Coach & Bus Issue 41

Issue 42 – February 2020 – $8.95 incl. GST

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EASY RIDER

BCI'S NEW ELECTRIC BUS HITS OUR SHORES ALL THE LATEST FROM BUSWORLD AND MELBOURNE BUS SHOW FUSO ROSA ROAD TEST • APPLE CITY'S SCANIA FLEET

40° 41´ 21.4˝ N 74° 02´ 40.2˝ W 80 km/h 192.168.1.1

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001 Drivers Seat ELECTRIC WAVE IS GROWING

C

onsidering the future of electric drive technology in buses at the moment feels a bit like standing on the beach looking out to sea with a huge wave starting to build on the horizon, you can see it coming and you can see it is massive, but you’re not quite sure when it will arrive.

You see there is this massive wave of electric buses appearing on the horizon from just about every major manufacturer, we have seen it at Busworld in Brussels recently, as well as at our own bus show in Melbourne, and in this issue we have a lot of words about this growing tsunami of electric buses.

Its easy to look back at the land and say it will be years before electric buses will hit our streets in any numbers. Lets face it there is very little charging infrastructure and even then so much of our power is generated by coal fired power stations.

But all of that is changing and its going to happen mighty fast.

At the Scania stand at the BusVic expo in Melbourne former Federal opposition leader and Liberal leader Dr John Hewson reminded us all that the transition from horse and cart as the dominant transport mode to the time when automobiles completely took over in the USA was just ten years, from 1903 to 1913. The fact is that by 1913 the transition was complete and internal combustion vehicles were dominant.

Of course that was back more than

a century ago. Consider the acceleration of technology and just how quickly things can happen in our society these days.

Twenty years ago the internet was still in its infancy and we had no idea what it would mean, yet to day we could not be without it and are totally dependent on it. If you think about the massive infrastructure that had to be developed to facilitate the internet then a network of charging stations and facilities is also eminently achievable, particularly as private enterprise is already taking the lead on this and not waiting for governments to move first.

That old maxim, follow the money, says it all. Companies already clearly understand the economics and can see that there is a buck to be made from the move to zero emission vehicles and that is what will drive the transition.

As we have said before, whether you think climate change is real or not it doesn’t matter, the question you need to ask is, ‘do we really want to keep pumping exhaust emissions out into our atmosphere and creating photo chemical smog or having the remnants of that flow into our waterways and affecting the health of millions as a result of the particulates emitted from engines. Some might say yes, but most will say no.

The silly thing is its often government that says the economy won’t be able to stand the shock of transition to new technology power generation, solar,

wind, hydro and even hydrogen. However private enterprise is spending to make it happen already and it is already part of our economy and it is employing people. We are not saying that diesel will disappear overnight but for city buses the transition is already under way and we absolutely applaud it.

In this issue of Coach & Bus we give you a full rundown on Busworld in Belgium and our own BusVic Expo in Melbourne, where as we say electrics were the star turn at both shows. We take a close look at one of those stars at the Melbourne Expo, BCI’s Citirider E which we hope to road test in the near future. As well as that we head to Orange to visit Apple Tours and its mostly Scania fleet and we road test Fuso’s Rosa in a real world situation, and in Sydney we take another look at a fleet of Hino Ponchos being operated by Strathfield Council. All that and a whole lot more in this issue of Coach & Bus, hope you enjoy reading it and until next time take it easy.

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Issue 042

CONTENTS CONTACT DETAILS PO Box 7046 Warringah Mall NSW 2100

FEATURES

16

www.truckandbus.net.au admin@truckandbus.net.au Enquiries 02 9938 6408 Follow us on Twitter #truckandbusnews

Editor in Chief Peter Barnwell peter@truckandbus.net.au

Its one of the great town name conundrums, a place called Orange where they don’t grow oranges, rather the chief fruit crop for many years has been Apples. Coach & Bus travelled to Orange to have a chat with one of the town’s major school bus operators which has been in the business for better than 60 years.

28 SHUTTLE DIPLOMACY

Increasing traffic congestion and a desire to reduce car dependence as well as enabling senior citizens and all residents to navigate the local area more easily has led Sydney’s Strathfield Council to purchase a fleet of four small buses for a 12 hour a day, seven day a week local shuttle service called the Strathfield Connector.

34 EASY RIDER

WA based bus manufacturer BCI says it is placing a bet on technology and innovation with its new Citirider E, an electric route bus engineered here in Australia and manufactured in its plant in China.

The BCI Citirider E was one of the stars of the recent Bus Vic Expo in Melbourne and following the show we caught up with Lorenz Eberl, BCI’s chief engineer on the Citrider E development program.

Art Director Fiona Meadows fiona@kududesign.com.au Advertising Sales Jon Thomson Mobile: 0418 641 959 admin@truckandbus.net.au Contributing Writers Barry Flanagan, Sven Erik Lindsrand

The Melbourne Bus Expo featured all the major players and displayed a fairly buoyant image of the industry to all those who took the time to delve inside ‘Jeff’s Shed’and explore the latest and greatest in the local bus industry. We were there to report all the latest from Australia’s biggest bus expo.

22 VINTAGE CROP

Follow us on Facebook at Truck and Bus Australia

Publisher Jon Thomson admin@truckandbus.net.au

SHOW US YOUR BUS

40 ELECTRIFYING BUSWORLD

Busworld was held in Brussels for the first time this year. The biggest bus show in the world attracted scores of vehicle manufacturers from Europe, China, Korea and around the globe, with a clear focus and theme emerging, and that was electric. We take a look inside the massive Busworld show.

48 IN THE SWIM OF THINGS

It’s not often that we get a chance at Coach & Bus to put a bus to the test in real world conditions.

Yes, we drive buses and do road tests, but it is not that often that you can get a full compliment of passengers onboard to test the bus in the way, which is what we did with Fuso’s highly popular Rosa.

Contributing Photographers Mark Bean, Cristian Brunelli, Jan Glovac

REGULARS Coach & Bus Magazine is published under licence

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All material contained herein including text, photography, design elements and format are copyright and cannot be reproduced by any means without the written permission of the publisher. Grayhaze Pty Ltd is a member of the Copyright Agency Limited (1800 066 844).

Editorial contributions are welcome for consideration. Contact the Editor or Publisher for guidelines, fees and level of interest.

All unsolicited manuscripts must be accompanied by a stamp, addressed envelope for their return. We will not be held responsible for material supplied electronically.

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Single copy price $8.95 incl. GST

01

DRIVER’S SEAT

Editor Peter Barnwell has his say on the growing technology tidal wave and what it might mean in the bus world.

04 UP FRONT We wrap up the key local and international bus and coach news that affects us as a global industry and where we are heading.

56 LCV We take a look at Peugeot’s new Expert.

60 COMPANY CAR Jeep Wrangler.

64 MONEY

Paul Clitheroe’s latest advice on finances.

WE GET A CHANCE TO TEST DRIVE A FUSO ROSA WITH A FULL COMPLIMENT OF PASSENGERS ONBOARD TO TEST THE BUS IN THE WAY IT WOULD BE USED EVERY DAY

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SCANIA REVEAL NEW CITY BUS LINE UP IN BRUSSELS SCANIA HAS UNVEILED a range of new generation buses for city and suburban operations at Busworld in Brussels.

Leading with the Scania Citywide battery electric bus, the range encompasses buses for all fuel variants with the most comprehensive offer of alternative fuels in the market.

“The new Scania Citywide range features lower fuel consumption, higher passenger capacity, better drivability, and vastly improved passenger and driver comfort,” says Anna Carmo e Silva, head of buses and coaches at Scania.

The side-mounted engine

placement of both the 7- and 9-litre engine, and the electric motor, on 12-metre low-floor city buses gives three extra seats behind the rear axle. As well, the increased front axle load can give two extra seats. All in all, total passenger capacity has been increased to approximately 100 depending of propulsion and layout.

Equipped with the 7-litre engine, the most common in city operations, fuel consumption has been lowered by 3–5 per cent.

Combined with enhanced gearbox performance, an additional 1–3 per cent can be obtained. With the

introduction of a start/stop function.

Scania says that further fuel savings can be obtained with the Scania Opticruise on suburban low-entry buses.

The new Scania Citywide has a new interior styling with light colours on roof and side panels.

The side windows are larger and have higher ceiling line, which gives more natural light inside the bus.

Nearly all instrument panel buttons are CAN-based and can thereby easily be customised for varying local applications.

The complete Scania Citywide has been designed with a

common electrical system, facilitating condition monitoring and repairs.

With the new city and suburban range, the geofencing system Scania Zone is available for all powertrains to assist drivers in adapting to increasing urban regulations to limit pollution and increase safety.

“We have rigorously addressed all these aspects in designing the new Scania Citywide and are convinced that we will now offer a highly competitive city and suburban bus for operations today and tomorrow,” says Carmo e Silva.

BUSWAYS TAKES DELIVERY OF A DOZEN NEW VOLGREN BODIED VOLVOS NEW SOUTH WALES bus operator, Busways has taken delivery of a dozen new Volgren bodied, low-floor, seatbelted school buses, strengthening its rural and regional school bus fleet. The delivery is part of an order of 24 buses made in late 2018.

Built on a Volvo (B8 Euro 5) chassis, the buses will be used for route and school services operating across Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour and Yamba on the state’s north coast.

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Busways Asset Manager Chris Wolf said the new buses reinforce the company’s commitment to passenger safety and innovation across their fleet.

“The vehicles being delivered are replacing our older buses and although they’re still operating and in good condition, the modern advancement and the new safety systems Volvo offer – including ABS, EBS and onboard warning systems – helps improve the overall standard of buses.”

“Volgren have also modernised their buses with great placement of driver’s mirrors, enhanced line of site for drivers, minimised blind spots and compliance to Australian Design Rules 68 seat belted vehicles.”

Wolf said Transport for New South Wales have put in place rigid specifications for buses travelling in rural and regional Contract areas. That meant operators weren’t looking for a product they could customise, but

for a vehicle they could rely on.

“We have a strong track record with Volgren and Volvo; that’s based around a shared confidence that one party can always expect value from the other and the fact they support their product over the life of the vehicle.”

NEW FUSOS BREAK COVER IN TOKYO FUSO UNVEILED two new and upgraded buses on its stand at the Tokyo Motor Show, with both a new version of its Aero Queen large bus and Rosa light bus.

Fuso says the Aero Queen on the stand is Japan’s first heavy-duty touring bus installed with Active Side Guard Assist, a safety feature that monitors the driver’s left side blind spot.

The big Fuso bus also includes safety features such as EDSS, which gives passengers the ability to press a button and bring the vehicle to a safe stop in case the driver loses consciousness, along with Active Brake Assist 4 an automatic braking system with slow-speed pedestrian detection function.

Fuso says the bus is also fitted with it’s connectivity solution BusConnect, which provides fleet managers with real-time information including bus location and trajectory, safe driving, and fuel consumption, telemetry for buses in operation and a 24-hour monitoring function and an emergency response system if driver is in trouble or the Active Brake Assist 4 secondary braking is activated.

Fuso also claims the Aero Queen’s body design, which uses what it calls ‘the new Fuso Black Belt design identity’ has already won the Good Design Award 2019.

The other Fuso bus featured at this year’s Tokyo Motor Show, is the latest version of its popular Rosa which is being launched with a raft of new safety and upgrade features, including

autonomous emergency braking or AEBS, electronic stability program, and lane departure warning system as well as Hill Start assist.

This new Rosa model will apparently also now be available as a luxury version, which Fuso says reflects the growing demand for high-end transport for smaller tourist groups.

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OPTARE PLUG IN AT MELBOURNE EXPO OPTARE USED THE Melbourne Bus Expo to launch its first electric bus in Australia and although the British maker has not had a huge amount of sales cut through here so far, its local distributor Bus Corp Oceania is hoping that Optare’s MetroCity Electric city bus could spark interest in the British brand.

Bus Corp debuted the new MetroCity Battery Electric bus at the BusVic Bus Expo in Melbourne and the presence of the new monocoque zero emission roused some attention in a show that had a strong green presence.

BCO general manager Jason Pecotic believes the Optare electric bus could provide some cut through for the British brand in a rapidly changing market that is quickly embracing low and zero emission options.

