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DELIVERY
Our latest range of Thin Film Transistor (TFT) displays provides crystal clear information to the travelling passengers ensuring the smooth running of transport networks.
Our advanced TFT displays are capable of showing customised graphics, static and scrolling images, as well as full-screen dynamic video content, providing an enhanced passenger experience.
In addition to next stop, timetable and transfer information, the system can also be easily set up to show location-based advertising and real-time web and video feeds ensuring your passengers always have all the latest news.
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HTC is the latest generation in a family of Hanover products bringing enhanced quality and functionality to vehicle operators who want to provide the best information experience to passengers and take advantage of advertising opportunities.
The HTC has built in audio amplifiers and a powerful multimedia processor allowing a completely automatic or semi-automatic display of text, rich colour graphics, realtime information, audio and video clips which can all be displayed on Hanover’s TFT passenger information displays. Intelligent GPS location allows the display of passenger information media to be triggered by the vehicle’s location, such as bus stops, terminals or places of interest.
There’s plenty of data out there to suggest that a bus is the safest form of transport one can take as they go about their daily lives. Local studies, such as those conducted by the Sydney University, reiterate the point that the Australian bus and coach industry is doing an amazing job at keeping vehicles on the road and maintaining passenger safety.
The Sydney University study found that taking a bus to and from school is seven times safer than in a car or 31 times safer than walking, with well under one per cent of total road fatalities between 1989 and 2010 being suffered by bus and coach passengers.
While safety is in the limelight in our industry after a tumultuous couple of months, the sector still deserves recognition for the hard work it puts in behind the scenes to keep fleets well serviced and maintained.
A key reason that is often understated in this ability to keep buses and coaches safe and maintained is the emphasis various members of the industry put into the servicing side of vehicles. From a manufacturer or supplier perspective, recent years have transitioned their focus away from the initial features of a sparkling new vehicle and instead fixated attention on what they can offer in the form of aftersales care.
This jam-packed edition of ABC proves that many in the industry have been biding their time to parade their latest innovations in the servicing and maintenance game. Our August edition is filled with a variety of suppliers, manufacturers and operators that are doing all they can to limit downtime for aging fleets of vehicles around Australia, traversing a variety of conditions daily.
None of this is better summed up then by BCI, who feature on our cover this month. The bus and coach supplier has forged a tight-knit
partnership with BusBiz, as seen on page 20. With BusBiz’s coaches completing more than a million kilometres in only a few years, BCI has been flexible and adapted to keep BusBiz’s fleet in tip-top condition at all times.
As a well-known servicing name in the bus and coach industry, Royans Coachworks doesn’t need much explaining. However, the company isn’t standing still in its pursuit to service heavy vehicles. From page 24, check out how they are intent on following the industry down the zero-emissions pathway when it comes to maintenance and servicing projects.
The predominant Volvo Bus dealer in Australia, CMV Group, also speaks about how it is expanding its servicing capabilities around its Victorian and South Australian dealer network. Its bus-focused Derrimut branch is proof that CMV Group is at the forefront of
bus and coach servicing in southern Australia, as seen on page 27.
There’s plenty of diverse stories in this edition, with Endurequip (page 35) discussing its hoist product, while Irizar chatted from page 36 about combining with a global partner to improve its overall vehicle offering.
Major brands like Volvo (page 42) and Scania (page 46) also discuss their servicing capabilities to finish the servicing feature section alongside New Zealand operator Tranzit Group (page 45).
Read about Hanover Displays’ trial day for its safety duress button held at Cranbourne, Victoria, in July, and come along for the ride as Challenger talks about its latest deliveries to a loyal customer in regional Victoria on page 39.
All of this leads to a busy edition that focuses on more than just the many buses and coaches on Australian roads. We hope you enjoy this edition.
The August edition of ABC explores the plethora of hard work being done by businesses to keep Australia’s bus and coach fleets well serviced and maintained
“There’s plenty of data out there to suggest that a bus is the safest form of transport one can take as they go about their daily lives.”
Facebook – facebook.com/ABCBusnews
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Twitter – twitter.com/ABCmag
6. editorial | more than a bus
The August edition of ABC explores the plethora of hard work being done by businesses to keep Australia’s bus and coach fleets well serviced and maintained
10. news | all aboard
An overview of the latest Australasian and international bus and coach news that you need to know
19. column | bic
SLOWLY BUILDING
The Bus Industry Confederation (BIC) is continuing to work away on two significant reforms for the bus and coach industry
20. cover story | bci
CRUISING THROUGH BRUISES
BCI and BusBiz’s partnership comes down to a willingness to adapt to the harsh demands of Australian bus and coach services
24. servicing feature | royans coachworks
GROWING CAPABILITIES
In recent years, Royans Coachworks has invested in its equipment and people to provide improved services in a wide range of bus and coach technologies
27. servicing feature | cmv truck & bus
FORGING FORWARD
With recent acquisitions, CMV Truck & Bus has continued to maintain its focus on strategic operations and strong company values, while providing customers with the latest technology
31. feature | parts supply solutions
DURESS TEST
In July, Hanover Displays / Parts Supply Solutions (PSS) and the Pulitano Group presented Hanover’s duress button system to PTV as a way of making bus travel safer for drivers and passengers
35. servicing feature | endurequip
SOLUTIONS SPECIALIST
Through its range of hoists and workshop lifting equipment, Endurequip has already proven its value when it comes to servicing buses and coaches
36. feature | irizar
LEVERAGING CONNECTIONS
In the middle of a hectic year of deliveries, Irizar Asia Pacific is using its global ties to improve a critical part of a bus and coach body
39. feature | challenger
BUILDING LOYALTY
Challenger Bus and Coach took another major step in its evolution in July as it delivered new coaches to a faithful repeat customer in the beautiful Victorian town of Castlemaine
42. servicing feature | volvo bus
BREAKING THE SERVICE SURFACE
Through thorough service contracts, genuine spare parts and an expanding service team, Volvo Bus Australia is pulling out all the stops to keep all of its sold buses and coaches on Australian roads
45. servicing feature | tranzit group
INNER WORKS
In New Zealand, operator Tranzit Group has taken its own in-house approach to servicing its diverse range of buses and coaches
46.
DRIVING UPTIME
As one of the leaders in heavy vehicle technology, Scania is using its service technology to keep its older and newer generations of buses and coaches on the road
48. feature | bus stop SUCCESSFUL RELOCATION
BusTech Group has completed its move from Burleigh Heads to the Brisbane Bus Centre, now co-locating with Bus Stop Sales
50. feature | yutong ALPINE ADVENTURE
In July, a Yutong electric bus took to the snow in a popular Victorian alpine resort to determine if electric buses hold the answer for sustainable services above the snow line
52. feature | siemens
COMBINING FINANCE WITH TECHNOLOGY
Well known for its technology capabilities, Siemens has globally turned its hand to the financing side of the zeroemissions bus equation
54. column | buswa
TWO GREAT DAYS
BusWA’s major annual event went ahead in July as the western bus and coach industry enjoyed a successful few days of meaningful change and celebrations
55. column | busvic CHANGING DATES
BusVic has announced its latest instalment of the Australasian Bus & Coach Expo will take place earlier than first announced in 2024
56. column | busnsw TACKLING TRANSFORMATION
BusNSW says its members will grapple with industry change at the upcoming annual conference in Wollongong
57. column | qbic WHO’S IN CHARGE?
QBIC asks the question of who is the governing voice on electric vehicle safety following recent Queensland Act reviews
59. competition | best bus BIG BUS BEAUTY
August’s Best Bus photo competition takes us out to the Australian outback with a sublime sunrise shot of a unique double decker bus
62. bus marketplace | classifieds FOR SALE!
Check out all these great listings from some of the leading bus and coach companies on the planet. Have a look and see what you might find
65. events INDUSTRY EVENTS FOR 2023
Be sure not to miss out on an opportunity for these fantastic in person events
66. factory facts | bus deliveries MONTHLY RESULTS
We have all the latest bus and coach supplier sales data collected and recorded for you review, check out how the market has performed in the past month
70. back seat | news CHANGING GEARS
When Lynne Essex and her partner decided to buy a bus and coach company, they had no idea the amount of fun they were going to have traversing Australia on charter tours
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In an exclusive letter sent to ABC, well-known brand Hino Australia has announced the difficult decision to pause bus sales for the foreseeable future in Australia.
The sad news follows Hino’s decision in March to withdraw Poncho bus sales in Australia.
In the letter sent from Hino Australia brand and franchise development vice
president Richard Emery to ABC, Hino confirmed the pause on sales is due to a lack of suitable products being available to the brand currently and in the foreseeable future.
“As we have been selling buses in Australia since 1965, this was a difficult decision,” Emery told ABC.
“However, we will continue to monitor the Australian bus market against future
product opportunities from our parent company Hino Motors in Japan.”
Emery says that Hino Australia will continue to provide customers with parts, service and technical support via Hino’s extensive dealership network and through its Product Support division.
Hino Australia’s dedicated network of 60 dealerships and service centres across the country nationally will provide ongoing aftersales support to Hino bus customers.
This follows Hino Australia’s decision in March 2023 to withdraw Poncho Buses from sale in Australia after they were voluntarily suspended from importation and sale in August 2022 due to concerns around Hino Motors Limited’s (HML) processes in relation to vehicle homologation and certification results in Japan.
“While we continue to believe that the Poncho Bus meets the relevant regulatory requirements for the vehicle, the decision was made considering the regulatory processes that apply to the recommencement of sales for a small volume of vehicles,” Emery says.
It’s another sad time in Australia’s bus and coach industry history as Hino Australia takes an indefinite pause on bus sales down under.
Following the Hunter Valley bus crash in June, a survivor of the crash, a grieving dad and the groom’s father from the wedding have called for the federal government to establish a national taskforce to look into the bus and coach industry’s safety protocols.
Crash survivor Alex Tigani suffered minor injuries from the crash and is now calling for politicians to look into bus industry safety.
Adam Bray lost his son Zach in the crash and has joined Tigani alongside father of the groom John Gaffney in asking federal transport minister Catherine King to fund a national taskforce to
look into bus safety.
“Here’s a chance where as a nation we can bring a nation together and, where needed, international people to make a big difference,” Gaffney says.
Gaffney has experience in the industry as a road safety engineer. He says the slope and design of the road that the bus crashed on shows that some roads aren’t safe enough.
“When I say there’s a gap in preventative safety for buses, it’s more than a gap, it’s nonexistent,” Bray says.
The group handed King a plan that includes seven points, such as making speed limiting and monitoring devices mandatory
similar to a black box in an airplane.
Bray is hoping for a serious commitment from King following a meeting with the minister, with updates to follow in coming months.
The “Child Check-Mate System” is a patented unique alarm system which acts as an electronic reminder to drivers. This reminder helps ensure that all children have safely disembarked the vehicle upon completion of each run.
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• Tone instruction (unique tones that prompt drivers and indicate system status)
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• Customisable programs (can be programmed to meet various custom requirements and state/territory regulations)
• A simple cost-effective equipment that can save children’s lives
The NSW government has stepped in to fix Region 10 bus contract services, stripping an operator of services and removing the managing director.
The NSW government says it is moving to improve bus services in Region 10 as the current operator isn’t delivering at the expected level of service for the community.
The government says current private operator and holder of the Region 10 contract, U-Go Mobility, has failed to deliver the expected level of service for the community.
The current government says the Region 10 contract was signed weeks before the election by the old state government.
The NSW government says the winning bid for the Region 10 contract was determined by which operator could deliver for the lowest price instead of focusing on an improved level of service for passengers.
NSW transport minister Jo Haylen says Transport for NSW will step in to manage day-to-day operations in Region 10 alongside U-Go Mobility.
“Everything we are doing is about making sure bus services are more reliable for the community and that we are supporting our bus drivers,” Haylen says.
“I’ve directed Transport for NSW to step in to improve bus services in Region 10 to fix up the former government’s failures. There have been some improvements to services
but there is still more to do to improve performance.
“I want to make this arrangement work but services in Region 10 must improve. All options remain on the table if we don’t see further improvements to services from the operator.”
Since Transport for NSW’s intervention, service cancellations have declined from 28 per cent to 13 per cent, but the state government says this number is still too high and there is still more to do to get bus services in Region 10 back on the road. Transport for NSW has also taken responsibility for other bus service operations including:
• Scheduling and implementing a more reliable timetable for customers from Monday July 31
• Re-working current turn-around times for routes to ensure an adequate pre-trip brief is given to drivers. This will help to eliminate stops being missed or drivers taking the wrong route
• Meeting with U-Go Mobility management and executives several times a week to ensure resourcing is adequate and the operator is making progress in improving performance.
Haylen has also directed Transport for NSW to give some school service routes to another unnamed operator to run in the short term to ensure that these key
community services are prioritised.
Under this arrangement, the U-Go Mobility managing director will no longer be working for the operator. Haylen and Transport for NSW also reserves the right to further exercise the step in rights and fully take over the contract if further improvements are not made.
U-Go Mobility has also adopted a range of measures to address the driver shortage, to retain staff and to attract drivers, including $5000 retention and sign on bonuses.
Transport for NSW has already put in place a number of other day-to-day measures to support bus operations in Region 10 including:
• Dedicated Transport staff monitoring region 10 bus services in real time to identify and report issues directly to the operator and Transport Management Centre
• Dedicated Transport staff are responding to customer enquiries and liaising with key stakeholders including schools, local councils and local members
• Transport commanders deployed to key interchanges to help customers on the ground
• A dedicated timetable team to ensure the adjusted timetable is prioritising dedicated schools services and regular route services that carry a large cohort of school students.
Major Australian operator Transit Systems has confirmed that Adelaide born and bred Andrew Jenkinson has been appointed to the role of managing director at Torrens Transit.
Transit Systems CEO Michael McGee says Jenkinson is a highly experienced senior executive, having spent more than 20 years leading large and diverse teams across organisations in regional, remote and metropolitan locations throughout Australia and New Zealand.
“Andrew has exceptional knowledge in operational leadership and customer facing roles, having spent most of his career managing contract-based logistics and supply chain services,” McGee says.
