Coach & Bus Issue 42

Issue 43 – May/June 2020 – $9.50 incl. GST

www.truckandbus.net.au

HINO GE TS SERIOUS ABOUT BUSES AGAIN HYZON HYDROGEN POWER ON THE WAY • SCANIA'S COUNTRY SCHOOL BUSES AUTONOMOUS TRIALS IN COFFS HARBOUR • VW'S MINI BUS PLANS

CONNECT and be in the know

Connectivity is nothing less than a productivity revolution, and it is now offered as standard with every new Volvo delivered. Instant data and easy-to-access reports give you an unparalleled insight to help you understand the health of your fleet and deliver a new level of control and fleet efficiency for your business.

What’s more, with Connected Services a Volvo Bus Technical Specialist is never far away. Our dedicated service team can remotely diagnose problems to get your bus or coach fixed and back on the road faster than ever. They can even use the tool to work with you to develop customised preventative maintenance plans based on real data to ensure maximum uptime.

VOLVO CONNECTED SERVICES Optimise every day

001 Drivers Seat IT HAS BEEN ONE HELL OF A SUMMER AND I DO MEAN HELL!

T

he bushfire crisis has touched all of us and particularly those who came under direct threat and those who lost houses, property,

it’s also dodging any responsibility and leaving it with others. It’s like dropping

a piece of paper and telling yourself that

cars, trucks and machinery.

Our heart goes out to all those affected,

your only one person and one piece of litter in a population of 24 million and it is a much bigger problem and everyone else

work to get everyone back on their feet again. And now we have the spectre of

If the whole emission thing is wrong and not a factor in changing our environment then all of the major automotive

and it really is a time when we as a nation need to stand shoulder to shoulder and

the global Covid 19 pandemic which is challenging us all on ways that we could never have imagined.

Recovery is not going to be easy, but we will recover given time.

Looking back at the bushfire crisis, the argument that rages about whether our

activities as human beings is affecting the climate and changing the environment

goes on and is difficult and sensitive for many. I know it is contentious to link the

fire season we have just been through and the fires in particular to climate change,

but the intensity of the drought, the early hot weather across August and September and so many other factors added to the awful Summer. Whatever is causing these shifts in how our world works then we need to do everything we can to ensure we can reduce the problem and hopefully make it better for our kids and their kids.

My personal feeling is one based around data and peer reviewed scientific

knowledge and as such believe that our activities on this planet have affected the

climate and that we should work to reduce our impact and hand a better world on to future generations.

needs to sort it out.

companies in the world and a herd of

foolhardy at best. We hope that we can

clearly loopy and in on the ‘conspiracy’ – or not!

the other side.

After that cheery lot, let’s be a bit

start-up electric and hydrogen fuel cell producers have clearly gotten it wrong.

Their engineers and scientists are all

all survive the crisis with our health and our lives and that we agree all still in business and able to earn a living on

Every, and I emphasise every automotive group is investing massively in alternative drive systems to either drastically reduce emissions or eliminate them and it is clear that 10 years from now, when we look back on 2020, that we will wonder why there was so much fuss and bother about switching to zero emission vehicles.

positive and in this issue we take a look at a China based hydrogen fuel cell

In terms of investment in R&D we are talking billions of dollars, massive sums that every board of every major automotive group is committing to. So is it all just cargo cult mentality, every one looking

across at the opposition and saying, ‘well they’re doing it, so we should to’? Or is it based in hard facts and logical thinking.

The boards of all great companies make mistakes and back the wrong choice at times, don’t even get me started about General Motors and its Holden decisions,

As I say to people who don’t believe

but the risk of every board of every automotive company getting it so wrong and investing so much in a bankrupt

we really want to pump put dirty, smelly,

will have clean, efficient, quiet and safe trucks that will make a better world for us

or even eliminate emissions?

Some may look at it and say, ‘well

benefits that these new technology trucks will bring to our planet. Yes, they may not make up a huge dent in the world’s carbon

Well yes you can look at it that way, but

every journey starts with the first step.

The Covid 19 crisis is changing by the day and to predict anything would be

in climate change, even if you don’t believe that vehicle emissions are a part of the effect on climate, then do

emissions that are injurious to people’s health into the atmosphere, when there is the ability and technology to reduce

we are just a small population down in the South Pacific and on a global basis our emissions hardly move the needle’.

developer headed up by an Australian which is aiming to give us zero emission hydrogen buses as early as this year. We also head to the North Coast of NSW to take a look at the Express Coach Building at its factory in rural Macksville, it’s a great operation and an interesting read.