“We reckon it is time to launch the MetroBus electric version to answer the growing number of enquiries we are fielding for green

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options,” Pecotic told T&B News.

“The combination of our lightweight yet strong moncoque construction and Optare’s expertise with battery electric technology which is well proven in the UK means we are well placed with this bus to provide solutions for Australian and NZ operators,” he added.

BCO says the 150 kW Full Electric bus delivers maximum torque of 2000Nm from start up using a three pack assembly running in parallel, consisting of 26 batteries per pack and delivering total energy of 138kWh. BCO technical people say that there is also a two pack battery option, delivering total energy of 92kWh. The MetroCity EV uses 12.8v/ 138Ah lithium iron magnesium phosphate maintenance free type batteries with built in electronic monitoring of key parameters.

With battery packs kinked together they produce 333 volts

DC. Optare engineers tell us that the forecast range on a single charge, is dependent on duty cycle and equipment options, but that the three pack models should deliver around 210km, while the two pack should run for about 150km between charges.

The Optare EV features and integrated on-board charger .which connects to a standard commercial three phase power supply. Using the on-board charger Optare says the charge time from zero to full will be approximately six hours. Optare says that there is also an optional 42kW external charge system that can be mounted at a depot or terminus point which is capable of fully recharging the batteries in just 2.5 hours.

Further charging options also include dual fast chargers, which can reduce charging time even more while a there is also the option of a 60kW inductive charger.

Of course being electrically powered the MetroCity EV has the benefit of a Magtec P180 Regenerative Braking.

Twin bag air suspension with leading taper leaf springs and Panhard rod is used on the front, while at the rear there is a four bag air suspension on parallel linkage. The bus uses ZF 8090 steering gear with integral power assistance.

The body uses a \combination of GFRP and aluminium modular exterior panels for low cost repair or replacement, while modular pressed alloy side panels locked into waist-rail sections and retained by screw fasteners for ease of replacement are also used.

BCO says the MetroCity electric is available in a range of options with one or two door configuration in 10130mm, 10820mm or 11520mm chassis lengths with up to 44 Seats and maximum capacity of up to 60 passengers.

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KERB YOUR ENTHUSIASM BRIDGESTONE’S DESIGN OUT OF THE GUTTER

TYRE MAKING GIANT Bridgestone has announced a new bus tyre solution that will deliver barrierless bus access as part of its role in supplying tyres for buses at the newly-constructed athlete village for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Bridgestone has announced it is working with a collaborative group to develop a new kerbstone design that allows buses to pull closer to the curb.

The design of the kerb includes a specially-engineered slope that more smoothly interacts with the shape of the tyre to decrease tyre sidewall wear and vibration. It can also be customized to fit common tyre and vehicle sizes that use a specific curb location.

The result Bridgestone says is a significantly smaller gap between the kerb and bus entrance, which provides easier 008 www.truckandbus.net.au

and safer on-and-off access for passengers – especially wheelchair users, people with strollers, and senior citizens.

The new barrier-less docking system was first introduced in Okayama, Japan in June 2019 and is now being adopted by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.

The first installation in Tokyo will be completed in February 2020 in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Village. The installation will include nearly 395 meters of kerb designed to accommodate a wide variety of tyre and vehicle sizes.

Bridgestone says it continues to work with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and other metro areas to identify future locations for the new solution that will benefit people across Japan beyond Tokyo 2020.

“Bridgestone was founded on

a mission of serving society, and we bring that to life every day through our efforts to improve how people move, live, work and play,” said Masaaki Tsuya, chairman of the board and CEO of Bridgestone Corporation.

“We have some of the world’s top experts in tyre and rubber science committed to solving the evolving needs and challenges of a world in constant motion.

Through projects like this, we’re focused on leveraging our vast knowledge to help create advanced solutions that remove barriers and increase accessibility for all people — in public bus transportation and beyond.”

Bridgestone does not manufacture nor sell the product, but has been responsible for its primary design, testing and verification as part of a collaboration with Yokohama

National University, the Japan Transportation Planning Association, and Advance Co. Ltd. As the only Worldwide Olympic and Paralympic Partner with its global headquarters in the host city, Bridgestone says it is proud to provide its products, services, solutions and advanced technologies to enhance the Tokyo 2020 experience for people of all abilities.

The Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 are one of several upcoming milestone moments where Bridgestone says it will showcase its new, industry-leading technology concepts and ongoing transformation to become a truly global company. The company will issue additional announcements regarding its contributions to Tokyo 2020 and beyond over the coming months.

Scania Touring Treat your passengers as guests

Contact your Scania Account Manager for more information on the all new Scania Touring. www.scania.com.au

ALLISON DELIVERS SIGNIFICANT FUEL SAVING IN LONDON BUS TRIAL

SEA LINK PURCHASES TRANSIT SYSTEMS THE BUS INDUSTRY has been taken by surprise with the announcement that listed tourism and transport company SeaLink Travel Group will purchase Australia’s largest private operator of metropolitan public bus services, Transit Systems Group.

The purchase price for the deal incorporates an enterprise value of A$635 million plus an earn-out component of up to A$63million.

The joint statement about the deal says the acquisition will ‘create Australia’s leading integrated land and marine passenger transport business with enhanced scale and capabilities to competitively deliver services under government contracts’.

Once the sale has been completed, the combined group it is claimed will have more than 8,000 employees and operate more than 3,200 buses and 78 ferries in NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, the Northern Territory,Western Australia, London and Singapore. The deal is the largest in SeaLink’s history and is expected to be finalised by early 2020.

As a result of the deal, Transit Systems Group Chief Executive

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Officer, Mr Clint Feuerherdt will replace the retiring SeaLink Chief Executive Officer, Mr Jeff Ellison.

Transit Systems is Australia’s only multi-national public transport business, with metropolitan bus contract in five states, as well as London and Singapore.

SeaLink’s current Chief Executive Officer, Jeff Ellison said, “the announcement today represents the start of SeaLink’s next phase of growth as an integrated multi-modal passenger services provider.”

“It will be transformational for us and provides us with the opportunity for significant international expansion using established businesses in Singapore and London.

“This has already opened the door for us to tender for new ferry operations in Singapore and London.”

Mr Feuerherdt said both SeaLink and Transit Systems Group had developed market leading positions in their respective sectors.

Mr Ellison will remain in an executive position until the acquisition is finalised and will then stay on as a non- executive director.

REAL-WORLD TRIALS of a midibus retrofitted with Allison’s xFE transmission hardware and FuelSense 2.0 software are showing fuel economy improvements of up to 7.13 per cent, and an average across seasons of 4.37per cent according to Allison Transmissions.

The 15-month study demonstrates the financial savings achievable when mid-life bus upgrades include the adoption of Allison’s transmission package.

The trial, which started in August 2018 and is ongoing, has measured fuel consumption during the daily working routine of an ADL Enviro200 bus equipped with an Allison T 2100 transmission.

The tests have been conducted independently of Allison by Go-Ahead London, the largest bus company in the capital, and ADL, the UK’s biggest bus and coach manufacturer. As a result of the consistent findings over a 15-month period, ADL has formulated an upgrade programme for UK customers running Allison Transmissions.

The bus covers approximately 4000 km per month and fuel consumption was initially measured without xFE hardware installed and with Allison’s first-generation FuelSense software, before measuring again after fitting xFE and the latest FuelSense 2.0 software. It has been proven, after 60,000km of testing, that updating the transmission technology in this way can cut fuel bills on this route by up to $3,000 per bus per year.

Allison’s FuelSense 2.0 software features Neutral at Stop and coast coupled with DynActive Shifting. This employs a real-time learning algorithm which finds the ideal balance of fuel consumption and performance by automatically adjusting the transmission control to the load, speed and topography.

Higer’s back in Australia with a new and improved H7 Midi-Bus. The H7 offers 28+1 seating with the ability to have 2 for 3 seating for primary school children. H7 boasts Cummins power, Allison automatic transmission, Wabco brakes and a suite of key components and features from internationally renown suppliers.

With Bus Corp Oceania’s expertise and nationwide backup now is the time to call to your local representative to arrange a drive of the all new H7.

For more information call Higer Australia on 1300 038 888 (Ext 3) or New Zealand 0800 678273 (Ext 3) NSW/ACT/QLD Francis Burdock 0484 000 161 VIC/TAS/SA Troy Wells 0447 000 995 WA/NT Jason Pecotic 0414 793 639 NZ Joe Crickett 021 915 065 www.higerbus.com.au

CUSTOM PURCHASE DENNING

AFTER SHOCKING THE MARKET by purchasing Custom Coach a little over a year ago, and reviving its fortunes as the Custom Bus Group, Scott Dunn has again shaken the industry by buying Denning.

Dunn, who entered the Australian bus industry by purchasing the Telford Group after years in the British bus business, scooped up the remanants of

Custom from the liquidators in early 2018 and has transformed the venerable brand with new efficiencies and better practices.

The new of its move to acquire Denning will give the group. More economies of scale and make the overall group an even bogger player in the Australian coach and bus market.

Dunn will acquire Denning in its entirety and if the turn around at

Custom is any indication a major revival is on the cards for the Denning brand which was once a dominant player particularly in the coach market.

“Denning is a great Australian brand and I am proud to welcome them to our group,” Scott Dunn told Truck and Bus News.

“They have great people and a product built to last the Australian conditions and it will provide us with a support network into Queensland for all our products as well as a school bus that is second to none in the market,” said Dunn.

Dunn said that nothing will change in regard to customers trading with Denning and that manufacturing will continue to operate from the Denning

Manufacturing premises at Acacia Ridge in Brisbane./ “Nothing will change, not even the phone numbers or mailing address, “ said Dunn.

“It will be business as usual for Denning Manufacturing except that from the acquisition date the company will be owned by a larger company and will become part of the Dunn Group, there will be no change for customers and suppliers,” he added.

“This is an exciting time for our business, and we will now have bus and coach models to meet every market segment in Australia,” he said.

“It will also give Denning will have access to better stronger funding the necessary support to deliver growth for the business.”

BUSTECH AND PRECISION TO MERGE LEADING QUEENSLAND based bus builder, Bustech and South Australian based bus maker, and Precision will merge following an agreement between the two companies and their shareholders and boards.

Fusion Capital Holdings, the owner of Precision Buses, and Bustech have reached an agreement for the merger of Precision Buses and Bustech and

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the transaction is expected to be completed in the coming weeks.

A joint statement says each brand will continue to operate in its own capacity at respective facilities in South Australia and Queensland, however they will both retain their own brand identities, while combining strategic management and direction under a new holding company, Australian Bus Corporation, which will be a

wholly owned subsidiary of Fusion.

The statement says that the merge is the ‘next step in a partnership which commenced in 2016 and which follows the recently announced join venture between the two companies’.

Together they have already achieved a number of significant milestones, including the recently awarded10-year Adelaide Metro bus supply contract for the South Australian Government.

“The strategic integration of Precision Buses and Bustech will see a strong focus on increasing both capacity and technical collaboration, with combined capabilities putting the companies in good stead to address emerging opportunities from advancement in market driven changes and driveline technology,” the statement said.

It went on to say “with strong

demand from customers across five states, combining the two teams from an engineering and technology perspective provides great opportunities at a pivotal time for the Australian bus industry”.

Production out put under the new merger is expected to exceed 300 vehicles within the first year.

Bustech was established by long time Gold Coast bus operators Joe and Tony Calabro in 1995 and together with Luke Gray, the company has become an industry leader in bus manufacturing and operations for more than 20 years.

The Calabro brothers say the company was born out of frustration with the lack of innovation and limited body building options available at the time for its use on the brother’s Surfside Buslines fleet.

VOLGREN ROLLS OUT ITS 5000TH BUS FROM DANDENONG produce this many vehicles over this many years without dedicating yourself to manufacturing excellence and to providing operators with buses they can trust.

“This first Volgren bus is still going strong with more than 850,000 kilometres on the odometer is symbolic of what we have built our reputation on: reliability, quality, innovation.”

Deiro said it was fitting that Ventura, a business based in Dandenong and connected to Volgren for decades, should receive the bus.