“He is committed to leading a safety-focused and service delivery work culture having also achieved ISO certifications, and that drive to service excellence is valuable to us.”
Jenkinson comes to Torrens Transit from Coates, where he held the position of Regional Manager of SA. Prior to that, he worked at Cleanaway after spending 32 years with TNT and CEVA Logistics (formerly TNT Logistics).
He will be responsible for leading the Torrens Transit team in South Australia and he believes safety, reliability and convenience are key to attracting people on public transport.
“I have always loved catching the Footy Express with Torrens Transit, it is such a valuable service to the community and it’s an enjoyable experience for the whole family,” Jenkinson says.
“I am a firm believer that public transport is most successful when it is safe, reliable and convenient, so I’ll be leveraging my experience and background in logistics to support the team in ensuring we continually improve how we get people safely to where they need to be, when they need to be there.”
He will be replacing Sharon Brown, who joined Transit Systems in April 2000. McGee says Brown’s 34 years of experience in the bus industry have been invaluable.
“Sharon has been an asset to the business, especially in her leadership through the pandemic,” McGee says.
“Her exceptional work ethic, passion and commitment will be missed but we wish her all the very best.”
Jenkinson says he started the role with a focus on safety, team engagement, customer experience and service delivery excellence.
“I look forward to working closely with the South Australian Department for Infrastructure and Transport (DIT) to deliver the very best services for the people of Adelaide,” he says.
“I am all about ensuring we are structured to be successful, supporting and developing our people, and being transparent with our goals and expectations in all aspects of our business; ultimately working together to deliver an exceptional service and experience for our customers.”
He added that the entire team, from depot crew to drivers, had been exceptionally welcoming.
the Splendora Independent School District (ISD) offering a new way of recruiting drivers by letting people test drive its fleet of school buses in a ‘Ride and Drive’ event. The threehour session helped people find out if they could handle the big yellow school bus while also encouraging them to consider a career as a driver.
The English city of Lancaster is finding its own ways of using so-called ‘fun buses’ to drive community engagement to events. Local businesses are teaming up with the city by lunching new transport options for Friday Night Bandstands, where 20-minute shuttle loops help people get around the area to attend gigs and see their favourite bands.
She may be all the rage in the music world currently, but no one expected Taylor Swift to be a public transport saviour. Yet systems across the US are thanking her for a muchneeded boost as Taylor Swift fans attending concerns flood buses and trains to get to her sold-out shows on the Eras Tour. The Chicago Transit Authority alone said its numbers have jumped to its highest since the start of the pandemic in 2020, with Taylor Swift concerts in the area contributing to it.
The next generation of SICHARGE UC is now available. The adapted, sleek design features a more compact housing, enhanced durability and easier serviceability. Improved rated power function and options for combining chargers into power blocks enable greater flexibility and faster charging. Multiple connection options offer the freedom to choose between dispensers, pantographs or hoods. Thanks to the Siemens Device Manager, operators can carry out services, diagnostics and software updates remotely.
• Interoperable with Australia's leading bus brands
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• Optimised charging with Siemens Depotfinity monitoring and load management charging software
• Designed to minimise CAPEX and OPEX
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In a major move for the state’s bus industry, the South Australian government has announced a new range of zero-emissions transport trials, including the introduction of two new hydrogen buses.
The SA government has taken a major step towards realising its zero-emissions transport ambitions with its latest hydrogen bus trial announcement.
This trial includes a two-year hydrogen bus trial, with two hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles being deployed on routes across Adelaide from late August at the Morphettville bus depot.
The South Australian government says the first of these hydrogen buses have arrived in Adelaide, wrapped in a striking green decal.
In collaboration with Foton Mobility, BOC and H2H Energy, operator Torrens Transit will begin internal testing of two Foton hydrogen fuel-cell from the Morphettville depot before being released for operation.
“These trials will be joined by a ground-breaking trial of two hydrogen buses, which demonstrate the real-world application of South Australia’s investment in hydrogen technology through the Hydrogen Jobs Plan,” SA transport minister Tom Koutsantonis says.
“This innovative trial will place South Australia as an Australian leader in applying hydrogen technology across our public transport network. The hydrogen buses will be fuelled with the assistance of the Tonsley Innovation Facility.
“We will leave no stone unturned in the quest to employ cleaner, greener and more efficient technologies across the public
to delivering services to the outer metro areas and into the regions.
The government says hydrogen fuel carries significantly more energy than the equivalent weight of batteries, which is important as the state government evaluates future technology options, including powering trains on the Belair, Outer Harbor lines and Grange and Port Dock connections.
Adelaide Metro also continues to make significant steps towards a zero-emissions future across its bus fleet, with testing of the state’s first full battery electric bus already well underway.
As well as being better for the environment, the SA government says
are on order, pending the results of this trial.
Adelaide Metro is committed to transitioning to a zero-emissions public transport system to support the State Government’s net zero emissions by 2050 target.
Operator Torrens Transit, owned by Transit Systems, estimates that more than 80,000 customers will travel on the new hydrogen buses in the next year, with the green hydrogen to be supplied from Hydrogen Park South Australia.
Torrens Transit’s new managing director Andrew Jenkinson says the operator is thrilled to be trialling the new technology buses in SA.
Dr Juliette Tobias-Webb is a Chief Behavioural Scientist, Senior MBA Lecturer, one of 60 women in Australia nominated as a Superstar of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths) & soon to be a Homeward Bound (Antarctica) explorer. Dr Juliette is passionate about translating behavioural insights about how people think and act into practical tips that can help individuals, companies & governments tackle some of the most challenging work & societal issues.
Dr Juliette has a PhD in Experimental Psychology from Cambridge University. She has worked for a range of leading government & corporate organisations to understand human decision-making & transform behaviour. In addition to running her behavioural science consultancy, Dr Juliette has been a Senior Manager in Behavioural Science for Commonwealth Bank, the Behaviour Change Lead for Ogilvy Australia, & a Research Fellow for the Behavioural Insights Team. She uses a scientifically proven approach & works closely with top academic experts in Australia & overseas to ensure companies receive the latest insights.
Hear from Juliette on Tuesday, 31 October
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Arolling stone gathers no moss, but sometimes it rolls so slowly that moss is just possible.
That has certainly been the experience as we continue to advocate on behalf of the fantastic bus and coach industry on two very significant reforms that could change the way we do business.
The first and slowest progressing reform is to the National Heavy Vehicle Law which applies to all jurisdictions except Western Australia and the Northern Territory. The initial stage of this reform process commenced in March 2019 with the release of seven issues papers for public consultation. BIC, with the assistance of representatives from across the industry, provided detailed responses to these issues papers. In June 2020, we responded to a consultation regulatory impact statement (RIS) which further detailed options for reform.
In May 2021, the Infrastructure and Transport Ministers considered the recommendations presented to them by the National Transport
Ministers accepted the recommendations of Kanofski last August and in June this year endorsed a decision RIS which contained 14 recommendations that will form the foundation of the future law to deliver more effective and flexible regulation, improvements to safety and productivity and streamline governance and administration.
Consultation is again underway with the NTC working on reforms that will be covered by the new law and others that will sit outside the law in regulation and other instruments. As part of this process, we have been speaking with the newly established Reform Implementation Steering Committee which is made up of some of the most senior transport officials in Australia. We are also waiting to respond to yet another consultation RIS later this year.
Ministers have an “aspirational goal of having a package of legislation and core regulations for approval in July 2024”.
The other slow-moving reform is to the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport – another two-stage reform process with the consultation process for stage one kicking off in February 2021. BIC, working with our members, was heavily involved in the consultation and delivered a comprehensive submission on the 16 reform areas. Ministers confirmed the first tranche of 16 reform options in February 2022 and quickly released the next tranche of 60 reform options for consultation. This included reform proposals which would have significant implications for suppliers and operators. Our submission was comprehensive and highly detailed.
Commission (NTC) and the reform rolled into the next stage. The BIC actively engaged in industry consultation on the next stage, but the wheels quickly fell off when the NTC released its first paper on fatigue management which could have financially destroyed many trucking businesses. To rescue the reforms, the ministers appointed independent adviser Ken Kanofski to lead the consultation with industry and governments to identify a way forward. BIC has actively participated in all consultations and meetings, acting as the lone voice for the bus and coach industry among a plethora of truck organisations and companies.
The ministers have endorsed the stage two Decision RIS in June 2023 and have now referred it to the Attorney General for approval. If approved, the new Standard may be released in late 2024. How and when will be a decision for the respective state and territory governments. BIC will advocate for harmonisation between the different jurisdictions as the last thing the industry needs or wants is each state implementing new standards in different years.
If you want to learn more about these reforms and what they mean for your business, come to the BIC National Industry Conference in Adelaide from October 29 to November 1, 2023. More information is available at https://bic.asn.au/conference/.
“Consultation is again underway with the NTC working on reforms that will be covered by the new law and others that will sit outside the law in regulation and other instruments.”
It’sbeennearly10years sinceSwanHillBusLines firstpurchasedaBus& CoachInternational(BCI) vehicle.Plentyofwater hasgoneunderthebridge inthattimeframe,withthe operatorchangingnamesto BusBizin2017.
Throughoutthebestpartof adecade,onefactorthathas remainedacertaintyisthe growingpartnershipbetween BusBizandBCI.
Thetwocompaniesfirst joinedforcesin2014when BusBizwonatendertorun TrainLinkservicesfromDubbo outtoBrokenHill.
“Fromthatcontractwin onwards,that’swhenourreal relationshipstartedwithBCI,” BusBizmanagingdirector PeterPickeringtoldABC.
“Theyprovidedaquotefor thevehiclesweneededand weacceptedituponwinning thetender.”
Pickeringsaysthemain reasonBusBizwentwithBCI wastheirdeliverydateand
abilitytosupplythenumberof coachestheyneededforthe newcontract.Afterwinning thetenderprocessin2014, BusBizneedednewvehicles readytorunfrom2015.
Uponreceivingthecall,BCI answeredtoquicklyprovide afleetforBusBiztouse throughoutregionalVictoria andNSW.
Thesefirstvehicleswere BCI’sCruiserbodymodel, whichwasbuiltontopof BusBiz’spreferredchassisin theMercedes-Benz0500RF two-axlecoachmodel.BCI movedquicklytobuildfour bodiesontopofthem,with thevehiclessoonsettobegin gruelling1500kmroundtrips sevendaysaweek.
Althoughthesecoaches werenew,theroutetheywere runningwasn’taneasytripfor heavyvehiclestomake.
“Runninginthiswestern regionofNSW,itsoon becametheworstservicewe wererunningwhenitcame todistanceandcollisions
BCI and BusBiz’s partnership comes down to a willingness to adapt to the harsh demands of Australian bus and coach services
withanimals,”BusBizNSWstate managerandformerdriver MichaelMilburntoldABC.
“Beinginthemiddleofa drought,thosefirstcoaches coppedafairamountofpanel damagefromthebindoorsdown throughanimalstrikes.
“Thesecoacheswouldtravel lateatnightandearlyinthe morningonthoseTrainLink servicesandthey’dquickly becoveredindintsandother damagecausedbywildlifehitting thefrontorsideofthecoach.”
Onthesefirstforaysaspart ofBusBiz’snewcontract,BCI’s aluminiumpanelssittingonthe frontofitsCruiserbodieshad plentytodealwith.BusBizturned toitsnewpartnertolookatways tobetterprotectthecriticalareas ofthebody.
Thesediscussionsledto PickeringheadingtoBCI’s Chinafactorytolookatother paneloptionsthatweremade ofsturdiermaterialsthan aluminium.PickeringsaysBCI wasimmediatelywillingto adapttheirassemblylineto
suit BusBiz’s requirements, with a composite fibreglass panel design presented to him.
BCI then offered Pickering the chance to test the new panel in a unique way.
“We looked at changing from aluminium panels on the side of the first Cruiser models to a fibreglass bin door, wheel arches and lower panels,” Pickering says.
“In China, BCI had a fibreglass panel door for me to look at and they handed me a sledgehammer to take to it and test it out.”
For BCI Victorian state manager Cameron Millen, he remembers this moment vividly. It was a grand way of showing an emerging customer that BCI meant business when it came to protecting its Cruiser body for the rigours that the BusBiz contract demanded of its new fleet.
“Those initial Cruisers performed well under the harsh road
conditions and the damage they had to face,” Millen told ABC.
“To demonstrate the new panel we produced, we gave Pete a sledgehammer and told him to hit it as hard as he could for as long as he wanted to.
“It didn’t break, and they were soon fitted to the next wave of Cruisers that BusBiz ordered. It’s no surprise that since then we haven’t had to replace many panels at all as they’ve held up incredibly well.”
Pickering agrees that the new fibreglass panels have “been outstanding” since they were first introduced, with BCI also introducing special heavy duty bullbars onto the coaches to tailor the vehicles to BusBiz’s needs.
These vehicles that BCI have progressively introduced to BusBiz’s fleet have needed to be as sturdy as possible – BusBiz’s vehicles cover an amazing number of kilometres
Being in the middle of a drought, those first coaches copped a fair amount of panel damage from the bin doors down through animal strikes.
A routine check up on how BCI’s second round of Cruiser models introduced in 2017 shocked the likes of Millen and co from BCI. Currently, the 2017 models have clocked up at least one and a half million kilometres in just over five years of service.
The original 2015 models with aluminium panels have since been put onto shorter services, but that hasn’t stopped them from recording around one and a half million kilometres.
Millen remembers once getting a call from Pickering as the latter was on the way back from Dubbo to Swan Hill in a BCI model that was nearing the end of its service life.
“Pete told me that I had to put this bus on display to show how well it had stood up,” Millen says.
“He said there’s been no rattles or squeaks after doing at least a million kilometres on bad roads.
“It’s testament to the product, both the chassis and body. I think it surprised Peter as to how well they had held up for him.”
With this durability evident, it’s no surprise that Pickering and BusBiz have continued going back to the BCI well. On average, BusBiz’s Dubbo fleet of vehicles complete 300,000kms per year.