There are some interesting yarns on a Scania school bus fleet in rural Victoria, a fascinating autonomous bus operation in the NSW coastal city of Coffs Harbour and we also look at Hino’s plan to rebirth its bus business to augment the success of the Poncho.

All that and a whole lot more this issue, so strap yourself in and enjoy the ride – a clean and green ride to a better and healthier future.

concept is just not worth pondering.

The investments will pay off and we

all, that is a guarantee. So, I for one look forward to the brave new world and the

emissions, but every little bit helps, and

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Issue 043

CONTENTS CONTACT DETAILS PO Box 7046 Warringah Mall NSW 2100

FEATURES

16

www.truckandbus.net.au admin@truckandbus.net.au Enquiries 02 9938 6408

Publisher Jon Thomson admin@truckandbus.net.au Editor in Chief Peter Barnwell peter@truckandbus.net.au 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

If you thought that advanced technologies for zero emission vehicles like hydrogen fuel cells are a long way off then think again. Horizon Fuel Cells, is a China based, international company, which includes some key Australian involvement and management. We sat down with its Australian boss to find out about its plans for hydrogen commercial vehicles in this country.

22 SAFE WAYS

School bus transport is changing, with a lot of schools now either running their own bus transport programs or contracting bus charter companies to provide dedicated bus transport routes for their students. We head to a small town in the Murray Valley to take a look at a school that is managing its own school bus fleet in a unique way.

Follow us on Twitter #truckandbusnews Follow us on Facebook at Truck and Bus Australia

H2 GO

28 EXPRESS DELIVERY

The sleepy NSW mid north coast town of Macksville sits on the banks of the Nambucca River and once was a banana growing centre, but these days it is host to a major bus building enterprise and has been for more than 20 years. We headed to North to get the inside story on Express.

34 SELF–SERVE

We think of technology hotspots like California , Japan, Scandinavia, Germany as the places where autonomous vehicles are being developed and tested but then we stumbled across a program testing an autonomous bus system right here in Australia, and in of all places Coffs Harbour on the North Coast of NSW.

38 IT’S A GAS

With more and more emphasis and pressure coming on bus fleets to lower emissions and reduce the carbon footprint a lot of attention has been focussed on electric power and even hydrogen fuel cells. But there are other alternative solutions that will deliver low emissions using traditional internal combustion engines. We head to Bristol in the UK to look at one such alternative.

44 LET’S GET SERIOUS

After several years of what seemed like ambivalence toward buses, Japanese maker Hino has made the decision to recommit to the Australian bus market, appointing Sara Clark as the new manager for Hino Bus. We have a chat to Sara Clark and look at how Hino is planning to supplement its truck business with a renewed and refreshed approach to the bus business.

50 THAT’S NOT ALL VOLKS!

Volkswagen has decided to chase a larger share of the light commercial ready to work market.

C&B went along to VW HQ to be briefed on the German maker’s line up of custom commercials including its exciting Crafter mini bus offerings.

Contributing Photographers Mark Bean, Cristian Brunelli, Jan Glovac

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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.

60 LCV We take a look at the Ford Transit Van.

60 COMPANY CAR Genesis.

64 MONEY

Paul Clitheroe’s latest advice on finances.

38

34 44

HINO CELEBRATES PONCHO TURNING 50 IN AUSTRALIA HINO IS CELEBRATING a milestone, having delivered the 50th Poncho bus, pointing to its size, versatility, comfort and the ability to customise it as key attributes in helping the smallsized bus establish itself in new markets in Australia.

“When it was introduced in 2017, we believed the Poncho bus would be of particular interest to community transport applications such as aged care, disability and special needs providers, schools and universities,” said Sara Clark, Manager of Hino Bus for Hino Australia.

“In addition to these markets, it has quickly established a niche for itself in on-demand services and for use in new greenfield areas such as the new Canberra suburb of Strathnairn, where two Ponchos are currently operating as free community shuttle bus services.”

The innovative on-demand service applications make up more than half of the Poncho sales volume, primarily in Sydney, followed by short route services

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such as Strathnairn.

Provided to residents of the newly-developed Strathnairn suburb by the Ginninderry Joint Venture, this free public transport service links its first residents with the broader Canberra bus network where commuters can access regular rapid services.