“Ventura has become an iconic figure in Victoria’s public transport sector. They carry more than 32 million customers across Melbourne every year and we’re thrilled that they have our first and now our 5000th bus.”

AUSTRALIA’S largest bus body builder, Volgren, has celebrated the roll-out of the 5000th bus built at its Dandenong manufacturing headquarters in Melbourne.

The milestone bus, an Optimus Low-Floor Route Bus, was handed over to operator and long-time Volgren partner Ventura Bus Lines during a ceremony with staff from both companies. The first bus ever manufactured by Volgren, the VG001, which is owned by Ventura, was also part of the event was.

Volgren chief executive, Thiago Deiro said it was a great achievement for the company and seeing the two buses together demonstrated the emphasis the company has placed on quality across four decades.

“This is a proud moment in our company’s long history. You don’t

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Volgren’s relationship with Ventura spans 40 years, although the body builder has only been supplying buses since 2011. In that time, they have built more than 250 vehicles for Ventura and in 2018 announced a fouryear contract extension with the Victorian operator.

Accepting the bus from Volgren, Andrew Cornwall Ventura’s managing director said the company was delighted to be a part of such a momentous moment.

“This is a huge achievement for Volgren and we’re pleased to be a part of it, but not just for symbolic reasons. The Optimus low-floor bus is widely considered one of the best vehicles of its type in Australia and we’re always enthusiastic to bring another one into our fleet.”

Thiago said the Ventura-Volgren

partnership would continue to strengthen thanks to a shared confidence that one party can always expect value from the other.

“The value we provide to Ventura comes from an unrivalled whole-of-life bus cost. We are proud to offer a bus that, with its advanced engineering and unique CO-BOLT design, delivers the lowest cost of life savings to Ventura,” Deiro said.

MELLOR TAKES ANOTHER LOOK AT OZ SPECIALIST BRITISH small bus builder/converter Mellor has taken the opportunity to relaunch the brand down under at the Melbourne Bus Expo spruking its ability to provide big bus space and comfort in a ‘low floor Mini bus’ size.

The British company which adapts chassis from the likes of Mercedes Benz Sprinter, Fiat Ducato and Iveco Daily, is now being distributed by local company Bus Corp Oceania and offers a variety of configurations from 18 to 28 seats and is particularly pitching its buses to on demand services as well as traditional shuttles, clubs, retirement villages and schools.

Steve Reeves, the head international business development manager for Mellor Bus says that the company is well positioned to answer what could be a global explosion in on demand bus services that will enable operators to run smaller more efficient buses for last and first mile and on demand services feeding larger buses on trunk routes in and around urban operations.

“There is likely to be a rapid expansion in this area with what I call taxi buses up to 21 seats with on demand operations feeding big bus operations on trunk routes,” said Steve Reeves.

Reeves recently took a year off from Mellor and its parent company Woodall Nicholson to study social enterprise and to get a better view on where on demand

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bus operations might head.

“The key is societies demand for a disrupter, when society wants something like Uber or Airbnb it is because the current service is not delivering what they want,” Reeves said.

He believes a big IT operator will team up with OEMs to deliver the sort of on demand and response bus services that so many consumers are now demanding.

An example of Mellors thinking and research according to Reeves is its Fiat Ducato based Pico which he says is ‘an essential step towards the supply of a universal and dedicated on-demand vehicle with no barriers to access’.

“The Pico design team has drawn concepts from Mellor’s 50-year experience in building buses for both the commercial and social sectors,” Reeves said.

“Mellor agrees with transport planners that the successful introduction of app-driven ondemand passenger services is an essential way to provide positive impacts on urban congestion and the knock-on effects of pollution,” he added.

“For experimental Demand Response Transport (DRT) schemes to become fully mainstream and unlock their true potential passenger experience and specifically easy access is a key consideration,” Reeves said “Our research suggests that past DRT experiments have tested on-demand and sharedride systems but have failed to deliver sustainably.

“Recently, original equipment manufacturers have formed new alliances with technology companies. These partnerships hope to build fully managed services that may finally release DRT potential but have yet to deliver an elegant access solution for all of societies passengers.

Mellor says its specialty is low floor buses for both the social and commercial passenger sectors and that years of campaigning have secured equal access rights for the disabled, young mothers and the elderly.

“To protect this we have developed the Pico to give operators a new choice of vehicle, one that continues universal access originally developed on large buses,” Reeves said.

The Pico design considers the operational and social opportunities that are enabled by an eight-passenger taxi-bus with easy access and says it will be available in both Euro 6 diesel and electric drive.

Reeves says Pico delivers a genuinely universal taxi-bus specifically equipped for the emerging app-driven, first-mile last-mile markets in both the social and commercial sectors.

Scania used the BusVic Melbourne Bus Show for the global reveal of its new ‘silent mode’ Gen II hybrid bus.

To mark the event Scania asked former Federal opposition leader and chairman of Bioenergy Australia, Dr John Hewson, to launch the bus, with the one

time Prime Ministerial aspirant using the occasion to take a shot at the current government for its inaction on clean vehicle technology and legislation.

“The world is moving on pretty quickly and hybrid buses, electric buses and hydrogen powered buses are all becoming a reality and within a short period of time from now in my view,” said Dr. Hewson.

“These things tend to happen a lot faster than people think and I just recognised the other day that it only took ten years in the US to go from horse drawn vehicles to engine driven vehicles, 1903 to 1913 and the transition was complete,” he said.

“I look at the pace we are moving in Australia and I get very disheartened about our government and its inability to actually face what is going to happen,” said Mr Hewson.

“We have fuel security as a major issue in this country, we have waste as a major issue, we have feedstock in rural areas and this will actually give you the fuels you need, whether it is ethanol or bio diesel or whatever, and the transition is relatively easy.

“All the feedstock for that is spread across the country in regional centres, so you can have small refineries producing bio-fuels, you can have very big ethanol projects and so on, but its just not happening, mostly because the government is not prepared to put in place the framework for it,” he said.

“But I am pleased to see the private sector is not waiting for government, basically they are moving as you see here at the bus show with electric and low emission vehicles, the private sector sees the inevitablity of the transition, its happening in some countries much faster than it is here,” said Dr Hewson.

“China of course, with particular pollution the way it is, is moving very quickly to electric vehicles wherever it can, or bio fuelled vehicles.

“In Australia I think it is inevitable that we have this transition, it will happen quicker than most people imagine and it will be driven at the basic level, this is what going to drive it, you get out in front and demonstrate that there is no real downside to this when you can reduce emissions by upwards of 95 per cent.

“Once the government excepts the reality of the climate challenge and looks at the need to reduce emissions, these sort of transitions are relatively easy, they don’t take a lot of pain,” he added.

“The price of diesel is going to

go through the roof in the next few years because of a number of factors and it might even be noticed by the government,” Dr Hewson concluded Scania says its Generation II technology allows the Hybrid bus Dr Hewson launched to drive solely on battery power with zero tailpipe emissions for approximately four km up to a maximum speed of 45 km/h, depending on the operating conditions.

Scania says the K 320 UB 4×2 diesel electric hybrid is being delivered to Geelong’s McHarry’s Bus service, and marks a significant change in urban bus functionality and environmental benefits.

The Hybrid is powered by a 9.0-litre 320 hp five-cylinder Euro 6 diesel with a 177 hp/1030 Nm electric motor as part of a seamlessly integrated hybrid system and a Scania Opticruise transmission.

The diesel engine is 100 per cent compatible with biodiesel and HVO which help reduce CO2 emissions by up to 92 per cent,

while Scania says the electric ‘silent mode’ can reduce tailpipe emissions to zero.

The hybrid uses its diesel engine to fully charge its batteries in just 30 minutes while in driving mode. Scania says driving on battery power alone in ‘silent mode’, is ideal for arriving at or departing from bus-stops delivering zero emissions and cleaner air in sensitive zones where a requirement for low noise levels may exist.

Scania claims that in real-world driving performance in Europe it has delivered fuel consumption savings of between 20 and 25 per cent and that using the optional electric drive delivers further fuel savings of up to 10 per cent.

The Scania Hybrid bus is fitted with a low floor body built by Express in the NSW regional town of Macksville on the state’s mid north coast and is equipped with 49 McConnell’s Metro seats and can accommodate 13 standing passengers for a total capacity of 62 including the driver.

“Scania Australia is very excited

to be the first global market to deliver the new Right-Hand Drive Generation II version of the diesel-electric hybrid that has been such a success in Europe,” said Julian Gurney.

“The hybrid’s ‘silent mode’ zero tailpipe emissions experience will be a revelation for drivers and passengers alike,” he said.

Scania also featured one of its new Scania Touring following its Australian launch in Queensland in October last year.

Scania Australia’s Sustainable Solutions manager, Anthony King, explained that Scania is ‘driving the shift to a sustainable transport system’ In another feature of its stand the company commissioned an artist to create a 6 m x 2.7 m mural during the course of the Bus show, commemorating the launch of the first Scania hybrid bus in Australia. Scania said the theme of the mural reflects its sustainability focus and the introduction of hybrid technology into the Australian passenger transit landscape.

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Bus Show

The Melbourne Bus Expo featured all the major players and displayed a fairly buoyant image of the industry to all those who took the time to delve inside ‘Jeff’s Shed’ and explore the latest and greatest in the local bus industry. We were there to report all the latest from Australia’s biggest bus expo.

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here were new models making their debuts at the Melbourne Show along with an array of existing models and options and a strong showing from ancillary suppliers with air conditioning, seats, fire suppression, bus wash systems, tyres, lighting and all of the other necessary bus accoutrements on display. Along with that it was a conference with a range of speciality speakers and presenters, some of whom were of great interest while others had one scratching your head wondering exactly why.

Scania gave its new silent mode’ Gen II

hybrid bus not only its Australian debut but also its World premiere.

To mark the event Scania asked former Federal opposition leader and chairman of Bioenergy Australia, Dr John Hewson, to launch the bus, with the one time Prime Ministerial aspirant using the occasion to take a shot at the current government for its inaction on clean vehicle technology and legislation.

Scania claims its Generation II technology allows the Hybrid bus to drive solely on battery power with zero tailpipe emissions for approximately four km up to a maximum speed of 45 km/h,

depending on the operating conditions.

The Scania K 320 UB 4x2 diesel electric hybrid is being delivered to Geelong’s McHarry’s Bus service and is powered by a 9.0-litre 320 hp five-cylinder Euro 6 diesel with a 177 hp/1030 Nm electric motor as part of a seamlessly integrated hybrid system and a Scania Opticruise transmission.

Scania says the diesel engine is 100 per cent compatible with biodiesel and HVO which help reduce CO2 emissions by up to 92 per cent, while Scania says the electric ‘silent mode’ can reduce tailpipe emissions to zero.

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The hybrid uses its diesel engine to fully charge its batteries in just 30 minutes while in driving mode and in Europe it has delivered fuel consumption savings of between 20 and 25 per cent and that using the optional electric drive delivers further fuel savings of up to 10 per cent.

It was fitted with a low floor body from Express in the NSW regional town of Macksville on the state’s mid north coast with a capacity of 49 seated and 13 standing passengers.

Scania also featured one of its new Scania Touring following its Australian launch in Queensland in October last year.

Scania Australia’s Sustainable Solutions manager, Anthony King, explained that Scania is ‘driving the shift to a sustainable transport system’.

In another feature of its stand the company commissioned an artist to create a 6 m x 2.7 m mural during the course of the Bus show, commemorating the launch of the first Scania hybrid bus in Australia.

Scania said the theme of the mural reflects its sustainability focus and the introduction

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of hybrid technology into the Australian passenger transit landscape.

Dr. Hewson was an interesting speaker to have on the stand and he took a shot at his former Liberal party colleagues and their inaction on encouraging cleaner vehicles.

“The world is moving on pretty quickly and hybrid buses, electric buses and hydrogen powered buses are all becoming a reality and within a short period of time from now in my view,” said Dr. Hewson.

“But I am pleased to see the private sector is not waiting for government, basically they are moving as you see here at the bus show with electric and low emission vehicles, the private sector sees the inevitablity of the transition,” he said.