Pickering says the durability of BCI’s bodies and complete vehicles has been why BusBiz has grown its
“All of the BCI models have held up incredibly well, the bodies are still tight and there’s no rattles,” Pickering says.
“They’ve done a lot of quick kilometres over some fairly rough roads, but drivers continue enjoying getting behind the wheel of them.”
As BusBiz has grown, it’s used BCI models for additional trial services running to and from Wagga Wagga and Canberra while also using BCI vehicles as school buses. As BusBiz continues to win more contracts, it has returned to BCI for more vehicles.
Now, BusBiz has more than 40 BCI products in its expanding fleet. Newer models have already travelled more than half a million kilometres. When it comes to improvement over time, Milburn says the latest models of Cruisers have shown a clear refinement in the internal fit-out while also having a sleek design.
“The most recent BCI Cruisers have an improved European-like shape to them,” Milburn says.
“The seating and interior plastics have also constantly improved, while the different luggage bin door system is wonderful and looks even better.”
From BCI’s side, seeing BusBiz expand its operations across NSW, Victoria and into South Australia through a variety of BCI coaches,
the newer models with USB charging ports on the back of seats have become a rider favourite. On the school bus side, Milburn says a 57-seater often receives feedback from people impressed with the look of the interior.
The aftersales and service part often comes hand-in-hand with these growing operator-supplier partnerships. Millen says BCI has learnt plenty from BusBiz in terms of transporting spare parts to constantly keep the operator stocked on windscreens and other features.
This focus means the combination of BusBiz and BCI doesn’t look like grinding to a halt anytime soon. Instead, both parties are excited to continue getting more BCI vehicles on the road for BusBiz’s growing operations.
With four new vehicles slated for delivery later this year, the BCI/ BusBiz bond is only strengthening. For this round of bus deliveries, there’s no prizes for guessing what model they’ll be.
“New Cruiser coaches are set to be delivered towards the end of this year,” Pickering says.
“Two of them will be on Volvo chassis for the first time. We’re looking forward to introducing more durable BCI models as we continue taking on more services in the coming years.”
All of the BCI models have held up incredibly well, the bodies are still tight andthere’s no rattles. Above:
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expertise and standing in the local bus and coach sector.
In recent times, Royans Coachworks’ commitment to development means it is now beginning to expand its transport accident repair, spray painting and other capabilities. With the new wave of electric vehicles coming through, Royans Coachworks is putting in effort to adapt to these changes.
“We’ve invested in our training and equipment so that we can support our clients as their fleets evolve,” Isaacs says.
As one half of the combined Royans Coachworks, Coachworks has a rich history in servicing bus and coaches in Australia. Years ago, its servicing capabilities looked a little different. In the years that have followed, the combined group have developed expertise in servicing heavy vehicles.
branch manager Scott Isaacs told ABC. “Royans Coachworks has been committed to learning as a business to grow and develop our people so that we can meet the needs of the changing industry.”
The two combined companies continue to further elevate their collective capability. While the Royans Group brings knowledge in the transport accident
Over recent years, Royans Coachworks has kept abreast of the different versions of buses and coaches being introduced to local services. Whether it be the excitement of electric or the recent hum of hydrogen fuel-cell technology, Royans Coachworks is aware of what is coming in the zero-emissions world and has familiarised itself with the risks involved in working on high voltage vehicles.
Through both training and equipment, the company has adjusted to offer its well-known services to different technologies in various Australian jurisdictions.
“As a group, we’ve made sure we’re in all of the discussions on this technology so that we can do everything we can to support the industry as these vehicle numbers grow,” Isaacs says.
“The rules may be different from state to state, but we’ve taken the time to educate ourselves about what we can do to upskill our support areas.”
This isn’t as easy as it initially sounds. In some instances, there’s only basic training available for workers wanting to learn how to manage and handle zero-emissions buses. The requirements that allow employees to work on these vehicles also varies around Australia, meaning Royans Coachworks has also had to consider whether it’s most efficient to sometimes hire subcontractors when it’s not possible to work themselves on certain buses.
It’s paying off for Royans Coachworks, with the company still maintaining its traditional expertise while developing new skills. In July, the company was involved in “a small truck battery pack transplant”, supporting a client in this
Left: The Royans Coachworks team is across all types of heavy vehicle technology Opposite, Above: Scott Isaacs (right) will ensure Royans Coachworks continues to service a wide range of buses and coachesIn recent years, Royans Coachworks has invested in its equipment and people to provide improved services in a wide range of bus and coach technologies
process to understand the best ways to replace a battery pack on fleet vehicles.
From both the Royans and Coachworks sides, there’s much to benefit from these projects.
“From an accident repair perspective, there’ll be lots of vehicles involved in incidents where batteries are affected, even in buses with great protection,” Isaacs says.
“The group needs to be prepared to support this so that we can get vehicles back on the road fast to keep the industry moving.
“On the other hand, for our Royans Coachworks dedicated branches, there is potential growth in supporting some of the manufacturers, whether it’s in partially building vehicles or in other areas.”
Royans Coachworks will continue to remain open to opportunities in the zero-emissions space as they arise in both the repair and manufacturing sectors while continuing to offer its traditional services.
Throughout this, Royans Coachworks will continue to do accident repairs for all the major insurance companies and has just become the 11th NTI Premium Repairer for the Royans Group.
Yet it’s not just in this sphere that Royans Coachworks has enhanced its capabilities. When it comes to wheelchair accessibility and Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) compliance, the company is committed to refining its processes to help install wheelchair lifts and provide accessibility solutions.
“The retrofitting of wheelchair accessibility solutions is a big part of what we do, and it’s become a major growth area for us,” Isaacs says.
“Having worked in this space for more than 30 years, we’re involved in projects to achieve wheelchair accessibility or seatbelted seating solutions that meet industry demands.
“We’ve always been involved in bodybuilding for companies and have played a part in projects for companies importing products. When it comes to DDA compliance, this experience ensures that we remain in the mix to help when the industry requires it.”
From Royans Coachworks’ perspective, the brand assesses vehicles presented to it before it offers wheelchair accessibility solutions that are the most comfortable and safest for all involved.
Isaacs says a key lesson the company has learnt in this regard is to always opt
for the safest option, as with safety comes efficiency and effectiveness.
This experience in handling wheelchair accessibility conversions and fittings for bus and coach operators means the Royans Coachworks staff have already spent plenty of time understanding the requirements of operators. Royans Coachworks understands it is not a case of fitting a lift into the vehicle and moving on – Isaacs says the company knows the importance of considering all parts of the fitting from an operational perspective.
“This understanding shows the
business has the customer’s best interest at the front of mind,” Isaacs says.
This growing capability of Royans Coachworks to look at wheelchair accessibility extends into the route bus and school industry, as well as in aged-care vehicles.
As a supporter of local manufacturing in Australia, Royans Coachworks has always stepped up to support the local manufactures capabilities and aftersales service when the industry calls for it. The Royans Group network offers additional local support for the industry both in Australia and New Zealand.
Royans Coachworks is now equipped with technology that fulfils its
commitment to the future repairs of a wide range of vehicles and projects, DDA compliance upgrades and any other issues that require servicing in the Australasian bus and coach industry.
The group’s strong relationship with suppliers helps introduce technology and support that can help the bus and coach industry more than ever before. Combined with what Royans Coachworks refers to as ‘subject matter experts’ in its staff and the brand is leading the way in allowing its passion for the industry to become enmeshed
with solutions to help the sector with anything it needs.
“There’s a real commitment in the business to develop people,” Isaacs says. “We’re putting in effort to develop an apprentice program to make sure we bring people through not just for us, but for the entire industry.”
The business will also continue to push to be a trusted supporter as the industry evolves in the coming years.
“We’ve purposely decided to do this as a company,” Isaacs says. “We’ve put in the commitment to understanding these changes and dedicating people to manage projects that support the industry better than ever.”
Royans Coachworks has been committed to learning as a business to grow and develop our people so that we can meet the needs of the changing industry.
As parent company of CMV Truck & Bus, the CMV Group was established in 1934 and began originally in Adelaide. The company expanded into Victoria and CMV Truck & Bus was created in 1989. This year, CMV Truck & Bus proudly celebrates 55 years of close partnership with Volvo Group Australia, having delivered thousands of Volvo buses over the decades, each tailored to support customers’ specific transport needs.
With eight dealerships across Victoria and a sister dealership, South Central Truck & Bus, operating in Adelaide, CMV Truck & Bus is the name that comes to mind in relation to Volvo’s bus and coach presence in the two southern Australian states.
“From a Volvo perspective, we have responsibility for all of the Victorian and South Australian bus market,” CMV Truck & Bus General Manager Miles Crawford told ABC.
“Our bus division is headquartered in our state-of-the-art Derrimut dealership, with a team of dedicated and passionate bus industry experts, including sales, parts and service support, based here.”
The 80,000 square metre purpose-built Derrimut facility helps keep Volvo buses and coaches serviced and maintained in conjunction with the other Victorian dealerships in Clayton, Dandenong, Epping, Gippsland, Shepparton, Wodonga and the newly added Warrnambool, as well as an extensive network of affiliated regional Customer Service Centres.
CMV Truck & Bus remains Australia’s number one Volvo Bus dealer with dealerships across Victoria and South Australia. With recent acquisitions, CMV Truck & Bus has continued to maintain its focus on strategic operations and strong company values, while providing customers with the latest technology
More than 10 Derrimut staff are dedicated to supporting the bus industry, including factory trained Bus Technicians specialising in the servicing and repairs of Volvo buses and coaches. There’s a standalone bus service and repair centre on the premises with eight dedicated and fully equipped workshop bays.
On top of this, Derrimut also hosts an extensive spare parts warehouse and runs the Bus Parts Plus business from this location. The site is stocked in specialised bus and coach parts to supply any fixes needed by Volvo bus and coach customers.
CMV Truck & Bus Aftersales and Service Manager Nick Curran says CMV Truck & Bus’ decision to operate a dedicated bus and coach division of the business is paying dividends.
“This set-up has distinct
advantages for Volvo bus and coach customers,” Curran told ABC.
Crawford says the set-up is customer focused, with the bus side of the Derrimut dealership being an integral part of the entire
“Because we have dedicated staff working with bus and coach customers, reception is always 100 per cent bus oriented and provides exceptional service that doesn’t end after the purchase of your new vehicle,” Crawford says.
“We pride ourselves on taking the time to get to know our customers personally. It’s great to see the sector rebounding from a tough few years during COVID-19. Enquiries have really increased for Volvo buses and coaches recently, which is a great sign of where operators are at.”
For CMV Truck & Bus, the Derrimut location is special not just for its bus focus. Late last year, the dealership was signed off by Volvo Group Australia as the first fully certified Volvo Trucks Electric Vehicle Dealer in Australia. CMV Truck & Bus Clayton has since achieved the same certification.
To achieve this ground-breaking electromobility milestone, Crawford says its Workshop, Parts and Sales teams undertook extensive EV and safety training, plus CMV Truck & Bus invested in the latest tooling, equipment and charging infrastructure so that it could offer its customers industry leading transport solutions.
“We’re working on electric certification for our Adelaide and Dandenong dealerships as we want to be ready to support customers that take the step to electric by having the necessary competency and equipment ready,” he says.
“We’re incredibly proud that CMV Truck & Bus is at the forefront of supporting customers in their transition to more renewable energy sources. While now both our Clayton and Derrimut dealerships are EV certified, we acknowledge that this is just the beginning.”
Whether it be dropping buses off for service or supporting customers wherever they need help around Australia, CMV Truck & Bus is
committed to helping keep its network of Volvo buses well-maintained.
Crawford says the team does so by adhering to CMV Group’s five core values, starting with safety first. For the company’s 715 staff across Victoria and South Australia, Crawford is focused on ensuring everyone gets home from work safely each day. This means ensuring staff follow its procedures, as well as Volvo Group’s comprehensive repair instructions.
Plenty is happening at CMV Truck & Bus currently – while it continues to focus on new technology, it’s also continuing to operate two foundations in the CMV Group Foundation and the CMV Group Staff Foundation. Crawford says these foundations are very important to CMV Truck & Bus and the wider CMV Group, providing meaningful support and financial assistance to the communities in which it operates.
CMV Truck & Bus is always looking to grow, ensuring it’s in the right geographical position to support its customers. In 2019, CMV Truck & Bus’ operations made a big jump, expanding with the opening of a new dealership on Cooper Street in Epping, Victoria.
Crawford says the new site has been great when it comes to providing parts and service in Melbourne’s northern suburbs.
Two years later it then acquired the Shepparton-based sub-dealer D & S Truck Repairs and recently appointed its 25th staff member at that branch. CMV Truck & Bus is preparing to build a new, state-ofthe-art dealership in Shepparton in the years ahead which will also be Volvo EV certified from day one.
Its latest dose of expansion occurred this year when CMV Truck & Bus acquired Warrnambool Truck & Trailer Repairs to add a ninth site to its network and grow its customer service in the southwest of Victoria.
This growth, coupled with CMV Truck & Bus’s electric and hybrid bus expertise, is all about ensuring that it’s providing the best service to its customers both now and well into the future.
We’re incredibly proud that CMV Truck & Bus is at the forefront of supporting customers in their transition to more renewable energy
With eight branch locations across Victoria, CMV Truck & Bus is your one stop shop for all your truck and bus needs.
Our team of Volvo Bus specialists can assist you with everything from sales, parts and service, including hybrid and electric vehicles, through to complex fit outs, repairs and ongoing customer support.
To learn more, visit cmvtb.com.au
In July, Hanover Displays / Parts Supply Solutions (PSS) and the Pulitano Group presented Hanover’s duress button system to PTV as a way of making bus travel safer for drivers and passengers
It’s a situation not many riding on or driving a bus enjoy. A troublesome passenger hops on at a stop and immediately looks for trouble, refusing to pay a fare and disrespecting the driver. Soon a war of words breaks out and all passengers are uncomfortable.
Back in the day, buses were preferred over trains due to their safety. Now, in situations in which the driver’s safety is at risk, innovative approaches are needed to prevent harm.