“Ginninderry’s choice of the Poncho for the Strathnairn service is an example of the right product for the application,” continued Ms Clark.

“The Poncho is a small urban bus option offering accessibility and comfort for all types of passengers, making it ideal for developing route services.”

These Ponchos were customised specifically for Transport Canberra operations to increase comfort for drivers and passengers including a lower inside back step; an ISRI 6860 air suspension driver’s seat; driver’s window blind, water bottle holder and perspex sun visor.

Both buses are also fitted with CCTV and handles for the driver to lift the wheelchair ramp and

to assist passengers to embark/ disembark.

“We are delighted to have the Strathnairn bus service up and running for our new residents,” said Jessica Stewart, Sustainability Manager for Ginninderry.

“The Poncho buses allows our new residents to have access to a public transport system from when they move in to their new home – rather than waiting many years for a full Transport Canberra service to be provided.

“The size and accessibility inclusions of the Poncho have made it a perfect fit for Ginninderry – the Hino team has gone above and beyond to ensure that the Poncho has met the needs of our residents, the bus drivers and government regulations.”

A key to the Poncho’s success is that it is fully compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA), well ahead of the Act being mandated in 2022.

Ultra-modern in appearance, the attractive Hino Poncho bus has an ultra-low floor design with a kerb kneeling function,

wheelchair ramp and a dedicated wheelchair space inside.

This means that wheelchair boarding takes less than a minute compared to a traditional small bus in which wheelchair access can take up to 20 minutes.

For safety, the Poncho’s large 850mm sliding door features sensitive touch technology and sensors near the entrance which stop the door from closing if there is an obstruction. The door is also prevented from opening until the bus is in neutral and has come to a complete stop – drive and reverse can only be selected again once the door is fully closed.

Measuring under seven metres in length and featuring a tight turning radius, the Hino Poncho is both highly manoeuvrable and well-equipped, with features such as power steering, telescopic and tilt-adjustable steering column, three-way adjustable driver’s seat, and air bag suspension system with stabilisers.

A rear-mounted J05E-TS 4-cylinder common-rail turbodiesel engine produces 180Hp (132kW) and 530Nm of torque while meeting Australian emission standards via a DPR emissions control system.

Its driver benefits from a standard five-speed Aisin A500 true automatic transmission, making stop-start operations both easier and more efficient.

Poncho safety features include three emergency exit points, air-over-hydraulic brakes with ABS, and a comprehensive field of vision which includes an infrared night-vision enabled reverse camera.

TRANSIT RETAINS AND EXPANDS

ADELAIDE PUBLIC TRANSPORT CONTRACT THE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN government has announced that Transit Systems, which operates in SA as Torrens Transit,has retained its existing bus passenger transport contracts with SA Transport, as well as securing a fourth contract in Adelaide’s outer north region.

The existing North South Contract Area which has been retained, includes bus and light rail services, and will bedelivered in joint venture with John Holland Group Pty Ltd and UGL Pty Ltd. The contracts will commence in early July 2020, Clint Feuerherdt Group CEO said the company is ‘excited to bring their world class innovations to the local market, including high frequency services throughout the term of the contract’.

“We passionately believe that if we make public transport more reliable and convenient, we will attract more passengers on board, which is why we seek to improve connectivity, performance and patronage in all of our contract areas,” he said.

For the North South region, Mr Feuerherdt said it has been designed as a fully integrated bus and Tram network, where both modes work together – complementing each other.

“Between high frequency services, and integrated bus and tram outcomes, we will open up new destinations on the public transport network for customers,” he said.

The addition of the tram contract secures SeaLink Travel Group’s place as one of Australia’s

most experiencedand diverse multi-modal transport operators, boasting performance-driven capabilities across ferry, bus and tram operations.

Mr Feuerherdt, said there would be a stream of service innovations implemented in due course, with public consultation beginning soon.

“The new tender has allowed us to bring in our global best practice experience, matched with our local market knowledge and history, to truly create a tailored series of network improvements for Adelaide.

“It’s a very unique opportunity for residents of Adelaide, to have one of Australia’s leading multi-modal transport operators based right here. It means we are not making assumptions or guessing - we know the market,

we know transport and we are confident we can continue to improve performance and not just attract more passengers onboard, but get them to where they are going safely, and more enjoyably,” he said.

Torrens Transit has partnered with UGL and John Holland to ensure world class tram service delivery.