At the other end of the hall BCI had two new offerings on its stand including its first electric bus, the zero emission Citirider E which is targeted as a low floor urban application city bus, which BCI’s sales and development manager, Armando Baylon says provides a safe, convenient, comfortable and environmentally friendly experience, reducing noise and exhaust

emissions and making a significant contribution to delivering the governments’ commitment on greenhouse gases reduction and air quality improvement.

“Safety is our highest priority and other key factors in battery selection are power density, life expectancy and cost,” said Armando Baylon.

BCI says it is sourcing batteries from one of the world’s largest manufacturers of electric vehicles with a great safety record.

It says battery life expectancy is eight years for the BCI Citirider E application with 403 kWh capacity 589 Volt LFP type batteries using a CCS AC/DC type permanent magnet synchronous motor with a rated continuous power of 195 kW and peak power output of 350 kW and peak torque of 3500 Nm. As well it showed its innovative new coach body developed which it says was developed n cooperation with MercedesBenz and designed to be built on two or three axle configuration Benz O500RF chassis. The company also showed a hydrogen fuel cell module that is likely to be

seen in BCI buses ion the very near future.

For Custom Bus it was the first bus show since the take over of the venerable brand

by Scott Dun and his Dunn Group. Custom certainly made a splash with its ‘Custom Bar’ attracting a keen crowd for a cold afternoon beverage each afternoon. It was an initiative that won the reincarnated group a lot of kudos from the industry.

Custom had a bigger story launching its new Endeavour city bus at the show which made a splash with its contemporary styling and clean lines. The Endeavour comes standard in 11.8 metre or 12.5 metre rigid in twin axle configuration or 14.5 metre three axle with the ability to extend to an 18 metre articulated chassis.

It should do well in the route bus market particularly in NSW but also potentially in Queensland now that Custom has purchased Denning and has a base North of the Tweed.

Volgren used the Bus Expo to launch its first pure electric bus, a 12.2-metre BYD K9 chassis with 324-kilowatt hours of battery capacity and a range of up to 300

km on a single charge with a capacity of 39 seated and 22 standing passengers.

Volgren says it has been investigating electric technology for more than five years and claims the prototype alone has involved 12 months of planning, research and engineering as well as building relatiionships with BYD, and the build itself.

“All tests conducted on the vehicle were extremely successful. [It] has been extremely popular with all who have driven it,” said Michael Kearney, Volgren’s product engineering manager.

“The instantaneous provision of torque ensures outstanding performance, while the absence of a transmission ensures a smooth, continuous ride through all speeds.”

“The extremely quiet interior is also obviously evident. Interior and exterior noise testing demonstrated the vehicle to be substantially advantaged when compared with a diesel bus,” Kearney told us.

While Volgren has not inked any orders for the new electric bus yet the interest in the bus was high at the show and on get

the distinct feeling that the electric bus revolution will arrive in a rush some time in the near future.

“The challenge in moving forward will be the rationalisation and introduction of large-scale EV fleets and the management of charging infrastructure to accommodate large volumes of vehicles,” he added.

Local bus importer and distributor Bus Corp Oceania also had an all new battery electric version of Optare’s MetroCity Bus with the and the presence of the new monocoque zero emission roused some attention in a show that had a strong green presence.

BCO general manager Jason Pecotic believes the Optare electric bus could provide some cut through for the British brand in a rapidly changing market that is quickly embracing low and zero emission options.

“We reckon it is time to launch the MetroBus electric version to answer the growing number of enquiries we are fielding for green options,” Pecotic told Coach & Bus.

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“The combination of our lightweight yet strong moncoque construction and Optare’s expertise with battery electric technology which is well proven in the UK means we are well placed with this bus to provide solutions for Australian and NZ operators,” he added.

BCO says the 150 kW Full Electric bus delivers maximum torque of 2000Nm from start up using a three pack assembly running in parallel, consisting of 26 batteries per pack and delivering total energy of 138kWh. BCO technical people say that there is also a two pack battery option delivering total energy of 92kWh. The MetroCity EV uses 12.8v/ 138Ah lithium iron magnesium phosphate maintenance free type batteries with built in electronic monitoring of key parameters.

With battery packs linked together they produce 333 volts DC. Optare engineers tell us that the forecast range on a single charge, is dependent on duty cycle and equipment options, but that the three pack models should deliver around 210km, while the two pack should run for about 150km between charges.

BCO says the MetroCity electric is available in a range of options with one or two door configuration in 10130mm, 10820mm or 11520mm chassis lengths with up to 44 Seats and maximum capacity of up to 60 passengers.

Also on the stand at BCO was the latest brand added to its portfolio, specialist

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British small bus builder/converter Mellor along with its Chinese brand Higer and it’s 28 seat H7 midi-bus.

Mellor has taken the opportunity to relaunch the brand down under at the Melbourne Bus Expo spruking its ability to provide big bus space and comfort in a ‘low floor Mini bus’ size.

The British company which adapts chassis from the likes of Mercedes Benz Sprinter, Fiat Ducato and Iveco Daily, offers a variety of configurations from 18 to 28 seats and is particularly pitching its buses to on demand services as well as traditional shuttles, clubs, retirement villages and schools.

Mellor also had one of its creations down the hall on the Iveco stand, using the Iveco Daily which was the focus of the Iveco bus display this year. Featuring three Daily’s of varying configurations including the Mellor unit. As last mile-first mile bus sector starts to gain momentum across the country it is clearly going to be a significant part of our public transport landscape in coming years. Iveco was also pushing the Euro 6 environmental credentials of its Daily platform as well.

BCSA showed a beautiful Bonluck President double decker coach powered by a Cummins X12 11.8 litre and coupled with an Allison 6 speed automatic along with a President 3 single deck coach and a Citystar route bus.

MAN also showed a Bonluck bodied

President based on its IC 19.320 RR8 Lion chassis MAN’s tried and proven 10.5 L, 320 hp, power plant with a six-speed ZF Ecolife transmission on its stand as part of its alignment with BCSA .

“MAN was seeking to establish a locally represented and supported high floor bus product that offered improved lead times and design flexibility to accommodate customer requirements, and at an attractive price point. By coming together with BCSA and Bonluck, we have been able to achieve this,” said Clint Stoermer, national sales and service manager – bus, Penske Commercial Vehicles.

The President will be offered with MAN’s premium coach comfort suspension package that comprises independent front suspension with stabiliser and a wide air spring track rear suspension with stabiliser.

Yutong also headlined its stand with its electric bus, similar to the one that has already been trialled with Premier on the NSW South Coast and which is now on trial with Transit Systems in Sydney. Along with the Yutong electric bus the company showed an array of its coaches and mini coaches as it continues to gain market share down under.

All in all it was a good show highlighting a lot of advance technology alongside some terrific local design and construction from our Australian body building sector which is still capable of holding its own against the world’s best.

Operator

Its one of the great town name conundrums, a place called Orange where they don’t grow oranges, rather the chief fruit crop for many years has been Apples. Coach & Bus travelled to Orange to have a chat with one of the town’s major school bus operators which has been in the business for better than 60 years.

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eading to the beautiful western NSW town of Orange to visit a bus operator called Apple City Tours is not that strange if you

understand the contradiction.

John Woodhouse is the man behind

Apple City Tours and in one shape or

another it has been a part of his life for more than 60 years.

These days Apple City has a fleet of 28

buses and coaches, mainly focussing on

school bus runs around the Orange region.

Way back in June 1956 John

Woodhouse’s parents were running

a corner shop in Orange and the next door neighbour had a school bus run

with a GMC bus running out to Lewis Ponds 25 km east of Orange.

“The neighbour wanted to sell the school

run and the bus and my Dad Jack thought It was a good idea, so he bought the run and ran it in the early days.

“When I left school I studied meat

inspections and worked at the abattoirs

and when I turned 21 I was able to drive the buses and that was 46 years ago.

It my introduction to bus driving,” said John Woodhouse.

Woodhouse is still running the business

operating from a dedicated depot with

a panoramic view of the Orange district, high on a hill north of town, in the midst

of a picturesque vineyard that surrounds the Apple City bus operation. Ironically

the vineyard used to be an apple orchard

but the apple trees were pulled out and a vineyard planted.

These days John Woodhouse harvests

the grapes and makes some very nice red, marketing it under the Woodhouse Wines brand. However buses are still the main

focus and wine is just a ‘hobby’ sideline for John.

Scania is the major brand in the Apple

City fleet and school runs are still the foundation of the operation although charters are also a major part of the company’s revenue.

“Like a lot of country operators school

runs were our specialty but we got into

charter work in the 1970s which became

a major part of our operation,”said John.

The company bought Its first dedicated

coach, a used single axle Denning in 1981 and purchased a brand new twin axle Denning in 1984.

It was at this time that John took over the

running of the business with his mother

following the death of his father in 1985.

“When Dad dies in 1985 we had three

school bus runs and a couple of coaches

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“ ORANGE HAS JUST GROWN AND GROWN IN RECENT YEARS AND THAT HAS ENABLED US TO BUILD UP THE FLEET”

for charter work and today we operate.

18 school bus runs with 28 buses and coaches,” he said.

Woodhouse credits his partner Julie with having helped grow the business significantly in recent years.

“Julie totally understands all of the fine detail of running a bus operation like ours and particularly with government requirements and compliance, so I give her a lot of credit for our growth and

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Apple City Tours’ John Woodhouse

ongoing success,” said John.

“Orange has just grown and grown in recent years and that has enabled us to build up the fleet and acquire more school runs while consolidating our charter operation,” he added.

Apple City did operate its own packaged tours through the 1990s offering theatre weekends in Sydney and tours to other interesting places and was also involved in running express inter city operations for

both Deluxe and later for Greyhound, but withdrew from the inter city work in the early 2000s and gave the tour business away a bit before that.

When Coach and Bus visited the Apple City depot around lunch time the yard was full of buses but as the clock ticked around to 2.30 the engines started firing up as drivers climbed aboard to head out for the 18 school runs reaching out in all directions from the various Orange schools

into the surrounding farmland and villages around the region.

The stream of buses leaving the depot is these days filled with a lot of Scanias and John Woodhouse is full of praise for the Swedish brand.

“We are very happy with the Scanias, they are very reliable and economical to run,” he said.

“We’ve had Scania’s for five years now and the original one has done almost

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a quarter of a million kilometres and

the most we’ve done to it, apart from

regular maintenance, is to put a new air conditioning belt on it,”he added.

Apple City has its own mechanic

at the depot who looks after general

maintenance, but any heavy duty repairs are sent out to a dealer.

“We look after our own oil changes and

general servicing, ensuring that oil and

filters are changed every 50,000km without fail, and we are very particular with our

maintenance schedule using only genuine parts and Scania oil,” he added.

‘We have had no drama with the Scania’s

whatsoever they are robust and very well

engineered and out of habit I check all the buses on a Sunday but the Scanias never have an issue.”

Woodhouse also says that his drivers

love the Scania’s and enjoy driving them.

“Once they drive the Scanias you can’t

get them out of them they are so easy and comfortable to drive, he says.

“We have a new Scania-Irizar twin axle

Euro 6 coach and. That is a terrific vehicle, it has capacity for up to 62 passengers

which gives it a great degree of flexibility.

“The only drama we have had in recent

times was with the ad blue system on one

of the buses but it turned out a small stone had made its way into the wiring harness

and wore away a tiny little pin hole, it took a while to figure out but Scania got to the bottom of it and fixed it,” he said.

John still keeps his hand in driving the

occasional school run just to understand

the fleet and keep on top of the business

but is happy to leave the task to his team of professional drivers.

About two years ago Woodhouse

purchased Bathurst coaches and added

that portfolio to the Orange operation and

runs it as a sort of joint venture with a local operator in Bathurst.

“It is a good arrangement and it works

very well and has added a couple of

school bus runs to our business and we share a depot down there,”said John.

With a trouble free run with Scania, John

Woodhouse reckons the Swedish brand will become the dominant make in the

Apple City fleet over time which will allow John more time to make delightful red wine from his vineyard next door.

“That is the plan,” John laughs.

“Julie is running a lot more of the

business now and doing a great job and

her son and daughter also work here and they are an integral part of the business which is great,” he said.

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Operator

Increasing traffic congestion and a desire to reduce car dependence as well as enabling residents to navigate the local area more easily has led Sydney’s Strathfield Council to purchase a fleet of four small buses for a local shuttle service called the Strathfield Connector. We take a look at how and why the council put together and runs the shuttles.

