Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 419 i Australasian Bus & Coach

An investor group backed by Australian operator Kinetic have launched a takeover bid of London operator Go-Ahead Group. Go-Ahead Group is London’s biggest commuter train and double-decker bus operator and accepted a $787 million takeover offer from the investor group. Australian rival Kinetic helped back the bid, with Go-Ahead shareholders to receive cash rewards per share. The Kinetic consortium is offering 1,450 pence per share in cash for each Go-Ahead share, as Kinetic is backed by Canadian pension fund OPTrust while also teaming with Spanish transport company Globalvia Inversiones SAU in the Go-Ahead acquisition. A statement from Go-Ahead says its directors will unanimously recommend that shareholders vote in favour of the acquisition, with the takeover planned to be done in October. Sydney transport operator Kelsian Group also lodged its interest…

STRIKE ACTION escalated between Keolis Downer and its Newcastle bus drivers on June 20 with a 24-hour walkout. More than 300 bus drivers from Newcastle went on strike in a continued battle over enterprise agreements (EAs). The same drivers previously protested on June 3, walking off the job for four hours to escalate action against employer Keolis Downer. The tension between the employer and its workers centres around a suggested EA that offered a 10 per cent pay increase over four years to its drivers. The EA was unanimously rejected as the suggested agreement would make wages sit well below the rate of inflation and could even result in slashed wages. An in-principle agreement is on the table between the Rail Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) and Keolis Downer if…

PRETTY IN PINK A while ago we featured the bus from Spice World in the Wot column, as it had been listed on AirBnB. Now, for those whose musical taste leans more towards country than pop, you’ll be delighted to find out that Dolly Parton’s tour bus is available to stay in! Having retired from touring life, the Prevost bus includes a bathtub and wig cabinet, while the interior has been painted in pink murals. Now all you’ll need is US$10,000 – though proceeds do go to the Dollywood Foundation for various charitable pursuits. GOING VIRTUAL Hampton Roads Transit, based in Norfolk, Virginia, is preparing to launch a new express service on its network and, as part of its driver training, it’s using a state-of-the-art simulator. New drivers will, in…

When Jessica Kane graduated from high school in 2015, she had no clue what career path she wanted to veer down. She eventually settled on pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business, motivated by her family’s company Kane’s Buses. Kane was still uncertain about her future while studying until one conversation changed everything. “During my six years of study there was one pivotal moment that shaped the course of my studies and career,” Kane told ABC magazine. “I was chatting with an acquaintance when the topic turned to family businesses.” The acquaintance didn’t know of Kane’s background, of her family’s school bus and charter service business that had been operating for half a century. They told Kane that family businesses must all eventually be bought out by bigger companies for the…

Originally the Bus Industry Confederation’s (BIC) second National Summit was meant to be held this past February. But, after Covid-related issues delayed the event, the bus industry finally reconvened in June and caught up on lost time. With the 2020 and 2021 editions of the Summit also not going ahead, the bus industry was ready to chat. More than 260 delegates from leading bus and coach companies across Australia, as well as representatives from federal, state and territory government departments, met at Canberra’s Hotel Realm in the parliamentary triangle to discuss the latest developments in the industry. The national summit provided opportunities for government, operators, body builders and manufacturers to mix with industry experts and researchers in an open forum setting. Senator and Minister for Trade and Tourism Don Farrell…

Britons recognised the long-reigning monarchy of the Queen in June. They partied in the streets. They marched through parades. And, in Nottingham, they painted their buses purple. In this colourful twist, Nottingham City Transport honoured the Queen by creating a new commemorative bus to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee. When looking to commemorate the Queen’s 70-year reign as the head of the monarchy in the Commonwealth, the transport operator went for an ADL Scania E400 double deck model. Nottingham City Transport purchased the bus in 2015 before enlisting its graphic designer Monique Graham to design the livery in-house. Graham worked with the Platinum Jubilee’s official guidance and branding documents to design the exterior before ADL painted the bus. The double deck bus is covered in a purple, platinum and a white…