UGL Managing Director Jason Spears said: “UGL has a strong reputation for operations and maintenance of heavy and light rail across Australia. This contract extends our light rail operations and maintenance capabilityalongside our Adelaide heavy rail presence. We look forward to providing a safe and quality operation for thepeople of Adelaide.” www.truckandbus.net.au 005

OPTARE SELLS 37 BEV DOUBLE DECKERS TO TRANSIT IN UK BRITISH BUS BUILDER, Optare has announced that the UK subsidiary of Australian company, Transit Systems has order 37 new battery electric Optare double decker buses, to be operated by Tower Transit in the north west suburbs of London.

The new electric double deckers will operate on two new exclusively electric bus routes which Tower Transit was awarded the contract for late last year.

The routes will operate out of Tower Transit‘s Westbourne Park depot in the North West London and are Tower Transit’s first battery electric operations

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Optare says ite MetroDecker EV, is the world’s first zero emission double decker and is designed and built at Optare’s facility in Sherburn, near Leeds.

The company says it builds on more than a decade’s experience in EV buses, following ist launch of a double-deck prototype in 2016 which came after extensive trials in London and in a number of cities across the UK. Optare launched its second generation EV bus in 2018 and the MetroDecker EV entered service in summer 2019 Optare says that Tower Transit’s order is the third major contract

for the MetroDecker EV in just over a year, and the second order in London.

By the end of 2020, 100 of the buses will be in service.

Optare’s CEO Graham Belgum, said that he is proud to see the Metrodecker EV consolidate its position in London with a second order on a further two routes.

“This commitment is testament to the capability of the vehicle and the partnership with Tower Transit has been developed through the tender process and we are now working closely together to deliver the customer’s specification,” said Belgum.

Optare says that both routes will launch in the third quarter this year and the 37 Metrodecker EVs are set to save more than 1,800 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions well to wheel in each year versus a Euro 6 bus.

Tower Transit’s parent company, Transit Systems, has been trialling two Gemilang and one Yutong electric bus from ist Leichardt depot in Sydney and has said that electric low emission buses will make up a larger part of ist Australian fleet along with hydrogen fuel cell buses which it has flagged to be potentially on Sydney roads in the next year.

SCANIA Hybrid – The right tool for the Right job There is no single solution to sustainable transport. But it’s clear that renewable energy and hybrid technology play an important role.

In fact, on some types of routes with frequent stops, hybrid buses simply can’t be beaten when it comes to both carbon and overall emission reductions, as well as fuel economy.

Our Diesel Electric hybrid is a multi-purpose solution that lets you run the same high-capacity buses on suburban and suburb-to-city routes alike – even in the most challenging terrain.

And by combining hybrid technology with renewable fuels, you can safeguard your fuel supply whilst also reducing CO2 emissions by a staggering 90%.

For more information contact: QLD Brian Thompson: 0418 531 632 WA Dean Cash: 0478 310 518 NSW Warren Young: 0411 768 027 Logan Horser: 0411 768 047

VIC / SA / TAS Dean Cash: 0478 310 518 Jamie Atkinson: 0408 059 501 or visit www.scania.com.au

VOLVO BUS CELEBRATES A DECADE OF

MARKET LEADERSHIP IN AUSTRALIA

VOLVO has celebrated a milestone completing a decade as bus market leaders in Australia with another strong performance in 2019.

Volvo Bus first led the market in 2010 and has been number one every year since then with the company attributing much of its success to the values, service and support levels which have resulted in long term partnerships with its customers.

In a statement Volvo bus said its effort towards fuel efficient and reliable products in the city, school and coach range has also been instrumental in contributing to its longstanding success.

“These products have not only enhanced the overall driving experience for customers, but have raised the bar for industry standards,” the statement said.

“Similar efforts have also been invested in driving innovation and continuous development across the range. Volvo Dynamic Steering (VDS), Volvo Driver Support System (DSS), Hybrid Technology, Euro 6 and the Volvo I-Shift transmission in particular, have been areas of focus for Volvo Bus as they develop and refine these technologies,” the statement added.

Group general manager of Volvo Bus Australia, Lauren Downs, said that in addition to its dedicated team Volvo Bus Australia is fortunate to have product support from Volvo Bus Corporation globally and also

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leverage from being part of the wider Volvo Group.

“In Australia we also have the largest major accounts and contracts team in the industry, with demonstrated results in our strong, longstanding partnerships with the cities of Perth and Brisbane.

I believe it is a testament to our passionate and dedicated team to proudly confirm our position as market leaders over the past decade,” Downes added.