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I

t seems local councils are getting into the bus business. Increasingly local government operations are putting together local shuttle bus services around key areas to make it easier and simpler for residents to travel the local area without having to get in a car or have to walk a long distance a stop for a regular public transport bus route.

So it is that Strathfield Council in inner western Sydney launched the Strathfield Connector to increase connectivity within the Strathfield Local Government Area to help ease the issues of congestion and traffic.

Strathfield Council conducted surveys and asked for feedback from local residents in 2018 to ascertain the best

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way to proceed with a local shuttle bus service that would best serve the needs of residents and visitors to the area.

As the information from the research was compiled, two routes were developed to service different parts of the Strathfield Council area, specifically targeting areas that did not have any public transport options available.

After months of planning and work Strathfield Council launched the Strathfield Connector in March this year and in the seven months up to the time we spoke with the council, it has proved to be a great success.

The council formulated two routes, a Northern route, the Red Route, running

in a loop north from the Strathfield CBD and station to a large factory outlet store near Sydney Olympic Park and back around largely residential streets on either side of the extremely busy Parramatta Rd, and the Southern or Blue Route touching on the Flemington produce markets and the areas around South Strathfield.

The Red Route started in March, while the Blue route started in June.

So far the Red Route has carried more than 7000 residents to date, while the Blue Route is proving just as popular as the Red one since it kicked off on 11th June.

Its been a significant commitment for the council, which has purchased four buses to operate the services, two Hino

“ THE STRATHFIELD CONNECTOR NOT ONLY CONNECTS RESIDENTS TO LOCAL SHOPS, RESTAURANTS AND BUSINESSES BUT ALSO INCREASES SOCIAL INCLUSION”

Ponchos, which seem to have become the shuttle bus standard, along with two Toyota Coasters.

Strathfield Council’s executive manager of communications, events and engagement, Naomi Searle, the feedback from residents has been very positive so far and has been very encouraging.

“With local traffic and congestion its become more difficult to get around the local area and the aim of the Strathfield Connector has been to provide an alternative, affordable transport mode that could decrease traffic and the need to use a car for short local journeys,” said Naomi Searle.

“It has proved a great service for senior citizens and with all residents as well as

with visitors who know they can get the train or bus to Strathfield station and then catch a shuttle around to various parts of the Council area,” she said.

“The Strathfield Connector not only connects residents to local shops, restaurants and businesses but also increases social inclusion by providing an alternative means of travel to attend Council run events with bus stops placed near the Strathfield Library and various parks,” Naomi added.

The service runs seven days a week, every 30 minutes from 7am to 7pm, and while it is free the council does ask for those using it to consider making a contribution to help ensure the long-term

viability of the service.

“It is expensive and while we don’t charge a fare we do encourage residents to make a contribution, however not many have so far,” Naomi said with a smile.

The service’s two Hino Ponchos were chosen particularly for their low floor, wheel chair and general ease of access allowing handicapped passengers to easily use the service. Augmenting the Poncho are the two Toyota Coasters, chosen because of the longer lead times for ordering and receiving the Poncho.

It’s been the first time that Strathfield Council has instituted its own bus service and follows the lead being taken by other local government councils, particularly

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some in Sydney, including around Manly in the Northern Beaches Council area and across the Parramatta River in the municipality of Ryde, along with a number of other privately run developer funded shuttle service. C&B recently featured the privately run Poncho shuttle service around the Meadowbank area in Sydney’s North West, financed by developer Payce to move residents from its massive new development on an old industrial site to rail and ferry stations in the local area.

“We looked closely at the other examples of councils running similar local area shuttles and the benefits they can deliver in cutting car use and easing congestion,” said Naomi.

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The two Strathfield Connector Ponchos hold 26 passengers and features an ultralow floor design with an easy accessible wheelchair ramp.

They are powered by Hino’s J05E-TS 5.1 litre four cylinder turbo diesel which if mounted horizontally in the rear of the bus and is mated to an Aisin five speed automatic. The engine produces 180 hp with 530 Nm of torque. The rear location means the Poncho is quiet and very comfortable to ride and of course the rear mounting delivers that low flat floor enabling its flexibility and versatility particularly with wheel chair bound and movement impaired passengers.

Similarly the Council’s Toyota Coasters are powered by Toyota’s four-litre fourcylinder turbo-diesel with maximum power of 110kW of power and 397 Nm of torque at 1800 rpm, using the four speed automatic transmission. The 22 seater Coaster is not as friendly for wheelchair passengers but does come with ABS antilock brakes and features three-point seat belts on all seats.

The success of the Strathfield Connector is clear and with a growing number of local councils and other groups starting up shuttles like this its clear demand for small buses will continue to grow with more new models set to head our way.

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New Technology

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or BCI the mission was simple, produce a zero emission city bus that could do what a diesel equivalent could do but with

the benefits for more comfort, quieter

operation and a more environmentally

friendly footprint with the aim of making public transport more attractive for the

passengers. The mission may have been simple, achieving it was a lot harder.

Certainly from the result BCI has ticked

all of those boxes and can say mission accomplished.

The Citirider E’s new powertrain

technologies have certainly delivered no

exhaust emissions, tick, reduced internal

and external noise, tick, a more comfortable ride with smoother acceleration and

deceleration, tick, and lower ongoing maintenance requirements, tick.

Lorenz Eberl says BCI is committed

to providing zero emission buses with

proven, reliable battery and electric drives

technology and added that by far the most significant technological challenges are

associated with ‘the main energy storage

system’ in other words the battery packs.

Eberl working with engineers in China

engineered a design, that not only

embraces the electrified driveline, but also offers a revised and more contemporary

design to suit the Australian environment and operating requirements.

One of the great question marks over

pure battery electric vehicles is the safety

of the batteries in case of a crash and the potential with fire. Eberl says that safety

was the highest priority and that affected the choices the company is making in terms of battery packs.

“We have used LFP (Lithium Iron

‘Ferro’ Phosphate) battery chemistry

which is proven to be the safest and most stable chemistry. They meet ECU R100

WA based bus manufacturer BCI is determined not to be left behind as the world races towards electrification of commercial vehicles and says it is placing a bet on technology and innovation with its new Citirider E, an electric route bus engineered here in Australia and manufactured in its plant in China.

The BCI Citirider E was one of the stars of the recent Bus Vic Expo in Melbourne in October, and following the show we caught up with Lorenz Eberl, BCI’s chief engineer on the Citrider E development program.

standard in destructive testing and they are safe even if mistreated in charging,” Lorenz said.

NCM (Nickel Cobalt Magnesium) have

been used extensively in the automotive

sector but these are in general not as safe and have been banned in commercial vehicles in China.

Lorenz Eberl says that the other key

factors in regards to its battery selection are power density, life expectancy and cost.

‘The company we are using has a

tremendous safety record and we have a

battery life expectancy of eight years when used in the BCI Citirider E application,” he said.

He says that they have not skimped

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on anything when it comes to the componentry and specs for the Citirider E and also made the bus as simple and straightforward as possible to ensure low maintenance, reliability and longevity.

“We have used the best suppliers, like ZF for axles and suspension, Bosch power steering, Thermo King air conditioning, Continental wiring and multiplexing and so on, these are the best choices for safety and reliability,” Lorenz added.

The LFP battery chemistry provides a battery capacity of 403 kWh with the battery packs delivering a nominal 589 Volts while the electric drives are permanent magnet synchronous motors rated at a continuous 195 kW with peak power output of 350 kW and rated continuous torque of 2060 Nm and peak torque of 3500 Nm. The claimed driving range is around 350 km in urban conditions with a charging time 3.5 hours using a 120 kW charger.

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Clearly there are some challenges for selling the electric bus concept and Eberl says these include operator range anxiety, high up front entry cost and electricity supply and charging infrastructure.

“Battery life is a real issue but EV buses are extremely reliable these days and this is improving all the time,” he says.

While the new Citirider E bus will require charging stations to replenish the battery packs, Eberl believes that operators can reduce the number of stations through a charging distribution station that could be simultaneously used by multiple buses at the same depot while choosing less expensive cost-energy timeframes to optimise costs.

“We will assist customers to navigate the range limitations due to battery capacity constraints, the higher up-front purchase costs, charging infrastructure availability, battery durability and life cycle management, to ensure the ownership

experience and performance of the BCI Citirider E excels our customers’ expectations,” said Eberl.

The other question mark over electric buses is the cost of powering them and while you don’t have to fill a diesel tank the

cost of the electricity has to be a factor.

“A lot depends on the price of the electricity, in reality you can budget on about 1kWh of electricity per kilometre travelled, so if you are buying electricity at say five cents per kWh its going to be a lot more economic than if you are buying it at 30 cents per kWh,” said Lorenz.

Strategies for operating electric buses on this basis need to be thought about, with an overnight ‘off peak’ recharge potentially saving the operator quite a bit of money.

To underline the goal of producing an electric bus for Australia Lorenz says there had to be a focus on the unique requirements and operating conditions.

“For a start Australian city buses are 2.5

metres wide and generally about 12.49 metres long, while in Europe they are now 2.55metres wide and 12 metres long, then you have the capacity with Australian operators needing more seats and less standing room because of the nature of the routes,” said Lorenz.

“As well as that in Europe 2-axle city buses are allowed to run with higher axle loads than in Australia and that poses its own challenges, so we really set out to design a bus for Australian operations,” he added.

The Citirider E is 12490mm long, 3400mm high and is 2490mm wide, ideally suited for Aussie urban bus operations.

Suspension is via ZF air suspension with ECAS while as mentioned in the brake department it uses the Wabco package of ABS, ESC, EBS3 and disc brakes.

The body and chassis frame is manufactured from 4003 stainless steel and bus boasts a capacity of 45

metro seats with standing capacity of 20 passengers for a 65 passenger total capacity Lorenz pointed to the ‘smart’ braking offered by the Wabco EBS3 system, that melds perfectly with the electric driveline and the regenerative braking function.

“The driver doesn’t have to worry about controlling regenerative braking, they just push the brake pedal and the system manages the braking force and how much regenerative retardation, with the systems interacting every 10 milliseconds,” he said.

Eberl says that another area where BCI had to be smart about the development of the Citrider E was with the air conditioning, which is a self-contained roof mounted

ThermoKing unit, which uses a reverse cycle architecture to cool and heat the bus. The system compressor is electrical taking a feed from the battery to drive the compressor.

“We had to get a little bit clever with the air con because it can chew up a lot

of energy from the battery, so we have used an innovative and very efficient unit from Thermo King that is not only energy efficient but very effective ” he said.

Componentry like this also emphasises the lack of moving parts within the Citirider E. There are for instance no drive belts anywhere in the bus, a factor that drastically reduces maintenance, checks and ultimately reliability. In the same vein the electric motor means there is no drive shafts and no gearbox so a lot less moving parts.

‘The ZF power steering is electric over hydraulic like in most buses. It uses high voltage to drive the hydraulic pump, but it has a secondary 28-volt back up in the pump motor which takes over if in the unlikely event of high voltage supply. This means the driver still has 80 per cent of the steering assistance, which will enable them to complete the route without being stuck with no steering.”

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Cleverness is all around in the Citrider E and particularly with the charging technology which is a system that complies with the ISO 15118 standard with a plug that is the common standard in Europe and is likely to be the standard across the world in time.

‘The recharge system can run up to 200 amps without cooling the charging leads which means the bus can be fully recharged in 3.5 hours,” said Lorenz.

“That’s important for scheduling and

maximising efficiencies,” Lorenz said.

Clearly BCI has done a thorough job in developing the Citirider E and with a growing demand for zero emission buses, that is likely to absolutely snowball in the next few years, it seems the company has landed its electric option at just the right time.

“There is still some resistance from operators, but this will quickly change,” Lorenz opined. “However we’ve seen it in Europe where an operator will order one bus as a trial and then a short time later

will order 30 electric buses and soon after that another 70 or so, so the acceptance and uptake will come pretty quickly after they have tried electric,” he added.

That shows how quickly the electric revolution will roll on and we believe it will happen with a rush, similar to the rush of acceleration you get from an electric vehicle, quietly, quickly and without fuss.

