Australian bus market by the end of the year, ZF Oceania is intent on making the nation’s bus fleets efficient, safer and more sustainable. ZF’s Bus Connect management system can optimise operations…

THE ODIN PASS APP, developed by the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) and The University of Queensland (UQ) to explore mobility as a service (MaaS), has been expanded to include more University of Queensland students after its initial success. The Odin Pass app, which books travel on eight different transport modes from one app, has been offered to another 5,000 UQ students to accommodate demand. Odin pass director Dr Jake Whitehead said the early success of the Odin Pass trial led the project team to explore several options for ramping up trial participant numbers. “We’ve had really positive feedback on the app, which allows users to access bus, train, tram, ferry, e-scooter, e-bike, taxi and car sharing services through different fixed-priced bundles,” Whitehead said. “In the first six…

TWO STATE-OF-THE-ART bioethanol-fuelled buses have begun operating in Mackay as part of a 12-month trial run by TransLink and the Queensland Department of State Development. Piloted by TransLink delivery partner Mackay Transit Coaches from December 2021, the Scania-owned buses will run on bioethanol fuel produced from locally-grown sugarcane in Mackay. Bioethanol fuel is more environmentally friendly than the traditional diesel fuel used in many buses, with Scania research indicating that its bioethanol buses can reduce carbon emissions by up to 90 per cent. Larissa Rose from the industry association Biofuels Australia spoke to 7NEWS Mackay about the importance of these buses. “This is a perfect example of how the state of Queensland can exemplify the decarbonising of the transport sector,” Rose said. Construction of the two buses began last year…

THE TASMANIAN STATE government will trial three electric buses and three hydrogen buses to establish the viability of a zero-emission fleet on the island. Metro Tasmania is to conduct separate operational trials involving three battery electric buses (BEBs) in Launceston and three hydrogen fuel cell electric buses (FCEBs) in Hobart, for up to three years. The trials will provide valuable operational experience and data to inform the longer-term transition of Metro’s fleet to zero emission buses. The project is key to the Tasmanian government’s target of net zero emissions by 2030, and supports Metro’s mission to deliver modern, efficient and attractive public transport services. The state government has allocated $6 million for Metro to conduct the BEB trial, and approved up to $12.3 million from the Tasmanian Renewable Hydrogen Industry…

Two QBIC awards for Royans Coachworks vindicates Royans’ decision to acquire the latter in late 2020. It’s only been a year and a half since Royans acquired the Brisbane-based Coachworks, but it’s already proving to be a fruitful decision. The bus and coach repair group recently took home two awards at the Queensland Bus Industry Council (QBIC) conference in April. As part of the QBIC’s 2022 conference held in Brisbane on April 8 and 9, the annual industry awards were presented, with Royans Coachworks claiming two gongs for its work with Queensland buses. Royans Coachworks won the supplier of the year award for 2021/22, while Coachworks founder Evan Isaacs received QBIC’s industry outstanding contribution prize. Royans CEO David Church says being recognised by QBIC at the annual conference was a…

Zero-emission vehicle technology is currently at the forefront of new bus and coach developments. But telematics continues to sit unseen in the corner, where it operates best. Telematics. It’s a word used increasingly often in the bus and transport industry. Yet it’s also a mystery to many. Nowadays telematics and fleet management is at the cutting edge of bus and vehicle technology. One would be hard pressed to find a new bus coming from manufacturers that doesn’t have integrated solutions running through it, undiscernible to the passenger or driver’s eye. Fleet management is no new term, but many in the industry may not realise the benefits to having these systems onboard. Telematics is a branch of technology that deals with long-distance transmission of computerised information. On vehicles such as buses,…

May was a great month for bus deliveries, reaching a total of 102 for the month – the highest deliveries figure of 2022 so far. In the chassis sector, Scania and Volvo were joint first on 23 each. Scania maintained its April total, but this was an increase of 10 for Volvo and its highest total of the year so far. In third was Yutong with 21 – a huge increase of 20 on its April total and also its highest total of the year. I-Bus also did well with 14 – up from five in April – while BCI reported seven, down from 15 in April. Mercedes-Benz remained steady on six, down one from April’s seven, while MAN and BYD both reported two. The final four companies delivered one…