The statement went on to say that Hybrid product is proving particularly successful for Volvo and customers alike – with Volvo Bus clearly leading the way in the continued momentum towards electromobility industry-wide. The Hybrid product is tried and tested, proven to reduce fuel and emissions, without the need for external charging infrastructure.

The statement said that with a highly skilled and trained bus technician team, remote diagnostics available via the Connected Services telematics offering (which comes free of charge with all new delivered Volvo buses), and product support from the largest dealer network in the country, Volvo Bus is well equipped with the expertise and resources to remain at the forefront of customer support – ensuring uptime for customers’ is at the top of the Volvo team’s priority list.

THE NEW CHOICE FOR A GREENER TOMORROW

100% Full Electric Bus Better economical efficiency BusEYE Pro assistant driving system Environmentally friendly with zero emissions A variety of charger power options available

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KING LONG HAILS BUS STOP AS NEW DISTRIBUTOR CHINESE BUS MAKER King Long has announced it has appointed Australian bus sales company, BusStop as its new distributor, following the closure of previous distributor Heavy Vehicles Australia in late 2019.

The Brisbane based BusStop also has an operation in Melbourne and is headed up by long time bus sales expert Pete White.

White says the company will focus on King Long after many years as a dealer for another Chinese brand Yutong. Yutong took the dealerships in house last year and this gave BusStop the opportunity to align with King Long.

King Long is a well-known bus brand on Australian roads and has been sold here for more than a decade.

BusStop sold more than 100 buses in Australia in 2019 and has a long track record under both Pete White and his well-known father, Dick White.

King Long Australia sales manager Harvey Zheng said the appointment of Bus Stop as the sales and service distributor for King Long is part of the it’s commitment to return to the Australian market with the right partner.

“With the commitment of additional support and resources by King Long headquarters here in China and the support of Bus Stop, we look forward to sales success in Australia,” said Zheng.

ANTHONY FISICARO JOINS VOLVO FOLLOWING KING LONG CLOSURE VOLVO has announced a coup for its bus sales operations in Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania, with the announcement that former King Long Bus sales boss, Anthony Fisicaro has been appointed as the new Volvo Bus

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sales manager for its dealer CMV Truck & Bus. Fisicaro brings vast industry experience, and CMV says he will be an integral part of the CMV Truck & Bus team, joining Darren Cottle in supporting Volvo Bus sales.

Fisicaro has more than a decade of bus industry experience, including successfully running the Chinese King Long brand for importer Heavy Vehicles Australia, along with a strong history of active involvement in a number of the state bus associations as well as with the Bus Industry Confederation (BIC).

“Anthony has an excellent understanding of customers’ operations and has developed many strong relationships with key stakeholders across the

industry. He commence his new role on the 6th January at CMV Truck & Bus’ state-ofthe-art Derrimut dealership in Melbourne’s west,” said CMV Truck & Bus – Victoria, general manager, Miles Crawford.

“Anthony joins us with a wealth of bus sales and industry experience. This together with his knowledge and passion for the industry, will be an important part of our growth and further enhanced customer support in Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania,” said Miles Crawford.

“Anthony’s customer relationship skills will be a major asset for CMV Truck & Bus and the Volvo Bus team, who are excited to welcome him to the team,” he added.

Volvo Bus Australia general manager, Lauren Downs said the appointment reinforces Volvo Bus and CMV Truck & Bus’ continued commitment to servicing customers across Victoria, South Australia, and Tasmania, and underpins the strong focus to remain the market leader through delivering high quality, safe and sustainable transport solutions, with a team of dedicated and passionate bus industry experts.

“We are extremely excited to welcome Anthony to the Volvo Bus team. His considerable experience, exceptional customer relationship skills and high level of respect from the industry will certainly strengthen our position across the southern states,” said Lauren Downs.

MONASH UNI EXPLORING CONCEPT OF PERSONALISED PUBLIC TRANSPORT TO ADDRESS ROAD CONGESTION

MELBOURNE BASED Monash University’s Faculty of Information Technology is working on an innovative solution to the increasing road congestion and poor public transport links which are impeding our economy and causing frustration for commuters - personalised public transport.

The university points out that currently nearly 70 per cent of trips in Melbourne are made by car, something which is clearly adding to congestion and frustration.

Professor Mark Wallace from the Faculty of Information Technology is spearheading the reseach.