TASMANIA HAS welcomed two brand new fully electric Kinetic buses into its state network, introducing them into Hobart as part of the SkyBus route. Kinetic, the owner of SkyBus Hobart, is now Australia’s biggest electric bus operator with this introduction of electric buses to the popular Tasmanian service. Tasmania’s past premier Peter Gutwein launched the battery electric buses in a Hobart event that allowed the public a first look at the future of public transport in the state. Kinetic says passengers can now enjoy the electric bus as part of SkyBus’s popular express between Hobart Airport and the city, giving tourists a green welcome to Tasmania. One bus was unveiled at Brooke Street Pier, with Kinetic saying buses will play an important role in the state’s public transport network. The…

THE AUSTRALIAN fleet software will manage transport in and around Birmingham this year Australian transport software specialist Bridj has been appointed as the official fleet operations and asset management technology provider for the upcoming Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. The upcoming Games will be the biggest sport event ever held in the West Midlands and will see around 4,500 athletes compete from July 28 until August 8. During the time of the Games, a fleet of more than 500 vehicles will be transporting members of the Games Family, including accredited officials, sponsors and operations staff, between accommodation, training and competition. Bridj will be providing a booking and fleet management platform that enables the Birmingham 2022 fleet operations team to plan and manage fleet services, along with apps for both drivers and…

The Victorian government says it will be trialling its first fully electric bus depot in early 2024 as part of the government’s zero emissions bus trial. The new depot will be charging 27 buses in Melbourne’s north by early 2024, as Victoria has enlisted bus operator Ventura to install 15 charging units to power the electric buses at its converted depot in Ivanhoe. The first 12 electric trial buses will enter the network this year as part of the $20 million trial. The Victorian government says the depot’s 27 electric buses will operate on nine routes across the northern suburbs by 2024, transporting around 10,000 people weekly to places like La Trobe University and Northland Shopping Centre while covering more than 1.2 million kilometres a year. Victorian public transport minister…

You don’t see many timber bus frames in this day and age, and for good reason. Wooden frames long ago faded out when the longer-lasting steel came along. So, when an old relic bus comes along with a wooden body, it’s enough to blow the mind of bus lovers. It did just that when Nick Wilson stumbled upon a WWII-era bus in 2014. The Queensland Omnibus and Coach Society (QOCS) club president found the old bus by chance. Wilson was working for Bus Stop Sales & Service in Brisbane when the company sold its first ever vehicle in the form of a new Yutong bus to a small operator in Wandoan, six and a half hours away from Brisbane. When the customer came to Brisbane to visit Bus Stop’s factory,…

MEGATRANS 24–26 AUGUST 2022 MELBOURNE Check out what’s taking place in the general world of transport and logistics at the 2022 Megatrans events taking place this August. Occupying the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Building, Megatrans is Australia’s largest integrated conference and exhibition dedicated to the logistics industry. While the focus is on logistics, the event can provide some insights into advances for the transport industry, as Megatrans will showcase the latest in artificial intelligence, robotics, telematics and route optimisation, intelligent fleet systems and advanced analytics. It will take place alongside Bulk2022, which will similarly offer insights into the logistics and multimodal freight sector. Megatrans.com.au AUSTRALASIA BUS & COACH EXPO 2022 5–6 OCTOBER 2022 SYDNEY Australasian Bus & Coach magazine is proud to be the Official Media Partner for the 2022…

THE VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT has released updates on its bus hub for the North East Link in Melbourne. The Victorian government has announced that while work intensifies on the project, the initial stage of Melbourne’s first dedicated busway is being constructed. The state government says major works will continue this winter near Bulleen to clear a path for the busway, including a pick-up and drop-off bay area designed for fast and frequent bus services to and from the city. The new bus station on the link will form the start of Melbourne’s first dedicated busway that will allow buses to travel uninterrupted along an overhauled eastern freeway. The government says this new link can cut commute times for up to 17,000 passengers each weekday. The state’s department of transport expects more…