But what if modern technology could cut this tension at the source before it spills over into cases of abuse?
At a recent presentation to the Victorian Department of Transport and Planning (PTV) at the Cranbourne Transit depot in July, the Australian subsidiary of the UK-based Hanover Displays, along with Parts Supply Solutions and the Pulitano Group, showed off its new driver duress button system as a new way of keeping bus drivers and passengers safe.
“This Safe Rider system was born as a result of a high rate of assaults on passengers and drivers on the Cranbourne bus network,” Hanover Displays Australia and Parts Supply Solutions company director Fiona Watson told ABC.
“Technology has come a long way and our first driver duress button system ‘Safe Rider’ has been installed at an Australian operator in Cranbourne Transit.”
The Safe Rider System is a project forged between Hanover, Parts Supply Solutions and the Pulitano Group, who owns Cranbourne Transit. The operator and passenger display systems/ CCTV company have spent a long
time working on this driver duress button system that is designed around the premise of retaining drivers and preventing dangerous incidents from breaking out on public transport buses.
Instead of leaving the responsibility of defusing aggressive incidents to the bus driver, the Safe Rider allows an external participant to intervene and prevent volatile situations from worsening.
The latest Hanover and PSS safety system uses all of its previous technological nous to ensure everyone onboard buses feel safe at all times.
“Safe Rider is a two-way audio communication system between the operation centre based in Queensland and the speakers onboard the Cranbourne Transit bus in Victoria,” Fiona says.
“If a dangerous situation presents itself, the bus driver can press the duress button next to their right arm, allowing a controller from the Central Control Room (CCR) to open up our CCTV cameras in live view onboard the bus and talk to the unruly passenger through the speakers to take over the
management of behaviour onboard.”
Once the driver presses the inconspicuous red duress button, the current system between Hanover/ PSS and the Pulitano Group means the CCR in Queensland sparks into action.
Controllers at the CCR can either use the two-way speaker that goes through the Hanover Transport Computer (HTC) to speak directly to the troublesome parties and defuse the situation or call the police immediately so that the bus driver can safely pull the
working to keep passengers secure, most importantly allowing the driver to continue concentrating on driving,” Fiona says.
Over four speakers on the bus, passengers can be instructed to leave the bus or be informed that police are on their way, increasing the likelihood that they will get off at the next stop and deescalate the conflict. The access to CCTV cameras allows the controller in the CCR to identify passengers by their voice so that passengers are reminded that they’re being watched.
Although it sounds like next-gen technology, it’s only another step in Parts Supply Solutions and Hanover’s evolution. Hanover Displays Australia
managing director Grant Watson says the duress button system uses Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) connections via the Hanover Transport computer that amplify with the bus’s speakers to link the technology.
“This system is unique as it integrates the passenger information system and CCTV systems onboard the bus so that controllers can hear and see everything on the bus,” Grant told ABC.
The CCTV-linked duress button
“This system is unique as it integrates the passenger information system and CCTV systemsonboard the bus so that controllers can hear
andsee everything on the bus.
two-way audio network uses connections already in place through Hanover’s passenger information systems onboard a bus. The current Hanover TFT screens display high-resolution onboard stop announcements and next stop signs. Now, these voiceover systems are also being used to keep passengers and drivers safe.
From an operator standpoint, Cranbourne Transit and the wider Pulitano Group network see numerous advantages to trialling this system. On the presentation day to PTV, everyone piles onto a Cranbourne Transit bus and head out on a route, where a mock display of a passenger conflict showcases the capability that the duress button system has to override tense scenarios and deescalate any potential abuse.
Pulitano Group chief operating officer Paul Davies says this safety system is badly needed on Cranbourne Transit routes.
“Safety statistics from the past two years show a significant increase in assaults, with at least 74 instances during this time,” Davies told ABC.
These incidents include robbery onboard buses, security threats, objects thrown at buses and verbal assault against drivers. In 2023 alone, Davies says Cranbourne Transit has recorded more than 15 instances of drivers being seriously verbally abused, well above the average compared to other bus contracts that Bus Queensland run.
“There’s not a singular perfect solution to this problem as it’s a significant cultural issue where the driver now doesn’t have the same authority or power that they used to,” Davies says.
“The idea of the duress button system is to take the pressure off drivers from instructing passengers, so the driver can concentrate on driving and not become a target or victim.
“It won’t be the answer to every situation on the bus, but there are plenty of moments where drivers can press the duress button and not draw attention to themselves in the conflict management process.”
For operators, the system also streamlines the report incident process, as buses now no longer have to be out
of action for days on end as hard drive footage is downloaded to submit to police. Instead, the Parts Supply Solutions CCTV system allows for live viewing, historical playback or footage tagging that can be downloaded automatically, even when the bus is still out on a run or when a bus returns to the depot before heading out on its route again.
The system was on full display to PTV in July, as attendees of the presentation got a taste of what is to come in the sphere of bus driver safety technology. It’s only the start of Hanover/ Parts Supply Solutions and the Pulitano Group’s collaboration, yet already there are grounds to see why this technology could be so vital to the retention and recruitment of Australian bus and coach drivers.
“The duress button system is a new way of protecting drivers and passengers from abuse,” Fiona Watson says.
“Hanover Displays, Parts Supply Solutions and the Pulitano Group are passionate about enhancing bus safety and this duress button will continue to evolve as a way of doing so for years to come.”
customers a versatile solution that can shoulder the burden of vehicles from the light rigids to the prime movers and the heaviest of coaches.
Endurequip is also versatile – it can offer a higher load hoist that goes beyond the weight grade of buses and coaches, lifting rail locomotives instead. The company spans across multiple sectors and is the supplier of the only heavy vehicle hoists trusted by the Australian Defence Force (ADF).
The Endurequip Portalift system is designed to be long-lasting and offered with hoist and gearbox covers, protecting the system from any dirt or grime that can mess up a Portalift system.
Throughout this entire product process, Endurequip offers customers structural manufacturers’ lifetime warranty on the Portalift that includes on-site service and authorised service centres Australia-wide, minimising downtime of the hoists and also making service workers feel safe when operating around lifted buses and coaches.
It takes something pretty special to lift the wide variety of buses and coaches around Australia. When it comes to servicing the industry’s fleet of vehicles, one of the safest ways to do so is by using an Endurequip hoist to lift a bus off the ground.
In the world of hoisting, Endurequip Hoists has a few firsts that make it a unique option for the local market. The Australian brand is featured by the Australian-Made Organisation as the only portable heavy-vehicle hoist made in Australia.
Manufactured in Brisbane at a state-of-the-art 6,000 square metre factory, the hoist is also the only chain-driven heavy vehicle model of its kind.
The company has been trusted by Australians to provide heavy vehicle
lifting solutions for more than 35 years, with its range of products helping lift the heaviest of vehicles, including Australia’s buses and coaches.
Outside of its well-known Portalift Hoist, Endurequip also offers workshop lifting and handling solutions to the heavy industry, public transport, logistics, mining and rail industries. It does this by providing a wide range of vehicle ramps, A-frame trailer adaptors, vehicle stands, transport frames and mobile gantry frames to customers all around the nation.
When it comes to the Endurequip Portalift Hoist, each hoist has a high load capacity that can lift up to 7.5 tonnes. If used in a combination of four, six or eight posts, this hoist can lift vehicles that range in weight from 30 tonnes to 60 tonnes, giving
Above: Endurequip’s hoists are currently used by councils and bus workshops
Endurequip has a rich history in bus and truck workshops around Australia, with customers including Nexport. Endurequip has been supplying hoists to the designer, manufacturer and distributor since back in its Gemilang days emanating in Ballarat, Victoria in 2009. Having manufactured more than 300 buses, Nexport has turned to Endurequip hoists to continually service its fleet in Australia and New Zealand.
As a local company, Nexport was keen to use another Australian-made brand, especially when it discovered Endurequip could provide a set of four hoists rated up to 30 tonnes that exceeded weight requirements and ensured safety was top of mind.
Endurequip vehicle stands also allow the Nexport team to access and work on various machines, with Endurequip workshop lifting and handling solutions helping Nexport to deliver many buses meeting Victorian government needs.
Through a range of one-stop parts and accessories packages that include vehicle ramps, A-Frame trailer adaptors, small-wheel adaptors and engineered solutions, Endurequip can provide a unique solution that makes servicing and maintaining buses easier than ever before.
IMAGES ENDUREQUIP
Through its range of hoists and workshop lifting equipment, Endurequip has already proven its value when it comes to servicing buses and coaches
When Irizar Asia Pacific managing director Steve Heanes sat down to think about how the Irizar bus and coach product can be improved in Australia, his thoughts went beyond the usual ideas around improving bodies.
Amid a hectic year where the high-quality bodybuilder has fulfilled a mammoth number of orders for Australian operators, Irizar has recognised a necessity to improve its offering moving forward to cater for customer demand.
As its next step forward, Irizar is tapping into the air-conditioning side of its body product through the company’s global connection with HVAC supplier Hispacold, with Heanes establishing Hispacold Asia Pacific to allow for the increased support of existing Irizar/Hispacold users.
“We’re going to have a strong focus on the HVAC, air-conditioning units and air
purifiers that we’ll supply from Hispacold to both Irizar and other bodybuilders in the Australian market,” Heanes told ABC.
“We want to explore all avenues of opportunity ahead of us and invest in the right people to service our current bus and rail customers.”
Heanes has appointed a new business development manager and aftersales manager to look after the Hispacold side of products under his leadership. He also plans to then invest more into the current Hispacold dealer network to improve services for customers.
“This move is the first step to improve the Irizar product inadvertently in Australia by focusing on the Hispacold suite of HVAC solutions for bus and coach bodies,” he says.
The two new Hispacold staff that will work under Heanes currently have two Hispacold units to focus their attention on.
The Hispacold diesel and electric models are produced for the wide range of existing
diesel-type chassis and full electric buses that fill the Australian market. Hispacold also supplies units to rail projects around Australia, particularly in Sydney, Canberra and pending projects in Dubbo, NSW.
On the bus and coach side, a South Australian bus contract has Hispacold
In the middle of a hectic year of deliveries, Irizar Asia Pacific is using its global ties to improve a critical part of a bus and coach body
bodies, with other bodybuilders also electing to use Hispacold HVAC systems for certain customers.
Heanes says the main idea behind recruiting two new staff to focus exclusively on Hispacold was to provide better customer support when it comes to aftersales care.
“This move allows us to drill down
provided maintenance when they need it,” he says.
“A key focus will be on supporting the current customers while also keeping an eye on growing the business.”
Heanes is confident this will have a flow-on effect for Irizar by providing an improved variety of HVAC selections for customers wanting to use Irizar’s high-quality bodies.
Irizar will use the new Hispacold focus to talk through any concerns with existing customers, opening new opportunities to supply Irizar bodies that will feature improved Hispacold units.
“With the investment into Hispacold products and people, I’m confident it will meet all customer expectations,” Heanes says.
Despite Irizar owning Hispacold globally, the two companies still operate independently on an international scale with Hispacold supplying to a large number of bus body builders and chassis OEMs who build their own bodies.
What Heanes is doing in Australia is a first – it’s something he’s wanted to do for a while to improve both products separately and uplift the overall quality of the bus and coach market.
“Currently out of the 10 or so HVAC suppliers in Australia into the bus and coach market, Hispacold runs at about number three in its area,” Heanes says.
“It’s a proven brand in Australia. We need to make sure while we get market results like this that we support the business.”
Despite the two brands still running somewhat independently in Australia, Hispacold will feature when Irizar moves into its new site in Melbourne later this year.
Heanes says soil has been turned and the footings are in at the new centre, with a completion date ranging in the latter months of 2023.
The new site will more than double Irizar’s warehouse capacity for holding spare parts, while there’ll also be a dedicated section for HVAC storage facilities that will supply both Irizar bodies and other bodies.
“We’ll also always keep complete Hispacold HVAC units on the shelf and we’ll build dedicated AC bays,” Heanes says.
“With this commitment, we’ve invested in new AC scaffold to service buses, including stairs, platforms and equipment.”
While the industry still continues to tackle the frustrating global supply chain and shipping challenges, the Hispacold focus is a positive moment for the brand.
Heanes says Irizar is still one of the leading brands in its sector in 2023, with the growth of the company allowing it to deliver nearly 200 vehicles for the year.
All of this needs a bigger site and a renewed focus. Heanes is confident these latest Hispacold appointments will provide a deserved boost for both Irizar and the greater Australian bus and coach market.
“We see this as an important part of a bus or coach to make sure we can provide the best-in-class product that we can to operators,” Heanes says.
Thismove is
the firststep to improve the
Irizarproduct inadvertently
inAustralia by focusing on the Hispacold suite of HVAC solutions for bus and coach bodies.
Challenger has had to go through its fair share of adversity since embarking on a colossal roll of the dice to build a manufacturing brand from the ground up.
After deciding to switch from an operator to a bus and coach manufacturer, Challenger’s mission has been to build a vehicle the way a bus should be, making vehicles that are durable in Australian conditions and made for the customer.
In recent years Challenger has emerged as an exciting new brand option for the Australian bus and coach market that focuses on building buses and coaches filled with the highest quality components.
In July, Challenger’s evolution reached a new level when it delivered a wave of new buses to
repeat customer in the Victorian town of Castlemaine.
“The business is growing and we’re now up to 43 vehicles sold and stocked ready for sale,” Challenger Bus & Coach executive director and founder Greg Sloan told ABC.
“The customers who have bought Challenger vehicles so far are now becoming repeat customers and people are starting to take notice of us.
“We’ve been around long enough now for the industry to see what we’re about with our attention to quality finish and using great materials on our buses.”
Castlemaine Bus Lines, part of the wider Whitmore Group, was the home of Challenger’s latest two deliveries. Challenger made the one-and-a-half hour journey up from Spotswood, just outside of Melbourne’s CBD, to Castlemaine to
hand over two new V12 vehicles that will be used for V/Line work between Maryborough and Castlemaine.
As part of the V/Line contract, Castlemaine Bus Lines ordered two Challenger coaches that came with 48 seats and are equipped with a toilet and wheelchair lift.