Professor Wallace’s research is looking at ways to help Melbourne commuters make more efficient use of the existing road and transport network by tailoring individual journeys. Through optimisation and simulation

techniques, Professor Wallace examines how congestion can be reduced if a proportion of travellers followed the routes suggested to them – by car, bus, train or tram, or a combination of them.

As Professor Wallace explains, the problem at hand is complicated. “If you’ve got 10,000 vehicles, all looking for the shortest path, then it will no longer be the shortest in time if they all end up using the same route, and this is just one of the many issues our research is tackling,” he says.

Managing multiple alternative routes so that they all achieve the minimum overall time, is a technical problem. To combat this, Professor Wallace and his team developed an algorithm, now widely used in computer games, which will be enhanced as part of the research project.

“In computer games, you have all these objects rushing around the screen, which you have to coordinate and keep them all going in real-time. The Melbourne traffic grid is much larger and more complex than any game and for a game strategy to be adapted to the transport network, it has to be scalable,” explains Professor Wallace.

This three-year project is drawing on already-gathered information about driver journeys to predict road and public transport use. The team is working with existing historical data of Melbourne to model various routing scenarios and determine what difference this makes to the commuters’ overall travel time.

These simulations have the potential to reduce the average journey times by up to 15 per cent.

With 1.5 million Melbournians’ commuting to work each day, for an average journey time of 65 minutes each way, achieving a 15 per cent reduction in average journey time, would save Melburnians close to 500,000 hours per day.

With a growing population, the outcomes of this research offer practical applications in transport optimisation well into the future.

The findings of this project are intended to give the government the necessary data to cut traffic congestion and educate people around how they can shorten their commute times.

While adding more trains, trams and buses to the mix would help, Professor Wallace and his fellow researchers are using innovative technology to improve how people travel now.

SCANIA ENJOYS RECORD BUS SALES DOWN UNDER IN 2019

ON THE BACK of a record number of truck deliveries Scania has also celebrated a record year of bus and coach deliveries in 2019, with 427 new vehicles, eclipsing the previous record of 403 buses and coaches.

Scania says its success spans the heavy-duty market, including city, school and charter buses as well as long-distance touring coaches, across government and retail customers.

“This very welcome sales success has been built on 35 years of unwavering commitment to our loyal Australian customers,” said Julian Gurney, director of sales for Scania Buses and Engines.

“We are dedicated to ensuring our vehicles deliver maximum uptime for our customers throughout their lengthy working lives. While we have some of the longest-lived buses in operation anywhere in the world, as a result of government city bus operating requirements, Scania has been focused on ensuring our products 012 www.truckandbus.net.au

live up to industry expectations and deliver day-after-day.

“In addition to the performance of our vehicles and our sales team, we must also mention the commitment of our technical teams around the country who ensure our buses continue to perform reliably across hundreds of thousands, and sometimes millions of kilometres,” he said. “Many of these technicians are employed by Scania’s company-owned branches in nine locations across Australia, but we also have experienced Scania technicians working for our network of independent authorised Scania dealers covering towns and cities throughout the country,” Julian said.

While the lion’s share of deliveries in 2019 were city and school buses, the all-new, fully imported Scania Touring school and charter coach with the 360 hp Euro 6 engine launched 12 months ago, made a positive contribution to sales.

“The Scania Touring is a Scania

from bumper-to-bumper and this ‘one-stop’ concept has been readily adopted by customers across Australia,” Julian said.

“It is also good to see that close to one third of all city bus deliveries were powered by Scania Euro 6 compliant engines, underscoring the shift towards a more sustainable transport solution for Australian cities,” Julian said.

“Even more encouraging to see is the size of the carry-over orders we have to take us deep into 2020. The rollout of new buses replacing older vehicles with heavier carbon footprints is in line with community expectations and desires, and shows that both retail and government procurement is targeted towards cleaning up urban air quality.

“By transitioning older buses into retirement as an industry we are making a meaningful contribution to reducing our environmental impact where most people live and work,” Julian said.

“Scania is also very proud to have delivered our very first Hybrid bus to McHarry’s Buslines of Geelong, Victoria, in 2019. This is sure to be just the first of many.

Not only does our Scania Hybrid Bus reduce exhaust emissions significantly, but it will also provide a substantial reduction in diesel consumption, thereby reducing operating costs,” he said.

“Scania will continue to pursue alternative and renewable fuel options for the Australian bus market in 2020 and beyond, in line with our parent company’s rollout of electrified chassis options, as well as non-diesel fuel powered internal combustion engine offerings.