Coach & Bus looks forward to bringing you a test drive of the Citirider E and bringing it to you in the near future.

WHO IS BCI? BCI was started by Ron Nazzari as a small, family-run operation in Perth in 1991 and today BCI’s head office is still located in Perth, with dealerships in Victoria, Queensland and South Australia, as well as having an export flow to New Zealand, North America and Europe.

These days Ron Nazzari is chairman and his long time friend and associate Desmond Armstrong is the CEO Initially BCI began building buses in Western Australia but later moved manufacturing operations offshore, while maintaining its design and engineering operations processes in Australia In 2011 BCI opened a purpose-built production facility at Xiamen in China. The facility has a production capacity of up to 1,200 buses per year and boasts greater quality control and state-of-the-art manufacturing machinery.

The BCI joint venture factory employs more than 500 staff including more than 80 design and production engineers. There are also more than 25 expats from various countries working on a number of projects for different international markets.

BCI says all its buses are built to international statutory requirements and all in-house manufacturing and design meet ISO 9001 standards with conformity of production certificates for Australia and Europe as well as being authorised builders of bodies on Mercedes Benz, Scania and MAN chassis as well as pods (passenger units) onto full drive trucks from makers including Isuzu, Mercedes-Benz, Hino and Fuso.

The BCI factory boasts a state-of-the-art assembly line with six spray booths, a rain simulator, on-site test track and more than 37,000 square metres of floor space on a 97,000 square metre site.

BCI’s manufacturing joint venture partnership is with industrial conglomerate Weichai and the partnership has also allowed BCI to make full use of the high-tech Weichai research facility in Shanghai with full access to all the research engineering resources and includes advanced computer software.

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Bus Expo

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Busworld was held in Brussels for the first time this year. The biggest bus show in the world attracted scores of vehicle manufacturers from Europe,China, Korea and around the globe, with a clear focus and themer emerging – and that was electric. Most of the major manufacturers featured electric version of their buses and coaches, and we take a look inside the massive Busworld show. www.truckandbus.net.au 041

I

t was clear that a major focus for most exhibitors at Busworld was clean vehicles, with most displaying new vehicles with hydrogen fuel cell machines

vying with pure battery electric vehicles.

The Grand Award for bus of the show

was presented to the ground breaking

hydrogen-fuel cell Van Hool Exqui.City 18, while the Grand Award for coach

making it very useful in dense urban areas.

ADL is working closely with Chinese

battery electric bus builder BYD, and is

very involved in the construction of electric

buses, with BYD supplying the electric drive, and ADL constructing the chassis and body.

CAETANO Portuguese bus maker Caetano recently

went to the Volvo 9900.

won a contract for 34 electric city buses

of the Van Hool Exqui.City, including the

to be built was on display along with the

centrally located controls and excellent

buses in its range, and also its ground

of cameras covering the entire external

Caetano announcing recently that it will

Ecology Label for its greater autonomy

Toyota’s fuel cell technology in its buses.

The Show jury praised the safety features

for use in London and the first of those

completely separated driver’s cockpit with

other electric buses in the range electric

visibility for the driver with a multitude

breaking hydrogen fuel cell bus with

area of the bus. It also won the Bus

be the first company in Europe to use

in comparison with pure electric buses.

The Volvo 9900 coach won the coach

Caetano’s H2.City Gold is the new

hydrogen fuel cell electric bus utilising

of the show with good scores on design,

the same 60kW Toyota fuel cell stack

acceleration and was highly praised for

range of around 400km on a single tank

Award again.

electricity to run its 180kW electric motor.

the Mercedes-Benz eCitaro for its highly

are positioned on the bus’s roof, to

cockpit, the space, accessibility and the

very spacious interior with substantial

maintenance, ride quality, comfort and

as the Toyota Mirai and boasting a

safety, which meant it also won the Safety

of hydrogen. The fuel cell supplied the

The Comfort Award for a bus went to

Hydrogen tanks and the fuel cell stack

ergonomic approach to the driver’s

optimise interior space. This means a

equipment display.

passenger capacity.

The Yutong had a big show scooping

several awards including the bus Design

Label for its U12, as well as its high score

CUMMINS Cummins unveiled its next generation

for aesthetics inside and out.

battery electric system, including its

Award for its GT13 coach, also taking

time at Busworld 2019, showcasing

Thanks to the fact that Yutong uses many

technology for the bus market.

also the only electric vehicle in the coach

new low-profile battery, which measures

of emissions than the other vehicles.

an 8.9-metre-long ADL Enviro200 bus.

some of the highlights

to meet European low-floor requirements

ALEXANDER DENNIS

and maximising space.

Yutong also scooped the Coach Design

the coach Ecology Award for its ICe12.

recyclable materials in the interior. It was

category making it perform better in terms It was a marvellous show and here were

Alexander Dennis launched its European

Class II, the interurban double-decker at Busworld.

In the Class II configuration, the

13m-long and four metre-high vehicle

offers 74 high-back seats with seatbelts, as well as up to two wheelchair

new low-profile battery, for the first

the company’s advances in powertrain At the show, Cummins highlighted the

under 140mm in height, it was fitted to

This product will enable manufacturers

while maintaining a low centre of gravity

The low-profile battery was displayed as

part of a complete Battery Electric System (BES), including products from Cummins’

existing product portfolio such as the high energy BP74E batteries mounted in the

roof and the Cummins System Controller.

Other components included the new

spaces, and room for up to 40 standing

Cummins Integrated e-Drive – a single

staircases and a fully step-free lower deck.

motor, transmission and inverter into

passengers. It features three doors, two ADL also displayed its new double-

decker Enviro 400 ER Hybrid, the ER

standing for Electric Range, which can run for around five kilometres solely using its electric drive with out firing up the diesel

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unit traction system which combines

a single lightweight system – and the

BP39E battery, which brings the latest

Cummins battery technology to a smaller footprint, are part of Cummins’ future product roadmap.

DAIMLER The big D was also focusing on electric

drive particularly with its outstanding Citaro.

While Daimler featured a wide range of

Mercedes-Benz and Setra buses, the main focus was on its future electric drives with Daimler announcing a new eCitaro variant with the electric articulated model, the

eCitaro G set to be available in Europe from next year with capacity of up to 145 passengers.

In addition it announced that from

2021eCitaro will be produced with next

generation battery technology and with solid-state batteries (lithium polymer

batteries) from the second half of 2020

Daimler said that from 2022, a hydrogen-

based fuel cell range extender electric bus

with will be available. This will have a small fuel cell stack creating electricity to top up the high-voltage battery while underway.

This will mean that with the fuel cell as a

range extender, the bus will be able to be configured for almost all applications.

On a smaller note Daimler gave he new

Sprinter Travel 75 its world premiere at

Busworld, with the mini bus offering an increased passenger capacity of 21+1 seats thanks to a new high-load axle.

HIGER Higer a name familiar to Australian

bus buyers was at Busworld in a big

way launching two new electric service buses.

The 5.8m wheelbase E8 is a pure

battery electric bus, which seats up to

16 passengers with an extra 36 standing passengers. The E8 uses Higer’s own electric control system coupled to a

Prestolite MD90 electric motor and offers a 200km range.

The second new Higer was the E12, a

12m battery electric bus using a Siemens

motor and CATL water-cooled battery pack offering a range of approximately 250km,

and due to the cooling across a wide cross section of climate environments without

reliability or range issues and the company claims it improves the battery life cycle

by around 30 per cent. It also has special air-conditioning and cooling functions to

ensure the consistent battery temperature.

Higer has cut the weight of the bus by

approximately 500kg compared with the previous generation.

Higer in Australia seems to be focused

solely on the little H7 although some

whispers have been made about electric versions in the near future.

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IRIZAR Spain’s Irizar displayed the latest generation of its i4 in Brussels,

IVECO Iveco Bus unveiled its new E-WAY available in 9.5m, 12m and

claiming the latest generation features a lighter and more

18m lengths with overnight slow charging or fast charging using

of the front end, new optional full-LED headlights providing up to

means that the vehicle is capable of matching customer specific

aerodynamic design, along with integrated radar in the centre

30 per cent more lighting capacity, rectangular end-outline marker

LED fog and pilot lights, full LED tail lights, a new windscreen with greater curvature, more robust windscreen wiper system, updated lever design and a three-section rear bumper.

The company also displayed a new door opening system

on an Irizar i8, called Swing Synchro. Irizar says the door is

‘tamper-proof’ and incorporates different systems in the interior, which, along with manufacturing simplicity, enables a 50 per

cent reduction in assembly time. It also claims the ‘system is substantially more reliable.

Also on show from Irizar was the new generation of its i.e.

a pantograph and a number of battery choices, which Iveco says route requirements without having to carry unnecessary weight.

Just as it was in Melbourne at the Bus Expo Iveco placed a

lot of emphasis on its Daily based bus range with the newest

generation of the minibus represented on the stand by a Daily Tourys, and a Daily Line NP Hi-Matic available for test drive

outside the show. It also showed a the new natural version of its gas-powered six metre entry-level minibus the Daily Start.

MAN Like many others at Busworld MAN had a headline electric

bus featuring on its stand premiering the Lion City E at the show

electric 12 metre bus. The bus has been provided with a new

along with its Lion City 19 and its Lion Intercity with a D15 engine.

18 metre lengths, incorporating new batteries. The new electric

passengers was another highlight in a large and impr3essive

speeds as well as increased charging power up to 600 kW.

LOH engine comes with power options including 280, 330 and

exterior and interior design, and is available in 10, 12, 15 and

Irizar is claimed to have greater flexibility in terms of charging

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The three axle 18.75m Lion they 19 Hybrid with seating for 38

stand while it also unveiled the Lion Intercity with a new D1556

360hp engines. MAN also revealed an expansion of its gearbox

at the rear of the vehicle, which in the diesel version will become

gearbox from the new generation MAN TipMatic range being

passengers, or up to five with a wheelchair.

portfolio for its intercity bus with the automated 12-speed

launched. MAN claims the new gearbox features improved

performance from moving-off and an improved gearbox control unit with MAN’s proprietary gearshift strategy.

MAN also announced the expansion of its TGE minibus range,

a vehicle based on the Crafter range from its parent company, VW. It showed the eTGE Combi, the first fully electric MAN minibus

in the range along with the MAN TGE City.

MELLOR Making its worldwide debut at the show was Mellor’s latest

innovation, the Pico that is aimed at the Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) and taxi-bus markets.

The Pico features a fully flat floor throughout the saloon area,

combined with a step height into the vehicle of 250mm and wheelchair access via a full-width fold-out ramp.

The Pico is based on the long wheelbase Fiat Ducato, and

then converted to full electric by Mellor using an Emoss electric

drivetrain. The batteries are neatly fitted into a purpose-built boot

a boot. In the electric version seating is provided for up to six

The Pico’s range is claimed to be just 80 km with a recharging

time of two hours.

Also on the stand were the Orion E and a high-specification

version of a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 516-based Strata LF.

SCANIA Scania was one of the key players at Busworld and presented its new

generation Citywide range of city and suburban buses at the show.

The Swedish manufacturer unveiled its new Citywide BEV

battery electric bus equipped with a 300kW electric motor and

batteries divided, with four fitted in the roof and four in the rear

overhang to ensure a lower centre of gravity. And good balance.

It also features fast charging through an inverted pantograph.

Scania also showed its hybrid electric 12-metre low-floor city

buses with side-mounted engine placement using seven or ninelitre engine options, coupled to its electric motor.

Scania says total passenger capacity has been raised to a maximum

of 100 depending on the propulsion system and layout chosen.

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The new Scania features an updated

interior styling, with lighter colours on the roof and side panels, larger side

windows and a higher ceiling line as

well as flat design side and ceiling panels.

The aim has been to allow more natural light inside the bus to create a feeling of spaciousness.

SOLARIS Poland’s Solaris unveiled three new zero-

emission buses in Brussels. Again electric buses were the star act with its Urbino

18 electric articulated bus featuring new

high energy density batteries that promise to deliver a range of 200km on a single

charging session, irrespective of road and weather conditions.

Solaris also unveiled its Urbino 12

hydrogen, which it claims can cover up to 350km on a single hydrogen refill and the company says it has already sold a fleet of 12 of the fuel cell powered machines to a customer in Northern Italy.