Whitmore Group director Jamie Whitmore says the closure of Mercedes-Benz buses being produced in Australia led to the group taking a new direction when it came to ordering new vehicles for Castlemaine.
“Following the Mercedes-Benz news, one of our drivers asked us to try another Challenger vehicle after we ordered our first one around five years ago,” Whitmore told ABC.
“That first vehicle has been a very good product and has done around 170,000 kms to date without any hiccups.
Bus
took another major step in its evolution in July as it delivered new coaches to a faithful repeat customer in the beautiful Victorian town of Castlemaine
“Some people are always going to be hesitant with a new brand, but we’ve found these vehicles to be nothing but magic so far.”
The two newly delivered V12s will complete roughly nine trips per day, meaning the kilometres will quickly be clocked up. If the third and fourth Challenger buses to land at Castlemaine follow their two predecessors in terms of performance, Whitmore says he’ll be satisfied.
A new feature of these latest coaches is the wheelchair lift attached to fulfil requirements for the V/Line contract. Whitmore admits he was initially sceptical about adding one on, but the initial viewing and testing of the wheelchair lift proved that the model “was a ripper”.
“The wheelchair lift is simple to use and has no complications,” he says. “It seems to be a lot quicker in lifting and lowering than other models we’ve previously tried.”
The two new Challenger models for the Whitmore Group continue Whitmore’s recent history with the brand, which started when he was lucky enough to drive the very first Challenger vehicle to come to Australia.
After testing that first bus, Whitmore remembers sitting down with Sloan to write out the picky little tweaks that had to be made from a driver’s perspective.
“Now the next edition of this model is out and everything on that list has been done for us,” he says. “Challenger is always looking to improve itself and as a customer I enjoy that a lot.”
Another key part of the brand that satisfies Whitmore is Challenger’s personal aftersales care for existing customers. If
Whitmore has ever had an issue or needed a spare part, he says Challenger Victorian sales manager Dan Campbell has jumped in the car on the same day and brought the part to the depot within three hours.
Alongside the quality of the vehicles, Whitmore says this extra effort makes Challenger a standout in the bus and coach market.
“I love how the Challenger team have helped us at times without any hesitation or problems,” Whitmore says.
“We’ve also had great feedback from
hard for us to prove our longevity, but to come here and see a vehicle that’s been on the road for five years and has done nearly 200,000kms while performing like it’s brand new is a great testament to the quality of the product.
“We aim to build vehicles that will last more than 20 years while needing limited maintenance and giving operators a great return on their investment. So far, that is proving to be true.”
Following these latest deliveries, Challenger will also soon be supplying a 57-seat, 12m school bus to Castlemaine to complete the latest string of orders.
Challenger will then hit the road to complete more deliveries in Perth, Brisbane and Melbourne, with a new smaller bus model and an electric model also on the horizon for the growing brand.
Alongside a new website at www.challengerbusandcoach.com.au, the vehicle brand is already making a name for itself. Campbell says there’s more on the way from Challenger in the coming months.
“We have two new models on the way that we hope will be market leaders in a smaller seven to eight-metre bus, built with up to 28 seats, and a new electric bus that will be a low-floor city route bus,” he says.
“We’ve grown exponentially in the past 12 months. We like to under promise and over deliver, so we’d say ‘expect the electric bus
our drivers and mechanics. The mechanics love working on these vehicles because everything is laid out logically in the engine bay and drivers love driving the universal vehicle.”
The two new V12s will join an existing V10 bus currently doing school runs and a V12 that mostly does rail replacement for Castlemaine Bus Lines.
Dan Campbell says the Whitmore Group was one of Challenger’s first customers, with other repeat customers also popping up in Perth and more prospective clients presenting opportunities in Queensland and Victoria.
“It’s a great sign for the quality of the product that all of our vehicles are thriving after four to five years out on the road,” Campbell told ABC.
“As a relatively young business, it’s
to be out in the next six to 12 months’.”
Since founding the company, it’s been a wild ride for Sloan. The Challenger executive director and founder admits becoming a vehicle company is something he never thought he’d do, but now he’s proud of how the brand has grown.
With more deliveries on the way and existing customers loving the Challenger product, there’s only more pride to come for the growing local company.
“All new buses look good, but our focus has been on what our vehicles have looked like five years in,” Sloan says. “Jamie Whitmore was one of the first people to support us and they’ve been fantastic.
“Having repeat customers is amazing, as it gives us longevity as a business. We’re now focused on what should be an exciting year for Challenger Bus & Coach.”
We have two new models on the way that we hope will be market leaders in a smaller seven to eightmetre bus, built with up to 28 seats, and a new electric bus that will be a low-floor city route bus.
MELBOURNE CONVENTION & EXHIBITION CENTRE
JULY 10 & 11, 2024
The Australasian industry’s leading exhibition, conference and networking event will be combined all under one roof at Australia’s premier expo venue.
• 10,500m² of vehicle and equipment exhibition space and trade exhibition booths.
• Technical & management conference sessions delivered within the exhibit.
• BusVic 80 year anniversary industry gala dinner on Wednesday 10th July in the Melbourne Room at Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre.
• Keynote speakers on both days.
• Zero Emission Buses and Infrastructure on display.
Several good exhibition opportunities are still available, so secure your space today at www. busvic.asn.au/2024-expo
BREAKING THE SERVICE SURFACE
Sthings. A generous warranty. A person to talk to about the vehicle’s performance. Spare parts. As more and more manufacturers and suppliers begin selling heavy vehicles in Australia, some of the market leaders are finding new ways to maintain their sold models.
From its head office in Brisbane, Volvo Bus Australia has, for many years, offered its own special take on service for the buses and coaches it sells to operators.
Its dedicated Quality, Technical and Competence team includes regional service managers in all of the major and regional hubs, providing direct customer service where needed.
offering and flows from a global Volvo initiative prioritising the aftersales care of sold buses and coaches. The newly developed Commercial Solutions Department works with the Quality, Technical and Competence Team to ensure a variety of technology is kept well-maintained on all Volvo vehicles.
This clear delineation now means service contracts or Volvo Connect – the brand’s telematics platform – is managed by the commercial solutions team, freeing up the Quality, Technical and Competence team to meet customers and ensure they’re all satisfied with the performance of their Volvo bus or coach.
customers need anything from the manufacturer, Volvo’s sales and service teams work hand-in-hand to assist.
“We’re really very proud of our dedicated service team – we know it’s a unique offering among the OEMs in Australia,” Volvo Bus Australia general manager Mitch Peden told ABC.
“It’s another value add that Volvo have committed to, and have been delivering on, for many years now.”
By providing a growing network of service-dedicated staff, Volvo Bus Australia’s goal is to provide bus and coach servicing for operators regardless of where they are in the wide open expanses of the nation.
Above: Volvo Bus Australia is enhancing its service capabilities
ISA is responsible for gathering intelligence and reporting on current and emerging skills, and workforce development needs, at the national level. This encompasses trialling new approaches to meeting those workforce skills and industry needs.
In this webinar, Klausch will explain workforce planning at a national and organisational level, discuss some of the new approaches to skills development, and suggest avenues available to your business.
James Jeffries, Train Crew
James will explore novel approaches to overcoming the chronic skills shortage and driver retention issue across the bus and coach industry in South Australia and beyond.
He will also discuss micro credentials, subsidised training and using technology to deliver improved training outcomes and build the skill capability of your workforce.
26 October @ 1.30-2.30 pm
Communication solutions to protect drivers and other lone or remote workers, with CSC Crosscom
Join Bus SA for this free and innovative webinar series to discuss current and important issues in your industry today. More webinars being added regularly so jump on our mailing list!
Not a Bus SA member? If you’re in the industry, you’re welcome to join. We want to engage and collaborate across the board. Building relationships is what we do to support our members, and it helps the industry as a whole.
It’s not just manufacturers and suppliers that are working on improving servicing and maintenance technology.
As New Zealand’s largest family-owned bus and coach company, Tranzit Group has 10 workshops located in the nation’s North Island, with another one in the South Island. This array of sites focused on servicing allows it to invest heavily in maintenance and vehicle monitoring technology for its growing fleet of zero-emissions buses and current diesel buses.
Whether it be one of its first battery electric buses introduced into its fleet in 2018 or on the Euro 6 diesel double decker Repower bus that was turned into a fully electric vehicle, the operator is intent on finding efficient ways to service its diverse vehicle range.
Tranzit Group’s workshops bring specialist diesel mechanical, panel beating, auto electrician and electric bus skills to the business, enabling Tranzit to keep the majority of repairs and maintenance in-house. Its workshop team is also tasked with managing workloads across a fleet of more than 2000 vehicles to meet deadlines and keep the operator’s vehicles running.
As Tranzit’s national fleet manager Daryn Murphy says, the workshop teams
do everything from steel work fabrication, panel beating and spray painting to using the latest diagnostic equipment to work on the company’s growing fleet of battery electric buses and charging infrastructure.
“There are engines to rebuild, faults to diagnose and basic servicing, such as Certificates of Fitness (COFs) to complete, as well as the opportunity to work on a diverse vehicle fleet from vans through to double deck electric buses,” Murphy told ABC.
“From time to time, we’ve also done classic car restoration providing a useful skill set and marine engineering, working on boats’ mechanical and electrical systems.
“It’s an exciting career and full of variety.”
Murphy would know that last line better than anyone else. He originally joined Tranzit as an apprentice. Now, he helps support several apprentices who are also learning the trade.
Tranzit’s servicing team includes 14 mechanics, panel beaters, auto electricians and electric vehicle electricians who work alongside one panel apprentice and two diesel apprentices in keeping Tranzit’s wheels turning in its main Masterton workshop.
In Wellington, eight qualified
mechanics and four apprentices work across Tranzit’s four workshops. These workshops are dedicated to servicing 240 Euro 6 diesel buses, 42 electric buses and a number of touring coaches that vary in age.
They use the latest diagnostic equipment to diagnose engine faults including Jaltest, Mercedes Xentry, Scania SDP 3 and Cummins Insite, among others. The team is educated on the latest in telematics to keep an eye on temperature, revs, preventative maintenance and ensuring best safety practices.
Wellington-based workshop supervisor Luke Aschebrock says since Tranzit introduced electric buses to its fleet in 2018, it has become a necessity to be upskilled and remain ahead of the curve.
“As government contracts work towards decarbonisation and zero-emissions in public transport, Tranzit has always been ahead of the curve and part of this has seen our team having to be upskilled to work on our growing fleet of electric buses,” he told ABC.
The majority of Tranzit’s workshop team hold their Class 2 and Class 4 driver’s license to assist during breakdowns, while Tranzit’s Lower Hutt depot also has a special sky lift to assist the team to work under heavy vehicles.
“Many of us have completed the MITO New Zealand Certificate in Electric Vehicle Automotive Engineering (Levels 5 and 4),” Aschebrock says.
“This keeps us relevant and helps us offer a clear career path for those keen on learning on the job while also helping us all head towards zero-emissions.”
Above:
Tranzit mechanic Thomas Nikolaison working on one of the company’s double decker electric buses in Wellington
Below:
Tranzit Group national fleet manager Daryn Murphy
In New Zealand, operator Tranzit Group has taken its own in-house approach to servicing its diverse range of buses and coaches
For bus and coach operators, inservice breakdowns are a constant, damaging threat to successfully operating services daily. Leading Australian bus and coach brand Scania is dedicating significant resources to optimising the efficiency of vehicles to keep them healthy and safe so that breakdowns are few and far between.
“No one wants an in-service breakdown, especially if it is a coach on a tourist route or even a route bus that spends all day in heavily trafficked areas,” Scania Australia Director of Sales for Bus and Power Solutions Julian Gurney told ABC.
For Gurney and Scania, service is all about maximising operational uptime to increase the ability for operators to earn money and generate profits.
Scania Australia is using sophisticated electronic diagnostic tools to ensure productive performance while also accurately predicting the durability of key
components based on use profiles.
These predictions allow Scania to preventatively plan to replace components before they cause a breakdown while out on the road.
By constantly collecting and analysing in-service data, Scania is able to reliably predict the requirement for replacement service and wear parts and hold them on hand in Scania branches and warehouses to reduce vehicle off-road times. Using Scania’s own workshop parts vans, the brand delivers just-in-time to customers who service their own vehicles, helping to provide an efficient inventory management process for its customers.
Scania also has a refined process when it comes to delivering parts to more than 50 authorised independent Scania service workshop partners around Australia.
“Utilising our global network of more than 600,000 connected vehicles, Scania is able to build a reliable wear profile for key components,” Gurney says.
“This also allows us to understand when software updates are needed and keep Scania buses and coaches operational for longer.”
As remote diagnostics become more prevalent, more of the Scania fleet will be able to signal to the workshop what parts will be required and in what time frame, allowing an even more predictable flow of parts to the right place at the right time.
Scania Australia Aftersales Director Stefan Weber says this will again reduce time in the workshop and enhance uptime for bus and coach operators.
“Buses and coaches in Australia are expected to complete far longer working lives than in Europe, and that is why having the latest software updates regularly installed on your vehicle can assist in prolonging its working life,” Weber told ABC.
“The magic of the Scania Communicator is that it monitors so many aspects of the powertrain and the way the
As a leader in heavy vehicle technology, Scania is using its service technology to keep its older and newer generations of buses and coaches on the road
vehicle is driven so operators can understand much more about how their business asset is performing and also how it is being used.”
The Scania Communicator can be used to discern anomalies in fuel burn, identifying the issue and allowing for work to be undertaken to fix it before it becomes a wider problem.
Weber says this process can involve replacing a worn component. In other cases, it can be as simple as undertaking driver coaching to encourage safer driving habits.
“Drivers still tend to idle buses or coaches unnecessarily, which is just burning cash for no reason or benefit,” Weber says.
“The Scania Communicator detects all these issues and reports on them.”
Scania’s service capabilities extend across nine company-owned workshops around the nation filled with technicians familiar with the brand’s powertrain hardware. These workers follow Scania’s modular engine programme that’s been in place for several decades across truck and bus model lines.