“We have a range of alternatives available across our product portfolio that will both reduce operating costs and the consequent carbon footprint, and as the industry moves towards a greener business model, Scania is ready and able to help drive this shift,” Julian said.

hino.com.au

HINO PONCHO. DDA COMPLIANT & THE SMARTEST BUS AROUND TOWN.

XAVIER_HINO36428

THAT’S ANOTHER HINO

Over 4 million Australians live with a disability. Yet, unlike most community transport solutions, the smart Hino Poncho is fully DDA compliant right now and ready to go. Its internal layout configuration features excellent accessibility and an ultra low floor design. Cost efficient to run with superior rear engine access, the Hino Poncho will help lower your fuel costs and reduce maintenance costs as well. And because Hino is driven to do more for you, it comes equipped with automatic transmission and airbag suspension. It’s all designed to deliver on the Hino QDR (Quality, Durability and Reliability) promise to ensure a smooth and comfortable ride, for all your passengers. Find out more today at hino.com.au

HOW GREEN IS MY BUS FACTORY VOLVO CERTIFIES BORAS PLANT AS RENEWABLE ENERGY FACILITY VOLVO IS CLAIMING THAT IT’S BUS PLANT IN BORÅS IN SWEDEN, HAS BECOME ONE OF THE FIRST BUS PRODUCTION FACILITIES IN THE WORLD TO RELY SOLELY ON RENEWABLE ENERGY. ALL ENERGY THE FACTORY USES NOW COMES FROM RENEWABLE SOURCES, SUCH AS HYDROPOWER AND BIOFUELS. THE FACTORY’S OVERALL ENERGY CONSUMPTION HAS ALSO BEEN REDUCED BY 15 PER CENT IN THE PAST FEW YEARS. THE VOLVO BUSES Borås plant has been certified by Volvo as a “Renewable Energy Facility” and the certification was issued following a number of steps designed to minimise the factory’s climate footprint.

Volvo says the certification is important for the Australian market according to the general manager of Volvo Bus Australia, Lauren Downes.

“Knowing that the Volvo Group worldwide really do have a commitment to ensuring sustainability starts long before our products even hit the road is very reassuring, “ said Lauren Downes.

“As we continue to deliver Euro 6 and hybrid vehicles today, and move towards bringing

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our first full electric vehicles to the Australian market, we are reassured that our organisation continues to be a leader in sustainable transport solutions”, she added.

Production manager at the Volvo Buses Borås plant, Joakim Wretman said that Volvo is proud to have reduced our climate impact by only using renewable sources and all the energy we purchase is fossil-free.

“Most of the electricity comes from hydropower, and the forklift trucks in the factory run on electricity or HVO, which is a renewable fuel,” said Joakim Wretman.

Volvo says that in. recent years, the factory has also implemented a number of measures that

together cut energy consumption by 15 per cent.

“For instance, we have replaced conventional fluorescent bulbs with LED light fittings and the manufacturing plant’s lighting is regulated automatically so it is only active during actual production. We also ensure that no electricity-consuming equipment remains switched on when it is not needed,” added Joakim Wretman.

“We have noted immense enthusiasm on the part of all our employees, and our local partner has contributed both know-how and practical solutions.”

Volvo says that in order to reduce the plant’s climate footprint, cooperation has been necessary and an example

of this is the Borås factory’s participation in Autofreight, a project designed to reduce transportation between the Viared Logistics Park and the Port of Gothenburg. It’s a solution that has already helped reduce CO2 emissions by about 30 per cent.

The company adds that reducing the climate impact of production is one of several aspects of Volvo Buses’ environment-enhancing work.

“We regard our products in a lifecycle perspective and work tirelessly to reduce our environmental impact at every stage, from production, to daily operation, reuse and recycling.

Up-to-date examples are our ongoing projects for repurposing our electric bus batteries, which can now enjoy a second life as energy storage units in homes,” explains Andreas Carlén, energy efficiency & environment director at Volvo Buses.

Volvo says that the Borås plant is Volvo Buses’ bus chassis production hub and has an annual production capacity of approximately 10,000 bus chassis and is staffed with around 300 workers, adding that it is the fifth facility within the Volvo Group to receive a “Renewable Energy Facility” certification.

YUTONG GOES FACTORY OWNED IN BRISBANE AND MELBOURNE YUTONG AUSTRALIA has announced it has opened new factory owned dealerships both in Melbourne and in Brisbane.