The senator says his new portfolio in tourism and trade means he wants to build confidence in the security of jobs when it comes to the bus and coach industry. To encourage people back into the bus and coach industry while bolstering the tourism sector, Farrell told the room full of bus manufacturers and operators that accessibility is critical. “Bus transport operators and manufacturers must accommodate disability needs in the way they design and use their vehicles,” Farrell says. Farrell also spoke about the need to include a climate change focus in the industry that partners a proposal for fee-free TAFE courses to help bolster the skilled worker stocks in the bus and tourism industries. When looking at the current skilled worker shortages seen in Australia, Farrell points to a…

Global technology group Delos has announced a research project with Victoria’s Monash University to examine the benefits of installing air purification systems on buses and other forms of public transport. The project is the first of its kind in Australia and involves researching a bus fitted with Delos air purification systems and monitoring equipment. The bus was then exposed to controlled levels of pollutants to determine the efficiency of air purification systems in filtering and maintaining safe air quality levels. “This is one of the most significant research projects to be undertaken in Australia involving air quality in buses and we believe the outcome will see these systems being installed on all public transport vehicles across the country,” Delos Australia managing director Anthony Scarff says. Monash University researchers say there’s…

The daily operations of seating manufacturer StyleRide wasn’t easy for a couple of years. The Queensland-based company had to expand to a second site roughly a kilometre away from its head office. But now, StyleRide has officially opened its new manufacturing centre in Acacia Ridge. StyleRide general manager of sales Stephen Long says the May 31 opening of the centre was a great day that surpassed the company’s expectations. “The whole opening went really well,” Long says to ABC magazine. “We had a really good turnout of industry members and senior leaders, as well as some travellers from Western Australia and New Zealand. “When we initially put the plans together we thought maybe 60 people would attend, but in the end we got around 100 people there and it turned…

When Yutong Bus started planning celebrations for its 10th anniversary of operating in Australia, it found a great way to begin the festivities. The bus manufacturer managed to track its first-ever D7 bus sold on Australian shores and Yutong staff visited the Sydney suburb of Seven Hills on a sunny Friday in June to reconnect with the 10-year-old bus. “It’s really exciting for us,” Vehicle Dealers International (VDI)/Yutong general manager Lou Riccardi told ABC magazine. “It’s a fantastic story. We’ve managed to track down the first vehicle sold in Australia on our 10th anniversary. “Seeing the vehicle, still operated by the original owner and in such great condition, is great to see.” When Riccardi got to Seven Hills to see the bus, he wasn’t disappointed. The local community still uses…

Bus and Coach International (BCI) first began making electric buses in 2010 for Australian operators. But, after coming back to zero-emissions technology in 2017, BCI is set to realise another new electric model. BCI was one of Australia’s earliest manufacturers to start producing electric buses. In 2010, the company built its first emissions-free bus for a Melbourne operator. But BCI says it soon realised the industry marketplace wasn’t yet ready for electric buses to be introduced. Since this initial project of three trial buses, it took until 2017 for BCI to get back into trialling electric technology. In 2019 it realised its first electric model since the 2010 trial. Now, its latest electric model includes the best of BCI’s diesel bus technology, all wrapped into one small vehicle. The new…

It was triple figures again for bus deliveries in June, with 102 units sent out across Australia marking a strong end to the last financial year. In the chassis sector Volvo strode out in front with 39 deliveries – an impressive 16 ahead of its May result and its highest result since July 2020. Scania came in second with 16, down from May’s 23, while BCI snagged third place with 15, up from the previous month’s seven. Yutong dropped to fourth with 10 and Mercedes-Benz saw an increase of two on May’s result to reach eight. BYD and I-Bus matched with a pair of fives – marking BYD’s highest result of the year so far. Custom Denning saw an increase to three, up from May’s one, while King Long recorded…