“With our more than 170 technicians in our workshops we have plenty of expertise on hand, particularly for diagnosis and auto electrical problem solving,” Weber says.
At Scania, workshop changes have been afoot for a while preparing for the first waves of battery electric buses to hit Australian roads.
Weber says Scania has received its first batch of electric chassis, with the brand looking forward to getting them bodied up and on the road.
To prepare for this rollout, Scania bus and coach technicians around Australia have been undergoing training in workshops for the new generation of alternative fuel vehicles set to come into service.
It’s meant Scania Australia has had to fundamentally change the way it services vehicles, implementing new techniques that are focused on safety.
“As well as acquiring new BEV-friendly tools and equipment for the workshop, we’ve also had to buy suitable personal protective equipment for our technicians to wear,” Weber says.
“Safety is our top priority, so we have ben undertaking detailed training of all our employees, not just the hands-on technicians,
to avoid any accidental injuries caused by exposure to live batteries or systems.
“We believe we are ahead of the curve on this, and our training programme won two impressive industry safety-related awards in 2022.”
This success boils down to the shared belief behind Scania’s doors that safety is a significant issue that the entire bus and coach service and repair industry needs to address in order to avoid injury or losses of vehicles while also protecting facilities.
To prioritise safety, Scania has also included a range of Advanced Driver Assistance systems in the New Bus
Above: Scania’s technical capabilities are only improving
Below: Scania Australia
Aftersales Director Stefan Weber
Opposite, Top: Scania’s latest servicing technology is driving bus uptime
Generation that was launched in February 2022. These rely on radar systems and cameras to monitor the vehicle and its surrounding in order to deploy advanced emergency braking or vulnerable road user protection systems.
Much like other parts of its operations, Scania’s move to embrace new technologies and keep them serviced on Australian roads all comes back to its core value, safety.
“Our technicians have been trained to be able to set this technology up and adjust it before delivery and after components such as windscreens have been replaced,” Weber says.
“The service and repair environment will become more complex and more focused on advanced technologies as we progress towards zero and low emission bus and coach products.
“Scania has been and continues to invest in our people and our facilities to ensure that we will keep you where you belong –safely on the road.”
The magic of the Scania Communicator is that it monitors so many aspects of the powertrain and the way the vehicle is driven so operators can understand much more about how their business asset is performing and also how it is being used.
In July this year, Bus Stop opened its doors at the Brisbane Bus Centre in Rocklea to bus manufacturer BusTech Group to facilitate BusTech maintaining a manufacturing presence in south-east Queensland.
“We’re really excited to support the transition of Australian manufacturing to Rocklea in Brisbane,” Bus Stop CEO Pete White told ABC.
“When the opportunity presented itself to share our facility with another respected Queensland bus company, it was exciting to embrace it and welcome them to the Brisbane Bus Centre.”
In many other industries, the idea of welcoming what many people could perceive to be competition onto your site would be frowned upon. For White and the Bus Stop team, it was a no-brainer.
He says the decision to welcome BusTech Group to Rocklea was based around the ethos of supporting the
Australian manufacturing of buses in Queensland for the local market and working with a like-minded partner.
“Retaining manufacturing skill sets and capability continues to be important for the future of the Australian bus industry – losing that is in no one’s best interests, including our own, given the plans we have for the future,” White says.
“We’re enthusiastic in supporting a fellow industry partner to remain in Queensland. Our site is big enough to support that and any future growth plans that are already in place, so it made sense to welcome them.”
Having now made the move to Rocklea, BusTech Group CEO Dan Marks is focused on continuing normal operations.
“The initial focus at Rocklea is to complete existing orders with others in the pipeline,” BusTech Group CEO Dan Marks told ABC.
“BusTech extends its thanks to Pete White and Bus Stop Sales, who have
accommodated our transition with flexibility and incredible support.”
In the weeks since the relocation, BusTech has already delivered four buses to customers, continuing to manufacture buses with its loyal and skilled workforce with more than 500 years in total of bus manufacturing experience.
Despite the distance of the move for BusTech, it has retained 90 per cent of its production staff, which will be comforting for its current and future customers.
“It’s business as usual for BusTech. It is no secret that our move wasn’t entirely within our control – however it has proved to be a godsend,” Marks says.
“The layout at the facility in Burleigh was not ideal for how we want to manufacture buses and moving out of that site was only a matter of time in any event. The new facility in Rocklea is in many respects more fit for purpose and allows us to reset and reposition the business.
“We welcome the opportunity for customers to come to the site and see for themselves – BusTech is alive and kicking and manufacturing quality buses.”
With gantry cranes already installed, the centre is the right fit for BusTech as it continues bus manufacturing. Yet BusTech isn’t just focused on manufacturing – it’s also expanding its aftersales service division by offering frame inspections to bus operators to extend the life of their buses.
“As a bus manufacturer we are perfectly positioned to offer this service,” Marks says.
“Who better to do that type of work than the people who manufacture buses?”
The relocation to Rocklea has numerous other advantages for BusTech. It is now closer to a number of its suppliers and customers, while it also has an opportunity to partner with Bus Stop on some exciting market opportunities as Bus Stop continues to look to localise its own manufacturing capabilities through partnering with like-minded businesses.
“We selected south-east Queensland because of the opportunities we see here, we’ll continue to invest heavily in this site to offer a variety of services and products to the bus industry in both Queensland and wider Australia,” White says.
Bus Stop is continuing its investment in the Australian industry by looking at ways to partner with BusTech, complementing Bus Stop’s range of imported vehicles and its desire to increase its local content.
While having committed to King Long as a partner alongside Brisbane Isuzu and Coach Concepts, Bus Stop’s site has now added a local manufacturing capability to its current suite of integrated products.
The ability for Bus Stop to now work with another local manufacturer to support the site makes plenty of sense for White and the company, which is now realising the dream of making the Brisbane Bus Centre the dedicated home of buses and coaches in Queensland.
“The Brisbane Bus Centre is unique within the Australian bus industry with two market leading bus companies occupying one site. We now have the best of both worlds,” White says.
“Our integrated products suit some customers. Now we can offer an alternative offering with a local manufactured body on an imported chassis, which is no different to what the European OEMs have been doing for years.
“We are an OEM in our own right, and if we don’t have a product that suits a customer’s needs then we can happily
offering with its BusTech ZDI-450, neither Bus Stop nor BusTech see this as an obstacle to working together on a Bus Stop offering in the same market segment.
“The electric bus market is due to expand significantly in the next 12 to 18 months and the market is going to be large enough to sustain multiple product offerings,” Marks says.
“BusTech has offered its own locally manufactured integrated diesel product in the market for more than 15 years while also working with chassis providers to provide a body building option – we are approaching the electric bus market in the same way.”
collaboration opportunities following the latter’s relocation to Rocklea
Opposite, Top:
Bus Stop has welcomed BusTech Group to the Brisbane Bus Centre
will continue running independently, White and Marks are in the process of formulating a strategic roadmap for potential collaborations in the future. The King Long EVolution low-floor chassis distributed by Bus Stop is one of the leading options in its field.
White wants that chassis to be bodied by Australian manufacturers. It’s not hard to connect the dots.
“We welcome the chance to work with
Despite sharing the one site, the BusTech and Bus Stop are, and will remain, two separate businesses. The brands will instead combine on the vision for a single bus centre in Queensland.
“Our operations are completely separate, but it’s great to have the camaraderie and complementary skillsets of both operations on site with a common goal for the same industry,” White says.
“The future is very bright for both businesses and the Rocklea site. We look forward to the future together and continue to be excited about south-east Queensland opportunities.”
Although both BusTech and Bus Stop
body manufacturers like BusTech, who is a leading Australian body manufacturer with the highest local content of any Australian manufacturer,” White says.
“We’d be crazy not to be having those discussions, it just makes sense. BusTech has been manufacturing buses in Queensland for 30 years and its marine grade stainless steel body is market leading.
“Bus Stop has a facility that is a massive Australian dedicated bus site with a space that we could make ready immediately for BusTech to relocate to, and it’s been a seamless transition for both of us to date –the future is bright.”
The Brisbane Bus Centre is unique within the Australian bus industry with two market leading bus companies occupying one site. We now have the best of both worlds.
From the north-eastern tropics to the baking heat of the west, electric buses are steadily spreading around Australia. In the past few years alone, the uptake of zero-emissions buses and coaches have seen more and more operators trialling the new vehicle technology.
In July, a Yutong electric bus began an audacious trial in a unique spot as it landed at Victoria’s most popular winter resort, Mt Buller.
At Mt Buller, Busfleet Australia sought to do something different to meet carbon emissions targets during the snow season. With the weather cooling down and Victorians once again beginning to pack up their skis and boards for the trip up to the mountain, Busfleet Australia made a bold decision to potentially start a reinvigoration
of its 45-bus fleet.
“To meet our carbon output requirements this season, we began thinking what we could do to lower emissions,” Busfleet Australia director Neil Geddes told ABC.
“We thought about replacing some buses with newer diesel models, but in the cold we can sometimes have more problems with the complex electronics onboard modern diesel buses.
“Our thinking then switched to the idea of progressively replacing our core fleet with electric buses.”
It’s a bold decision by Busfleet Australia, who in July began its first electric bus trial in the snow. It did so via VDI Australia, who provided a Yutong E12 electric bus for the trial.
Busfleet Australia first began talking to Yutong’s Australian distributor VDI about
the novel concept before the snow season began this year. Geddes admits his first fear was about the upfront cost of electric vehicles, as well as whether they could handle the rigours of alpine work.
Yet pessimism soon turned to possibility as he began picturing a future where Yutong buses work effectively in transporting snow-goers up and down Mt Buller all year round.
“We can’t spend a lot of money on electric buses without first trialling them, so that’s where VDI came to the party to help us out,” Geddes says.
“If the buses can work on the mountain, then we know we can use them in other ways out of season too.”
With such a unique concept comes plenty of reservations. Before the trial kicked off in mid-July, Geddes says he understood the many challenges that
In July, a Yutong electric bus took to the snow in a popular Victorian alpine resort to determine if electric buses hold the answer for sustainable services above the snow line
come with trialling an electric bus in Australia’s snow-ridden regions. This includes the lack of charging infrastructure at an elevation of 1,500m, as well as the simple question of whether an electric bus can handle the tough demands of alpine work while delivering similar output when compared to diesel models.
Whatever answer emerges from the trial, Geddes is intent on investigating the zero-emissions technology.
“Getting infrastructure onto the mountain for the bus has been hard as there was nowhere to put the charger or plug it in,” Geddes says.
“We’re lucky that our client installed a recharge point especially for this trial, with VDI providing a tailored charger and trailer solution.
“The simple test for us is to see if this vehicle can run all day on our service and then charge enough overnight to do it again the next day.”
When VDI first heard of Busfleet Australia’s wish to trial an electric bus on Mt Buller, it didn’t take long for the distributor to leap at the opportunity. VDI Australia Southern account manager Peter Verbrugge says the Yutong E12 is perfect for the trial because it’s already a proven product in extreme weather conditions around the world.
“VDI and Yutong are both fully prepared for this trial having had E12s already working in this environment,” Verbrugge told ABC.
“The trial is an incredible opportunity to show off the versatility of the E12 and the Yutong product. As both governments and the public drive to see more zero-emissions buses on the road, VDI and Yutong have proven experience in this area and want to be at the forefront of the transition in Australia.”
The trial, which will run for three weeks, will put the E12 front of mind for all involved. Busfleet Australia hopes the electric bus is successful in completing its runs while providing a more environmentally friendly option for Mt Buller, while VDI and Yutong will use the telematics system to analyse the
performance of the vehicle.
On the opening day of the trial, Verbrugge says there was a real buzz around the mountain with drivers keen to trial the electric bus and extra passengers hopping onboard. Once the trial is done, VDI will look through the data to see if the battery range is sufficient for the E12 to permanently run in alpine conditions.
“Driver feedback will also play a big part of the trial’s success, as we value what drivers have to say about the E12,” Verbrugge says.
“For us, it’s not about just testing the vehicle, but for the operator to also see for themselves how the E12 can successfully handle this environment. We were always confident, especially after seeing how reliably our 12 E12 evaluation buses have performed in Canberra.”
The end goal for VDI/ Yutong is for Yutong buses to be acknowledged as the ideal long-term investment for low-floor electric bus fleets performing in any environment, including the harshness of snow. Alongside the soon-to-be released D7e 27-seat electric minibus model, Yutong’s growing range in Australia is aiming to cater to the needs of all operators.
Although Geddes has initial concerns about the electric bus climbing hills in the cold, he’s also optimistic at the potential that
regenerative braking can have for this vehicle technology in alpine conditions.
Alongside VDI’s data it’ll collect, Geddes also has his own electrical engineer investigating the trial to see how the bus runs along the six kilometre circuit between the carparks and alpine village for 10 hours non-stop each day.
Whatever happens during the three weeks, Geddes knows there’s only rewards awaiting for Busfleet Australia as it leaves no stone unturned looking for the most sustainable solution for alpine bus services in Australia.
“I’m really excited to learn about what this bus can do in these conditions,” Geddes says.
“I’m not that nervous. If it doesn’t work, then we’ll learn what is required to fix any issues, while if it does work, then it’ll be fantastic.
“We want to be leaders, alongside Mt Buller, in this space in alpine regions, so if it works, we’ll be aiming to replace our daily operating fleet with battery electric buses.”
The simple test for us is to see if this vehicle can run all day on our service and then charge enough overnight to do it again the next day.
Electrifying a traditional depot can be a daunting challenge for any operator, and success means more than just installing the physical infrastructure — getting the financing right for such a move can be crucial. This is why it’s important for operators to not only choose the best technology provider, but also a financing partner who understands the technologies involved and the most suitable options available to pay for it as well.
Challenges in retrofitting inner-city depots with limited space and existing infrastructure are well-known. Meanwhile, the cost of switching to an electric fleet can be prohibitive, even with government assistance, and some private financiers may be reluctant to invest in a nascent area.
There is certainly strong support for a switch from the Australian public, with polling from the Australia Institute finding that 71 per cent of Victorians support a zero-emissions bus fleet by 2030. The state has more than 40 electric buses on the road, with a policy for buses purchased from 2025 onwards to be electric.