It also unveiled the new Trollino 24 –

a bi-articulated zero emission public

transport platform which can carry 215 passengers. The Trollino 24’s driveline

consists of two 160kW electric traction

motors propelling two drive axles, with a

58kWh battery pack which can be charged during the drive, collecting current from the overhead line via a pantograph

traditionally used in trolleybuses. The

energy accumulated in the batteries is

used to fuel the trolleybus whenever it is detached from the electric traction line.

VAN HOOL On home turf in Belgium local bus maker

Van Hool was out to make a splash and

brought 18 vehicles to the show, including

VOLVO For the big Swede it was an important

show and the company was launching

the articulated version of its electric 7900 single-decker, along with a new 15-metre version of its 9700 coach adding to the

12, 13 and 14 metre versions already on

the market making it nine variants of the advanced coach now on the market.

The 7900 Electric Articulated can carry

up to 150 passengers, with four sets of

double-doors and it marks the completion of Volvo’s range of electrified buses. In Europe Volvo is offering the bus on a

fixed, predetermined cost per kilometre, including servicing, repairs, battery

maintenance and driver training as well as

entire project management, including route simulation and analysis to implementation of charging infrastructure.

It’s available in either 18m or 18.7m

lengths and the number of batteries can be varied to provide the exact energy

storage capacity needed for each vehicle, with charging able to take place either along the route or at the depot.

Volvo says the bus has been developed

to work well in hilly terrain, and is capable

of a fully loaded start on a 20 degree uphill grade. It can also be equipped with Volvo

Dynamic Steering, which the manufacturer

claims will aid the driver by reducing strain on the shoulders, arms and back.

Volvo also revealed developments with

its hybrid buses, which now have the

ability to drive emission-free during more of their operating schedule. Both new

and existing hybrid buses with Euro VI

technology can be equipped with Volvo Zone Management, which geofences

certain areas for electric-only operation.

seven coaches and one bus on the show

YUTONG

outside. It presented three all new battery

Europe having just delivered its 500th

floor and a further 10 for test drives electric or fuel cell electric buses.

Its Hydrogen fuel cell-powered Exqui.

City articulated bus was shown as a ready

for the road model with the bus on display set to start service in the southern French city of Pau immediately after Busworld.

The Exqui.City has a capacity of 125

passengers and can be refuelled in 10

minutes, with a range of approximately 300km on a tank of hydrogen.

Van Hool also showed its electrically-

China’s Yutong is well established in

bus in the UK and it hopes to continue building on that with the models it launched at Busworld.

Electric was also the key word for

Yutong with its next generation U12

electric city bus, featuring a new design

style using composite material to reduce the weight of the 11.9metre bus, which has an energy store of 422kW/h with capacity for 94 passengers.

It also showed the new13.75 metre GT13

powered CX45E coach, designed

coach has been designed to follow on

Proterra E2 battery technology with total

of 59 passengers or 57 when fitted with a

working range of approximately 300km.

MX11 330hp engine.

specifically for the American market using battery capacity of 648Kwh, providing a

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the styling of the GT12. It has a capacity

toilet and in Europe it is powered by a DAF

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Road Test

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It’s not often that we get a chance here at Coach & Bus to put a bus to the test in real world conditions. Yes, we drive buses and do road tests, but it is not that often that you can get a full compliment of passengers onboard to test the bus in the way It would be used every day, which is what we did with Fuso’s highly popular Rosa.

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S

o it was that we were asked by our local winter swimming club to organise some ground transport in Perth for our Dee Why Ice Picks team at the National Winter Swimming titles, then we swung into action coming up with the idea of road testing an appropriate sized bus for the 19 member squad who would be travelling to the WA capital for the event.

As it turned out Fuso’s Rosa fitted the bill perfectly with enough seats for our group and some to spare so.

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It wouldn’t be crowded.

The Fuso Rosa is available in 22 and 25 seat capacities in 7.0 and 7.7 metre wheelbases and in standard and deluxe specification.

Our test vehicle was the 25 seater in the 7.0 metre configuration and in the standard trim level All use the same 4.9-litre turbo diesel four cylinder engine cranking out 110kW and 441Nm with a choice of six speed manual or six speed auto transmissions, our test truck featured the smooth

shifting Aisin 6-speed auto.

The engine delivers. Good strong torque and coupled with the auto gives excellent take off from stand still to cruising speed, easily shifting up through the six-speed auto. The Rosa has a retarder stalk on the left hand side of the steering column and this can be easily used to slow the bus and minimise the need for using the service brakes.

Switchgear is all very well laid out although the dash has a slightly dated appearance in our view, although. There

is a new Rosa on the way with the chance that this will be updated.

The rounded Rosa is easy on the eye and a well-equipped bus that features a front access door making it easier for the driver to watch people’s access to and from the vehicle.

It has large bonded passenger windows, seat belts to each seat and a rear air conditioning unit with numerous air vents which all made it easier for our team to enjoy the sight seeing opportunities around Perth and the banks

of the Swan as well as the city’s brilliant west facing beaches and coastline.

The group contained a real cross section of swimmers from some in their 30s through to our oldest participant in their 80s, so access and seating comfort was vital. All agreed the Rosa was a very comfortable and relaxed way for the group to get around the WA capital.

The electrically operated side door works OK but it was a little slow at times and because it moves out and back when opening it is fairly easy to give a

passenger waiting on the footpath a bit of a scare. The one small gripe we have with the Rosa is the front passenger seat and the difficulty in accessing it, with the occupant needing to scramble over the high engine/transmission hump to take the seat or exit it.

A reverse camera is part of the multimedia system that also contains hard wired satnav and Bluetooth phone connectivity, which is not only easy to use and connect to but offers good sound throughout the bus. The reversing

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“ IT IS A WELL KNOWN AND LOVED PRODUCT IN THE MARKET AND AFTER A FOUR DAY STINT WITH THE ROSA IT IS EASY TO UNDERSTAND ITS POPULARITY”

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camera and the multi media unit are great and very easy to use, with a large, and high definition screen showing a wide perspective for the reversing camera allowing the driver some confidence that he is not going to hit something or someone when backing up. The controls for the audio system are easy to use and linking a phone to the Bluetooth is also a simple task.

Built on a conventional ladder chassis, Rosa rides on an independent front suspension with double wishbones, coils and a transverse leaf spring. The rear is a live axle but its ride is excellent with al of the swimming squad agreeing it was a smooth and comfortable way to get around.

Steering is by rack and pinion and the front brakes feature double calipers for strong stopping power. Better still are

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the Michelin tyres fitted as standard equipment on 16-inch rims. All of that combines to deliver excellent ride and sharp handling for a 25-seat bus.

It will tow a braked trailer up to 2000kg and has a maximum load capacity depending on the model of between 5900kg-6285kg, however our group was able to fit all its luggage and needs into the bus with little fuss and no need for a luggage trailer Emissions are reduced through a diesel particle filter while the fuel tank holds a handy 100 litres. Not that our four days with the Rosa needed very much fuel and across the 150 kilometres we travelled over the weekend the bus consumed around 38 litres of fuel or about 3.9 km to the litre which is pretty reasonable given a near full payload of passengers and luggage.

Fuso covers the Rosa with a 5 year

“Bumper to Bumper’’ warranty and a guaranteed buy back price if an owner chooses to go that way.

There are other competitors including the new Coaster which doesn’t have as many seats and costs more while there are also the Chinese models, including the reborn Higer H7, formerly called the Monro as well as offerings from Yutong, but the Rosa offers a very good overall package in this sector of the market, combining the right size, good dynamics, comfort and practicality with storing pricing and a reputation for long term reliability and durability.

“It is a well known and loved product in the market and after a four day stint with the Rosa it is easy to understand its popularity and our time with the bus could be easily summed up, ‘It just went swimmingly’!

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P

eugeot Citroen Australia, the Inchcape owned distributor for the dual French brands, has re focussed its Peugeot commercial

vehicle objectives and the result is three van models spanning from the smaller

Partner panel van, to the mid-size Expert and the bigger Boxer. Both Partner and

Boxer are expected to arrive here at about the time this issue hits the newsstands.

The Expert, however has been on sale

here since April and so far Peugeot has

sold less than 100 of them. It could take some work to get this impressive van

on the shopping lists of van buyers, not

because its bad, but solely because the Peugeot brand has not had decades of recognition and acceptance in the van

market like Toyota and all of the others.

The French have a flair and a savoire

faire that even other Europeans often miss, in this case the Expert is a terrific van to

drive and delivers fabulous dynamics and

manners, with low NVH, plenty of urge and excellent handling.

Price may be an issue for some,

particularly up against the price leading

Chinese models from LDV and to a lesser extent Hyundai’s excellent iLoad. The

Peugeot kicks off at around $36,490 for

the base model SWB ranging up through five variants to the flagship BlueHDi 180 auto at a whopping $45,890. Having

said that the Expert does have a fairly

significant kit of standard equipment and accoutrement.

Our week behind the wheel of the

flagship model was a very satisfying

experience tackling a range of roads and

conditions and even a number of different and at times significant loads.

The Expert comes equipped with

autonomous emergency braking (AEB), adaptive cruise control, speed sign recognition, blind-spot monitoring,

high-beam assist, front and rear parking sensors, and a rear-view camera that stitches together images to create a

static 180-degree view of the vehicle’s surroundings as you reverse.

In Europe Peugeot is a major player in the commercial van market but its presence in the commercial scene in Australia has been spasmodic and patchy, and the brand has always struggled to establish a strong sales volume up against the might of Toyota and the other Japanese and Korean vans, not to mention its Euro counterparts from Renault, VW, Benz and Ford. We test drove Peugeot’s new entrant in the van market, the Expert and came away impressed.

It is rare that a commercial vehicle

gets that sort of safety package and

its interesting that those that are going

down this path are reaping the rewards and increasing sales particularly with

companies and government agencies

with an eye on corporate responsibility, duty of care and OH&S. This has been

evident in the medium truck arena where

Hino and Fuso have been making ground with a similar package. The only problem

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for Peugeot is that the new version of the market leading Toyota HiAce has been given a similar kit at a lower price. Still it is impressive and is ahead of a lot of similarly priced passenger cars.

Centre stage in the cockpit is the seven inch touchscreen infotainment screen which comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for interfacing with phones, mirroring phone functions on the integrated screen which has been designed nicely and works well. Thankfully Peugeot engineers have included a volume dial rather than volume up and down buttons which are a personal peeve for this writer. The dial is the only safe option in a moving vehicle in our view.

The dash is nicely laid out and easy to use with big easy to read dials and tactile switch gear.

Other standard gear includes automatic headlights and wipers, 16-inch steel wheels, and something Peugeot calls ‘Moduwork’, which is a lower bulkhead that can be removed to allow long lengths

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of timber, conduit or pipe to be laid through the back load area and use up added floor space on the passenger side of the cab. It actually delivers an added 1.15m in load length, which makes it very handy and convenient.

The seats are extremely supportive and very comfortable with room for the driver and potentially two passengers across the cabin, while there is also plenty of adjustment to give the driver the right seating position and angle to the steering wheel.

The centre armrest is a well designed, fold down unit that is a bit like Inspector Gadget in offering a range of functions that make working in the cab a whole lot easier. The armrest can double as a swivel laptop table with a storage area under the seat base of the middle seat, which can also be used as an icebox for drinks and for keeping lunches cool through a day at work.

Our 180 LWB version measures up at 5309mm long and like all variants is

2204mm wide, while our version had a height of 1935mm, although the shorter 150 model is 1895mm high and 4950 mm long. The standard wheelbase across all variants is 3725mm, something that contributes to the Expert’s very good 12.4m turning circle.

The really important stats in a work van like the Peugeot are the load area dimensions and capacity. The 180 boasts a load length of 2862mm ( extending another 1.15m as mentioned by opening the Muduwork bulkhead giving a load length of up to 4024mm).

The smaller 150 variants offer lengths of 2512 in normal config and 3672 when opening the bulkhead.

The load area in all models is 1258mm wide between the wheel arches, making it capable of swallowing a pallet. In fact the Expert will take three Euro Pallets line astern, while our 180 boasted a 6.1 cubic metre load capacity, with the standardbody models rated at 5.3 cubic.