According to the Electric Vehicle Council, there should be around 2000 electric buses on Australian roads by 2030 based on current announced commitments by states and operators. However, this figure represents only around 2.5 per
cent of total busses and coaches in Australia. To propel sustainability and for the energy transition to be part of our everyday lives, the pace of change needs to pick up, fuelled by the right technology and finance offerings.
Such change is already happening in more mature markets including in sites across the European Union, the United Kingdom, North America and China, where operators face similar challenges to those experienced in Australia. In many cases, they are even more daunting.
Historic town centres, listed buildings and limited space are just some of the obstacles they have to overcome to switch their fleets. Such challenges may also be overcome in Australia.
The role of digitalisation in the transition should not be underestimated, since it can smooth the path for operators.
Digitisation plays an important role in initial planning, by allowing for the analysis of data such as routes, available energy at the grid edge, existing IT infrastructure, physical space and boundary conditions. Getting this right from the start gives a project the best chance of success.
Software provides the ability to understand and manage the operations of electric buses and charging infrastructure. In particular, significant operating cost reductions are achieved with load management software employed to reduce
electricity costs.
The aim to future-proof investments against technology obsolescence may also cause operators to baulk at switching their fleets. The state-of-the art in charging technology is rapidly evolving. However, the solution is not to infinitely wait, but to seek a more flexible approach that easily and cost-effectively allows for the integration of new technologies.
However, technology is only part of the ecosystem; upfront and ongoing investment is required in physical infrastructure and digitalisation over the life of the assets.
Beyond government subsidies and grants, the right financing for an operator can depend on the business model they are considering, including the ownership of assets. For example, does the operator want to own the bus and charger assets, or have a third party own them, with the operator using them? Or does the operator want to own the electric buses, but would prefer the charging service to be provided and maintained by another party?
For operators looking to make the switch to e-mobility, there are different financing routes available, including debt, where an operator borrows money, through to equity, where the investor takes a share of ownership of the company in return for their investment.
Companies offering innovative, emerging solutions typically start
Well known for its technology capabilities, Siemens has globally turned its hand to the financing side of the zeroemissions bus equation
out with equity financing, before moving to debt as they build out their customer base and grow revenue. Equity financing could also be relevant when strategic partners with complementary expertise come together. More established operators can consider more mature solutions such as debt financing once some scale and a track record of success are achieved.
With so many solutions available to operators looking to finance e-mobility transitions, it is worth considering a financier’s knowledge of the technology available, specifically when it relates to electrifying mass transit and sustainability.
A financier who understands someone’s business is beneficial, no matter what endeavour they are involved in, since they both speak the same ‘language’ and understand the unique challenges involved. It also helps when visions align, and they are both working towards the same goal — in this case, the electrification of fleets and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
Choosing the right financing partner
can speed up the transition and help governments and the private sector meet their emission targets, by enabling projects when operators would otherwise shy away from investments. It also allows already established players to scale up.
As an integral part of Siemens, its financing arm Siemens Financial Services (SFS) offers tailored financing solutions to operators looking to switch their fleets, making use of its financing know-how and its industry expertise when it comes to technology and market conditions.
A great example is how SFS was able to support Zenobē Energy Limited, who is playing a key role in the UK government’s commitment to reach 100 per cent zero-emissiosn electric buses by 2030 by providing turnkey solutions for electric bus fleets. The company owns and operates the largest share of the UK’s operational electric bus fleet and has one of the largest operational battery storage portfolios.
When it needed financing to support its future growth and consolidate its market position, SFS was one of the financiers
for a £241 million loan where the company utilised technology solutions provided by Siemens’ Smart Infrastructure (SI), given their deep knowledge of the technologies involved, the associated costs and the potential revenue streams.
On the equity side of the equation, SFS was also able to support Canada’s Switzer-Carty, who is a market-leading provider of student transportation across Ontario. Switching to an electric fleet was a natural decision for the company, given its strong environmental, social and governance (ESG) commitment.
Along with a minority equity investment from SFS, Siemens signed a collaboration agreement with Switzer-Carty to support its fleet electrification strategy with technical know-how, hardware and software. The funding meant Switzer-Carty had access to resources that allowed a transition to a sustainable fleet while reducing carbon emissions, air and noise pollution.
Both examples demonstrate that when Australian operators decide to transition their fleets, they can benefit from partners who successfully integrate technology with finance, enabling them to tailor solutions to their needs. Financing partners such as SFS have the depth of knowledge to understand the challenges and opportunities involved in the transition to electric bus fleets.
Combined with the vision of operators looking to electrify their fleets, it can be a recipe for success.
With so many solutions available to operators looking to finance e-mobility transitions, it is worth considering a financier’s knowledge of the technology available, specifically when it relates to electrifying mass transit and sustainability.
For the Western Australian bus and coach sector, once a year all eyes turn to the BusWA annual general meeting (AGM) event, including the Bus Show and Exhibitors’ Display.
The two days of networking and recognition went off without a hitch once again in July as the state association welcomed the expanding selection of bus and coach companies to Perth.
BusWA general manager John Ditchburn says the two-day event was filled with all of the features that make the state’s bus industry so great.
“BusWA has just had the biggest week with three great events being held in the TWUSUPER APTIA breakfast, the sponsors cocktail party and the BCI Bus Show, Exhibitors’ Display and AGM,” he told ABC.
The APTIA breakfast kickstarted proceedings, with TWUSUPER sponsoring the event that was attended by 20 WA contractors from the school bus, route services, charter and party bus sectors.
Ditchburn says the four main issues discussed were APTIA’s recruitment and retention project for staff, multiple industry bargaining, casual school bus drivers and bus safety.
“BusWA thanks TWUSUPER and APTIA national industrial relations manager Ian MacDonald for their contribution to making this event held in the Epicurean private dining room a huge success,” Ditchburn says.
On the same evening, the BusWA delegates descended on Crown Towers to acknowledge partners,
its 20 larger contractors and representatives from the WA transport minister’s office, as well as the PTA.
The next day was the annual BCI BusWA Bus Show and Exhibitors’ Display, with Ditchburn impressed by this year’s attendance.
“We were overwhelmed with the large number of buses on display, with 16 new coaches and smaller buses on display,” he says.
“We also saw 18 smaller exhibitors take to our upstairs area in a great showing.”
Following this display was the body’s annual AGM, with a record number of attendees enjoying a range of professional displays and interactions with industry suppliers, as well as networking opportunities following the AGM.
The Bus Industry Confederation’s (BIC) national technical manager Dean Moule made a presentation alongside MacDonald and Maria Capati from Piper Alderman. A great piece of news to emerge from the AGM was the findings of the five year review into the Evergreen school bus contracts being released.
To cap off the AGM, industry stalwart James Vlahos was presented with the WA Achiever Award for his outstanding contribution to the WA bus industry as a pioneer for the party bus industry, as well as in the tour and charter industry.
For his success, Vlahos was rewarded with a trip to the national BIC conference in Adelaide in October and November.
“Many of our partners travelled from the east for the occasion and BusWA is very appreciate of their
BusWA’s major annual event went ahead in July as the western bus and coach industry enjoyed a successful few days of meaningful change and celebrationsBelow: Plenty of shiny buses and coaches were on
For BusVic, there’s nothing that quite beats tradition.
Following BusNSW hosting the most recent Australasian Bus & Coach Expo in September 2022, BusVic initially decided to follow suit with the timing of its own Expo next year. As part of the deal between the state associations to host the national industry Expo every two years between the two states, BusVic will be hosting next year’s Expo in Melbourne.
Initially the Expo, which will also be held in conjunction with BusVic’s annual maintenance conference, was to be held on October 1 and 2 next year. Now, the two-day event has been switched to July 10 and 11 to match the history that comes with BusVic’s maintenance conference.
“Next year’s maintenance conference and Australasian Bus & Coach Expo will now be held on July 10 and 11 at Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre, not on October 1 and 2,” BusVic executive director Chris Lowe told ABC.
“BusVic has brought the event forward as,
over the past 70 years, the industry has grown accustomed to this event being held during the winter school holidays.”
Lowe has decided not to mess with this history, with BusVic now returning to July to host the event.
The new dates will still see the same Expo and events held in Melbourne, with 9,000 square metres of vehicle and equipment exhibition space allowing for the latest bus and coach technology and trade exhibition booths.
Australasia’s leading industry exhibition, conference and networking event will all be combined under the one roof alongside the BusVic maintenance conference, with technical and management conference sessions to be delivered alongside the Expo.
On Wednesday July 10, BusVic will hold its 80-year anniversary industry gala dinner at the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre,
with keynote speakers to be presenting at the conference on both days of the Expo event.
Lowe says the Expo and conference program will have a special focus on zero-emissions buses and coaches and their infrastructure.
“With 2024 also being BusVic’s 80th year, the dinner will be a very special one,” he says.
While BusVic has received plenty of expressions of interest, Lowe says there are still some good exhibition opportunities available to secure space at the major event.
The Expo and conference hosted by BusVic will provide a great opportunity for manufacturers, suppliers and service providers to showcase their capabilities to operators around the wider industry.
Industry suppliers can still secure exhibition spaces for the 2024 Australasian Bus & Coach Expo in Melbourne by visiting www.busvic.asn. au/Exhibitor-EOI, with space selling fast.
BusVic has announced its latest instalment of the Australasian Bus & Coach Expo will take place earlier than first announced in 2024
“Next year’s maintenance conference and Australasian Bus & Coach Expo will now be held on July 10 and 11 at Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre, not on October 1 and 2.”
BusNSW has invited members to register for its 2023 Member Conference to be held at the Novotel Wollongong Northbeach on October 4 and 5.
BusNSW Executive Director Matt Threlkeld says the recent change of government in NSW and the creation of the Bus Industry Taskforce to review bus services across NSW means this will be a conference not to be missed.
This year’s conference provides members with an opportunity to hear firsthand from ministers how the new NSW government will invest in affordable, reliable and sustainable transport.
“The industry is undergoing significant change and the provision of world-leading passenger services requires a stable regulatory environment, service contracts and a fleet procurement model,” Threlkeld says.
“With the transition of the bus fleet to zeroemissions, staffing challenges and the need to consider the next generation of rural and regional contracts, it is a crucial time to share ideas and plan for the future.”
The conference theme, Embracing Transformation for a Sustainable Future, reflects the need for operators, suppliers and government to innovate and adapt in a changing environment.
“Similar to how the industry demonstrated its resilience throughout the COVID pandemic, this time of transformation requires us to be innovative,” Threlkeld says.
Given the industry’s unique role in operating heavy vehicles to carry the public, safety will continue to be a strong focus. The management of safety via regulatory schemes and operator safety performance will be important points of
discussion at the conference.
The two-day event includes conference sessions and a welcome function on Wednesday October 4 and a full day conference and conference dinner on Thursday October 5. There will be opportunities to raise issues via interactive panel sessions and to network with industry colleagues.
The first day will have a strong focus on rural and regional bus contracts and operations, though many topics covered will be of interest to all operators and industry suppliers. The second will include a broad spectrum of content with topics being relevant to contracted operators, the long distance, tourist and charter sector and industry suppliers.
Conference program highlights include addresses from NSW transport ministers, a keynote from a futurist and innovation expert and updates on NSW government programs involving the rollout of equipment and new technologies. Topics include the Transport Connected Bus Program, the transition to ZEB, managing a critical incident, the NSW Bus Operator Accreditation Scheme, the Heavy Vehicle Inspection Scheme, employee relations and the transition to clean energy.
BusNSW President John King says it’s pleasing to have the NSW government and Transport for NSW participating in this year’s conference.
“Our communities depend on a strong partnership between industry and government, and our member conference provides an opportunity for collaboration and information sharing to improve performance,” he says.
A full Conference Program is available via the conference page on the BusNSW website or by contacting BusNSW.
There will be an Accompanying Person Tour on October 5 which will visit local attractions and a restaurant for lunch. A full itinerary is available on the BusNSW website.
Registrations for the BusNSW 2023 Member Conference must be made via the online booking link on the BusNSW website and payment is required by credit card at the time of booking.
BusNSW would like to thank its Platinum and Gold Partners for supporting the event and looks forward to seeing members in Wollongong.
Recent changes indicate a massive storm is brewing. It has been well reported Victoria has introduced a road user charge (RUC) for electric and hybrid vehicles. The charge will increase by almost eight per cent per kilometre for EVs and 10 per cent for plug-in hybrid vehicles. On July 1, rising electricity prices by as much as 25 per cent have exacerbated these charges.
Effectively, the RUC is the replacement for the fuel excise tax. However, the Victorian government has seen a gap in the regulation that offers an opportunity for revenue and has assumed a taxation role. As expected, the RUC is being challenged in the High Court by two Victorian motorists with the federal government’s assistance. This is a fight not only for $13.9 billion, but for upwards of $100 billion in the Commonwealth fuel excise over the next five years. This all raises the question of who’s in charge?
History is littered with examples of jurisdictions implementing their own rules and killing national economic productivity,
those working on or servicing EVs and changing definitions of what is electrical equipment, work and installation.
The 2002 Act specifically exempts EVs, except for mining vehicles. The Williams Review surmises that renewable and EV technology is new and that the risks have recently developed, with there being concern regarding worker safety based on risks of voltages of up to 700 Volts. The review lacks insight – vehicles have been safely operated and maintained by trained motor trade technical and roadside workers for the past 20 years with no Australian or Queensland data to indicate a history of near misses or injury that would raise concerns.
The Williams Review recommends that the Queensland state government should be able to determine EVs as electric equipment, set a standard for them, license who can install and maintain them and determine who can enter the state to undertake this work, all in isolation without reference to any other state or national body.
The electrical industry in Australia at a regulator level is fractured, in that there is not one electrical equipment ratifying body recognised by all states and there is no licensing body, nor do states recognise and implement standards in a universal way. State-based regulators can also recall or ban the use of equipment in conflict to Australian standards without regard to national implications.