Weight, always a touchy subject, sees

the Expert 180 boast a GVM of 3000kg and that means a substantial payload of 1250kg, while the braked towing capacity is 2200kg.

The BlueHDi automatic we tested uses a Euro 6 spec turbo diesel and is only available with the six-speed automatic and the combination works superbly with smooth shifts and plenty of power and torque, even with a decent load onboard.

Speaking of power, the 2.0-litre fourcylinder turbo-diesel delivers a maximum of 130kW and a very usable 400Nm of torque, with drive sent to the front wheels via the six-speed automatic.

With ample flexible power and torque, a set back driving position with the engine sitting out in front of the cockpit and the balance that this delivers, the Expert truly does give car like handling and performance.

The Expert has ride quality and handling that is equally good whether laden or unladen and with no load in the back it still has good manners and a smooth ride.

Load it up and there doesn’t seem to be any discernible difference in ride and noise levels. The standard solid bulkhead also helps in insulating the cabin from the load area, so there is less drumming and echo from an empty rear.

At cruising speed on the motorway the Expert hums along in sixth gear and averaged 7.4 litres per 100km fuel consumption during our time with it, which is still impressive despite being more than the stated manufacturer’s figures of 6.2L/100km combined average.

Driving the Expert is surprisingly fun, with the paddle shifters behind the wheel adding to the performance experience and also the convenience, combining well with the torquey punch of the turbo diesel, allowing you to negotiate traffic with zip and aplomb.

The Expert shares the same modular EMP2 platform architecture that is used by Peugeot models including the 308, 3008 and 5008 which clearly helps to deliver that car like car-like handling and feel, but

it doesn’t take away from the utility and working practicality of the Expert as a van.

We had first hand experience of this when we loaded it with boxes of magazines weighing in at around 800kg as well as transporting a load of waste vegetation to the local recycling centre. In both instances we barely noticed the load and it drove easily and smoothly with no lack of urgency.

While having a five year warranty the Expert’s coverage is limited by a 200,000km cap which means it doesn’t have as good a safety net as rivals the Ford Transit and Volkswagen Transporter although it is ahead of many of its other rivals.

The Peugeot Expert is a van of rare poise and performance in the commercial vehicle market and one that should be on shopping lists, it is just price, lack of reputation and a tiny dealer network that may prove too big a leap for many buyers.

However if you take the chance the Expert could be a very satisfying buy.

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Company Car

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There are only a handful of cars that can trace their appearance and roots back decades to the immediate post war years. One of those cars is the Jeep Wrangler.

In Company Car this issue we take a ride down memory lane with the latest Wrangler.

U

ntil a few weeks ago when Volkswagen produced the last Beetle there were to our reckoning just three such examples of vehicles directly linked to their original designs from the late 1940 and early 50s. With the demise of the VW Beetle there are now just two, the Porsche 911 and the Jeep Wrangler. Sure both are evolutions but the same basic shape remains from when their designers first penciled their looks on a drawing board in a design office some where in either Germany or the USA. The Jeep Wrangler can in fact trace its routes back to the early part of WWII when the US military called for a go anywhere, lightweight vehicle to get soldiers into and out of difficult battle conditions. It was the staple of the US army’s basic transport needs for many decades till the HumV came along.

When you slip behind the wheel of the latest Wrangler you can feel many of the compromises that come with a package that has its origins in the early 1940s. Sure things have moved on and there is a whole lot more creature comfort, performance and safety but that unmistakable Jeep styling and rugged off road appearance remains and it is a hit with lots of buyers looking for a lifestyle machine that looks like it can take them anywhere, even though most of the time the speed bumps in the shopping centre car park are as severe an off road challenge they’re likely to meet.

With a price tag of $58450 this Wrangler is a long way from those basic machines that GIs piloted across the theatres of war over so many years.

These days it has a very well equipped and quite luxurious interior, despite the limitations of the overall design and package size, but more of that later.

The Overland is the most expensive version of the 2-door Wrangler, there is also a soft-top version, which is close to $9,500 less However the Overland offers removable FRP roof panels that while adding to its top down appeal, are somewhat cumbersome. They can be stowed in a provided bag, however it is a little time consuming and the panels take up quite a bit of valuable real estate in the Wrangler’s cramped interior.

Speaking of the interior, the dash is a flat panel filled with gauges and switches, along with some padding and leather trim The centre of the flat dash is dominated by a big 8.4-inch LCD touch screen display that has been drawn directly from Fiat Chrysler central casting and operates with the Group’s latest UConnect system.

It works well and is quite intuitive and easy to read as well as interfacing with both Android and Apple CarPlay.

Heating, venting and air con controls are below the LCD display and are generally easy to use while below that is a panel with buttons for the power window a 12 volt power outlet/cigarette lighter and a ports for USB and media connections.

The centre console is dominated by the

www.truckandbus.net.au 061

gear selector and the transfer case lever.

Oh yes dear reader this is an old school off roader with the ability to select 2WD or either high or low ratio 4WD. No electronic selection or selector dial here.

The two bucket seats up front are covered in leather, are well shaped and supportive with terrific support and comfort and are also heated to keep the derriere warm on the coldest winter days, and if the pinkies are a bit cold the steering wheel is also leather and heated as well.

Getting back to the Wrangler’s cramped interior one area that stood out for us was the crowded nature of the driver’s wheel well, which has clearly suffered in the conversion from its original left hand drive to right hand drive for down under.

This is demonstrated by the size of the passenger foot well, which has much more room. And speaking of cramped, don’t event try to sit in the back seat if you are over about 155cm, room is at a premium and it is more a convenience than a really usable space. The rear seats can be folded down for extra luggage space, which is also at a premium. Like we said the Jeep is a compromise.

The tailgate operation is also a bit compromised, with the glass upper part dependent on the swing out tailgate with its accompanying spare tyre bolted aboard before it can be opened. This makes it

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difficult to just lift the window to drop some gear in, or access the rear space.

The auto is the eight speed ZF unit that is the industry standard these days. It is a superb gearbox with smooth almost imperceptible shifts and a clever logic control that mostly sees the car always in the right ratio.

Up front under that familiar bonnet is the FCA 3.6-litre Pentastar petrol V6, producing 209kW at 6350rpm and 347Nm at 4300rpm. Its an engine that spins freely and willingly and has no shortage of urge, in fact to our way of thinking probably too much in some occasions. The urge off the line lifts the nose and comes on with a rush at times. It is almost to a bit over eager and uneven, even with quite light throttle inputs. Its smooth but a little unnerving in the rush that it delivers and it would be nice to have it arrive more evenly.

We found the steering to be a little too vague at cruising speeds and a little slow for parking and maneuvering.

It has clearly been geared for off roading where it works well, but perhaps a small compromise might have been engineered in, lets face it the Wrangler will spend most of its time in urban climes but would still be capable off road if the steering was given a more on road performance characteristic.

Under those big guards and flares are

some substantial 255/70R18 Bridgestone Duellers mounted on quite attractive alloy rims which work well with good on road grip and road holding, while working OK in everyday off road work - yes you got it, a compromise.

When it comes to ride and handling the soft nature of the springs always made us feel the Wrangler was teetering on the edge and wallowed just a bit too much for our liking, given its short wheelbase, it feels inherently unstable at the best of times. We understand why it is like this, again for off road climbing and grip, but Chrysler engineers could have tightened it up a little to make feel a bit more stable.

The softness also makes for that nose lift under acceleration and a real nose dive under braking which only adds to the unstable feel and nervousness at the limit.

Of course it comes with electronic stability control and autonomous emergency braking as well as active cruise control as well as driver and front passenger airbags but the old nature of the chassis design means the Wrangler labours under a one star safety rating, which some may see as a major purchasing impediment.

As we keep saying the Wrangler is a compromise and it is a car that will appeal to a particular buyer purchasing more with the heat than the head. It is fun but would be difficult to live with day to day.

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064 Money Matters A STRONG CASE FOR THINKING GLOBAL AND A BIT OF BARGAIN HUNTING

W

hat a crazy world we live in. A new market index has been launched that measures the impact of US President Donald Trump’s tweets on global asset markets.

The brainchild of US investment bank JP Morgan, the ‘Volfefe’ index is so-named by a combination of ‘volatility’ and ‘covfefe’ – a mystery word that many believe to be a spelling mistake, used in one of Trumps 2017 tweets.

The index gauges the effect of the President’s tweets on the US bond market.

Happily, it turns out his comments have only a minor impact.

It’s all a bit tongue in cheek, though it does highlight how Trump has drawn attention to global asset markets. Maybe that’s not a bad thing.

As an investor it can be tempting to focus on home turf, and overlook opportunities that lie offshore. While there’s a lot to be said for investing in something you understand, there are drawbacks to focusing on the Australian share market.

The Aussie stock market is heavily concentrated in a few industries. If you want to invest in financial stocks or the resource sector, you certainly won’t have a problem.

One-third of ASX 200 companies operate in the finance sector. Almost 20 per cent of listed companies are in mining and resources. That’s close to half the market in just two industries.

The world is a big place, and 98 per cent of global shares are found outside Australia. Moreover, international share markets offer a far wider variety of industries, bringing valuable diversity to a portfolio.

The MSCI World ex-Australia Index confirms the breadth of industries that are available when you think globally.

Digitisation and artificial intelligence are radically reshaping our world. So it’s no surprise that tech companies like Microsoft, Apple, Facebook, and Alphabet (which owns Google) are among the world’s ten biggest listed stocks. In fact,

064 www.truckandbus.net.au

the tech sector accounts for 17 per cent of global share markets. Yet here in Australia the IT industry makes up just 2.5 per cent of the share market.

Another of the world’s top ten listed companies is Johnson & Johnson – a major player in the global pharmaceutical industry, a sector where there is slim pickings in the Aussie market. It’s a similar story with industries like aerospace that have little or no representation on our local market.

Sure, international shares offer geographic diversity and a chance to get a slice of the action in growing regions like Asia. However, diversifying your portfolio by industry and sector is just as important.

A good selection of exchange traded funds with a global focus are listed on the Australian Stock Exchange, and they offer a world of opportunity at very low cost for investors.

Meantime on a similar but slightly different vein we all like to think we’re deal hunters. The trouble is, we often sweat the small stuff without seeing the bigger picture. And it’s burning a multibillion dollar hole in our wallets each year.

Research by Heritage Bank found that three-quarters of Australians say they know how to chase a good deal. But we have a habit of obsessing over short term savings on minor purchases – like food and clothing. By overlooking opportunities for a better deal on our major financial products, we’re collectively letting $7.4 billion slip through our fingers annually.

Part of the problem is inertia. There’s plenty of competition in our financial sector. We just don’t always make the most of it to get a better deal – sticking with the same provider we’ve always used can seem so much easier.

By way of example, a recent report by consumer body, the ACCC, found Aussies are paying too much for foreign currency (FX) conversion services. People who use the big four banks to send money overseas could have collectively saved about $150 million in the space of a year by using a cheaper service – of which there are many.

It’s a similar story with home loans.

Research by Uno Home Loans found one in four of us go straight to our existing bank for a mortgage. The crazy thing is, even with a loan in place, 63 per cent of home owners stick with the same bank, despite the potential to save tens of thousands of dollars over the life of a loan by switching to a cheaper lender.

It can be the same with investing.

The fees we pay on superannuation can have a massive impact over time. A Stockspot report found you could be about $200,000 better off over your lifetime by investing your super in a fund charging annual fees below 1 per cent compared to fund with fees of 2 per cent. Yet plenty of Australians have their super in a fund where the annual fees top 2.6 per cent.

Just as a higher interest rate isn’t a sign of a better home loan, paying lavish fees on investments doesn’t mean enjoying higher returns.

None of us can control investment markets. But we are free to choose how much our investments are impacted by fees. A little shopping around could leave you pleasantly surprised at how much you could save – and that’s what nailing a good deal is all about.

Paul Clitheroe is Chairman of InvestSMART, Chairman of the Australian Government Financial Literacy Board and chief commentator for Money Magazine.

Visit: paulsmoney.com.au for more information.

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| +61 2 4627 4455

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