The above fractured system is further compounded by the refusal of the Queensland government to progress a nationally consistent Automatic Mutual Recognition (AMR) process for trade licenses.
Similarly, other states are commencing other state-based regulation including Transport for NSW, who is drafting vehicle standards separate to the national Australian Design Rules (ADRs).
the quintessential example being the three different rail gauges used across eight jurisdictions. The trend is continuing and broadening.
The Queensland government in 2020 commissioned Dick Williams, former State Secretary of the Electrical Trades Union (ETU), to review the Queensland Electrical Safety Act 2002. A discussion paper from minister Grace Grace seeks feedback concerning the need to change the act to consider EV inclusion in the Act’s scope, introducing electrical licensing for
If state-based policy setting is allowed to flourish inside a nationally significant industry such as passenger and heavy vehicles, Australia’s national productivity and local manufacturing will vanish. Vehicles of all sizes have been a federal responsibility to ensure standards and safeguards. It is vital that there is only the federal government in charge of standards and safety to ensure consistency and to allow the Australian community to benefit from the economic growth that is possible as we develop a nationally consistent zeroemissions transport system.
“The Williams Review recommends that the Queensland state government should be able to determine EVs as electric equipment, set a standard for them license who can install and maintain them and determine who can enter the state to undertake this work.”
From the cold snap of July’s Best Bus winner, we go to the opposite in the form of the arid Australian outback for our August winner.
Big Bus Darwin managing director Mathew O’Reilly has taken out the August edition of the monthly ABC Best Bus photo competition for his stunning photo of one of his buses completing the trip to Darwin from Sydney.
O’Reilly says the sunrise photo was taken on the Barkley Highway just on the Northern Territory border of an Ankai double decker bus completing the Sydney to Darwin trip.
“The trip is about 4000 kilometres long, I took the photo while I was on my fourth trip up to Darwin on the Ankai bus,” O’Reilly told ABC.
“This Ankai bus is a nice burgundy colour. You get a lot of people in country towns stare at the double decker bus as you go through, but you
get used to it.
“We usually camp on our journey and sleep in swags before it gets hotter in the NT and we then stay in motels to keep cool.”
On some of these stretches of vast, empty roads, O’Reilly’s buses can travel for up to 430km at a time. O’Reilly saw the perfect opportunity to pull over and snap a photo of the bus one sunrise.
as the largest hop-on, hop-off service of the open-top sightseeing bus tours around the world.
As the winner of the monthly competition, O’Reilly will have his photo shown off on the ABC Facebook cover photo slot for the entire month, while he has also received a free 12-month subscription to ABC Magazine.
Flip over the page to see many of
This unique opportunity is also open to others, with Big Bus Darwin recently up for sale for the first time courtesy of Link. The iconic business offers open-top, double-decker sightseeing bus tours of Darwin and its surrounds
our finalists and entrants’ photos from what was an amazing month, and don’t forget to send through your Best Bus photos for the months ahead via email and keep an eye on our Facebook page for more details!
This Ankai bus is a nice burgundy colour. You get a lot of people in country towns stare at the double decker bus as you go through, but you get used to it.
SAPPHIRE COAST NSW SCHOOL BUS & CHARTER - O ering lifestyle & work-life balance on the Sapphire Coast. Long-established family business that holds Transport for NSW government school bus contract, 3 x buses providing diverse income with 2 x TfNSW school bus runs, charter work & community transport service & local land charter provider for cruise ship industry. Scope to expand the services to cater for popular activities on the Sapphire coast, FAR NORTH COAST NSW TOUR & COACH - Diverse revenue stream including NSW trains emergency & pre planned track work, assisted school travel program DoE operating 3 x contracted services and organised tours. e tour business is a proven well recognised brand and highly successful and the school charters with a large client base. Situated on 25 acres with approval for subdivision into three lots, and with a fully set up bus depot and executive style home. A complete package!
RIVERINA NSW SCHOOL BUS & COACH - Diverse income with TfNSW school bus contract with 4 x bus runs/services, 3 x private school bus runs, general charter work and organised tours running a eet of 10 buses & coaches. A pro table model that can sustain a family or suitable for an investor. 20+ years trading history with strong brand recognition and regular clientele. Sold
Be sure not to miss out on an opportunity to attend these fantastic in-person events
QBIC
August 5 Regional Member Forum Chinchilla
BusWA
August 9-11
Geraldton/ Northam/ Pinjarra Regional Conference
BusWA
August 14-15
Merredin/ Corrigin Regional Conference
BusWA
August 18
Busselton Regional Conference
BusWA
August 21-25
Esperance/ Jerramungup/ Albany/ Manjimup/ Narrogin Regional Conference
BusNSW
August 25
NextGen Leaders Forum Sydney
WhilethelastfinancialyearendedonahighinJunewith134deliveries, Julyhasgottentheindustryofftoahotstartinthenewfinancialyear.
In July, deliveries maintained as steady as ever in 2023 with the industry registering 110 units delivered for the month. Starting with the chassis sector, Volvo stayed on top as a clear winner in July. It more than doubled the next best in the market with 40 deliveries for the month, kicking off with a bang ahead of the second place, which was shared between Scania and Yutong with 14 apiece. King Long (11) wasn’t far behind as it had a consistent month, while MAN (seven) and BLK (six) both rose up the leaderboard. In a very even finish, Denning recorded six deliveries and Mercedes-Benz had five, while the final seven units were shared between BCI (two), the returning Challenger (two), newcomer Foton (two) and BusTech Group with the one delivery.
No surprises came in the bodybuilder market, as Volgren once again triumphed in an even market. It had 36 deliveries to improve on its June numbers, staying well ahead of the second placed Yutong (14). Irizar (13) ensured it was not far behind the leaders, while King Long (11) kept its nose ahead of Custom Denning (eight) and BLK (seven). In a diverse mix to finish the market for July, BCI had four deliveries while Marcopolo and BusTech Group both had three apiece, staying clear of the six brands that shared the final 11 deliveries for the month.
When it came to seats, the small market was once again dominated by McConnell. The seating giant backed up its 44 deliveries in June with another 51 in July to start the new financial year firing on all cylinders. Sege continued an impressive year with 22 deliveries while Yutong (14) and King Long (11) stayed ahead of StyleRide (seven). Marcopolo recorded the three units for July, while newcomer Ster registered two deliveries courtesy of Foton’s two hydrogen buses delivered in
South Australia in July.
The perennial winner in the air-conditioning game didn’t have it all its way in July, with the gap closing between Thermo King and the rest. Thermo King still ended up taking the honours comfortably with 30 deliveries for July, with Coachair coming hard to finish in second with 20. Cling-Yutong (14) rounded out the top three, staying just clear of Hispacold and Valeo with 13 deliveries apiece. King Long stayed in the double digits with 11 units, with Denso (five), Spheros (three) and MCC (one) wrapping up the market.
The state battle for once didn’t fluctuate in July, with Victoria continuing its winning ways with 28 deliveries in July. It was a tight competition, with WA (25) edging just ahead of New South Wales (24) and Queensland (22) to claim second spot. From there it fell away in an even finish, with all states and territories once again recording deliveries for the month. Tasmania had four units delivered in July, while South Australia and the Northern Territory both had three and the ACT had the single delivery.
Turn overleaf for comprehensive bus and coach delivery information for July. Please note all data is as supplied from manufacturers, at their discretion.
No surprises came in the bodybuilder market, as Volgren once again triumphed in an even market
Whenitcametoseats,thesmallmarket wasonceagaindominatedbyMcConnell. Theseatinggiantbackedupits44deliveries inJunewithanother51inJulytostartthe newfinancialyearfiringonallcylinders. Segecontinuedanimpressiveyearwith 23deliverieswhileYutong(14)andKing Long(11)stayedaheadofStyleRide(seven). MarcopolorecordedthethreeunitsforJuly, whilenewcomerSterregisteredtwodeliveries courtesyofFoton’stwohydrogenbuses deliveredinSouthAustraliainJuly.
No surprises came in the bodybuilder market, as Volgren once again triumphed in an even market. It had 36 deliveries to improve on its June numbers, staying well ahead of the second placed Yutong (14). Irizar (13) ensured it was not far behind the leaders, while King Long (11) kept its nose ahead of Custom Denning (eight) and BLK (seven).. In a diverse mix to finish the market for July, BCI had four deliveries while Marcopolo and BusTech Group both had three apiece, staying clear of the six brands that shared the final 11 deliveries for the month.
The perennial winner in the air-conditioning game didn’t have it all its way in July, with the gap closing between Thermo King and the rest. Thermo King still ended up taking the honours comfortably with 30 deliveries for July, with Coachair coming hard to finish in second with 20. ClingYutong (14) rounded out the top three, staying just clear of Hispacold and Valeo with 13 deliveries apiece. King Long stayed in the double digits with 11 units, with Denso (five), Spheros (four) and MCC (one) wrapping up the market.
Starting with the chassis sector, where Volvo stayed on top as a clear winner in July. It more than doubled the next best in the market with 40 deliveries for the month, starting off with a bang ahead of the second place, which was shared between Scania and Yutong with 14 apiece. King Long (11) wasn’t far behind as it had a consistent month, while MAN (seven) and BLK (six) both rose up the leaderboard. In a very even finish, Denning recorded six deliveries and Mercedes-Benz had five, while the final seven units were shared between BCI (two), the returning Challenger (two), newcomer Foton (two) and BusTech Group with the one delivery.
MAN BTI(SkyBus)QLD1MANLE.19.330.RC2.E6DBusTechGroup330REuro6A
BTI(SkyBus)QLD2MANIC.19.320.RR8Irizar320REuro5A
BTI(SkyBus)QLD2MANIC.19.320.RR8Irizar320REuro5A
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KangarooBusLinesQLD1VolvoB11RIrizar450REuro5ASVolvo313 GoWestToursWA5VolvoB8RIrizar330REuro5A
PublicTransportAuthorityWAWA13VolvoB8RLEVolgren320REuro6A
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AdeccoAustraliaVIC1VolvoB8RCoachConcepts320REuro6A
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WBLVIC1VolvoB8RVolgren320REuro5A
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SeymourCoachesVIC2VolvoBZLElectricVolgrenN/ARZero
DiamondCoachesVIC1VolvoB8RCoachDesign350REuro6A
ScotsAllSaintsCollegeNSW1VolvoB8RMarcopolo330REuro5A
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YUTONG
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6AZFEcolife211.9Coachair––41––X––McConnellNY 5AZFEcolife212.5ThermoKing57–––X–––McConnellYN 5AZF212.5Coachair57–––––X–McConnellYN 5AZF212.3Hispacold58–––––X–SegeYN 6AZF212.5ThermoKing––49––X––McConnellNN 6AZF212.5ThermoKing––49––X––McConnellNN 6AZF212.5ThermoKing––43––X––StyleRideNN 6AZF212.5Coachair––44––X––McConnellNN 6AZF212.5Coachair––44––X––McConnellNN 6AZF212.5Coachair––44––X––McConnellNN 6AZF212.5Coachair––44––X––McConnellNN 6AZF212.5Coachair––44––X––McConnellNN 6AZF212.5Coachair––44––X––McConnellNN 6AZF212.5Coachair––44––X––McConnellNN 6AZF212.5Coachair––44––X––McConnellNN 6AZF212.5Coachair––44––X––McConnellNN 6AZF212.5Coachair––44––X––McConnellNN 5AZF210-12.9ThermoKing57–––––X–McConnellYN 5ASVolvo313-14.9Hispacold–62–X––––SegeYY 5AZF210-12.9Hispacold–53––X–––SegeYN 6AZF210-12.9ThermoKing––41––X––McConnellNY 6AZF210-12.9ThermoKing57––X––McConnellNY
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Throughout her 36-year career in the disability sector, Lynne Essex never thought she’d be helping run charter tours in the Australian outback. When her career wound down, she expected to drift into retirement alongside partner James Ewers, taking a converted motorhome on tours around Australia.
Now, instead of travelling on their own, Essex and Ewers take 50 friends with them on tours.
“I lost my passion for working in the disability sector when my mother passed away 18 months ago,” Essex told ABC.
“She was my sounding block, she got what I was talking about after a hard day. When I lost her, I lost my passion for the job.
“I thought she would always want me to do something that I wanted to do and to try different things.”
Following this turning point in Essex’s life, her partner Ewers came home from work one day effectively made redundant. After more than 40 years in the bus and coach industry, the office Ewers’ worked for had sold.
Instead of letting this end Ewers’ glorious run in the industry, he and Essex decided to use their super to buy the office and become their own boss.
“I told James I wanted to try something else and the next day he had no work,” Essex says.
“He said ‘it’s ok, because I said we’d buy the office’. That made my mind up for me.”
With fellow colleague Phil remaining on as a worker in the office, Palmer's Tours Gosford once again returned to its charter work under the guidance of Ewers and Essex. After buying the bus that came with the business, the pair have since bought another two coaches, with another on the way
have another big Central Australian tour planned this month while they’re also eyeing off a trip to Tasmania next February.
“It’s been quite an adventure and I’ve had a couple of meltdowns in the process,” Essex says.
“Coming from a job where I was in charge and knew what I was doing to something I know nothing about has really shown my passion for travelling.
“With the guidance of James, I’ve been following the leader and I’m loving it.”
While being a bus and coach operator wasn’t initially high on Essex’s list for a career change, she says she’s already learnt so much about her country and its history. She’s followed Ewers into what he is so passionate about and is enthralled by the sector.
It may not have been an
Top: Ewers and Essex now both run Palmer's Tours Gosford
Above: Ewers (left) and Essex (right) have become unexpected charter operators
expected pivot for Essex, but she now can’t see herself doing anything else outside of charter tours around the wide expanses of Australia.
“I thought for 36 years I was comfortable in my job and it would be me until I retired in many years,” she says.
“But I’ve learnt throughout this time that this is what I should’ve been doing sooner, everything about this is amazing and I’m really enjoying it.
“Plus, instead of retiring, we get to make new friends on each coach trip we do!”
When Lynne Essex and her partner decided to buy a bus and coach company, they had no idea the amount of fun they were going to have traversing Australia on charter tours
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