The Melbourne dealership came into existence in late 2019 covering sales and service across Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania, while the Brisbane operation opened on 1st March this year.

The company has also announced that the new Melbourne factory owned dealership will be headed up

by Don Imrie who has been appointed as the Southern States regional manager for Yutong.

According to Yutong Australia general manager, Lou Riccardi, Yutong reconsidered the need to set up its own dealership to better service customers in the Southern region given the growing customer base in Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia.

“With the introduction of our new full EV buses, ranging from 9m to 12m, school buses and coaches, our awarding winning EV E12ULF city bus and our current full Euro 5/6 diesel bus range, the new Victoria dealership will be equipped and accredited to handle all service and mechanical repairs, warranty issues and spare parts distribution,” said Riccardi.

“Don Imrie brings over 30 years of experience to Yutong as a bus salesman and bus operator and his understanding on what bus operators require and expect is unmeasured,” he added.

In addition Riccardi said that the company has appointed Morry Lauricella to head up its service and parts division.

“Morry brings more than 30 years experience in customer service in

the heavy vehicle Industry and his comprehensive knowledge puts him in a position to deliver the very best service for our Yutong customers,” he added.

Meantime, hot on the heals of the new Melbourne dealership, the company opened the second of its factory owned bus dealership with the new Yutong Bus Centre in Brisbane.

The new Yutong Brisbane dealership will be headed up by Barry Henderson, who brings a wealth of experience and knowledge in the bus industry and has worked with the Yutong Brand for 9 years.

Henderson has been involved with the bus industry for 42 years. starting as a bus driver before working in operations and in management of a coach tour company. He then moved into sales, where he has developed a strong relationship with Yutong.

“I am excited by this opportunity and look forward to continuing to support not only the Yutong Brand, but the new and existing clients of Yutong who are located within the Brisbane region, South Queensland and Northern New South Wales areas.” he said.

Barry Henderson joins the service manager Andrew Shuttleworth who was already based in Brisbane.

Yutong says all warranty and service required within the Brisbane region is provided by MK Equipment, which is and has been the authorised service agent for Yutong for the past seven years.

Yutong says MK Equipment is backed by 24 years’ experience within the bus industry and provides a one stop shop for all servicing and repairs.

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Innovation

If you thought that advanced technologies for zero emission vehicles like hydrogen fuel cells are a long way off then think again.

That’s the message from Horizon Fuel Cells, a China based, international company, which includes some key Australian involvement and management, which has been developing and marketing its hydrogen fuel cell systems for the past 17 years, and currently has hundreds of hydrogen fuel cell buses and trucks running in China. We sat down with its Australian boss to find out about its plans for hydrogen commercial vehicles in this country.

H

orizon was started in Singapore back in 2003, with an International team and has since moved its engineering and manufacturing base to China for manufacturing logistics reasons. Now after 17 years they have established an

science in the fuel cells is really the most important thing, the engineering side is fairly routine and mechanical, it is the material in the fuel cell that gives you the performance levels, longevity and reliability,” he adds.

“We got into this business because we

in other words Hydrogen by Horizon or Hyzon Motors is now actively chasing Australian sales in zero emission buses and trucks from its new base in the USA. Knight emphasises that Hyzon Motors leverages those 17 years of fuel cell

Managing director and CEO of Hyzon parent company Horizon Fuel Cells, Craig

day, but we knew if we got into it, we had to start small, so our motto has always

highly qualified leadership team with vast Internal Combustion Engine and Electric

automotive subsidiary, Hyzon Motors.

Knight is an Australian, and one of the founders of the company. Knight is an

industrial chemist by profession, so he

knows a thing or two about the chemistry of fuel cells and brings a vast knowledge of the hydrogen fuel cell process and business.

“The key is material science, the material

you use, “ says Craig Knight.

“We have been developing and building hydrogen fuel cells for the past 17 years, so we have a huge store of IP knowledge

and a track record of safety and reliability,” Craig told us.

The company started with small fuel cell systems that they initially sold into

education and for use in ‘toys’, as well as R&D programmes globally, and in portable

OEM power products, where they were the intel inside the end product. In other words, they provided the fuel cell for use inside other company’s branded products.

“We came at the whole fuel cell thing from a material angle, as we believe the material

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liked the technology, we had a vision that we could really do something with it one

been ‘think big, start small’.

“We’ve got some pretty deep IP around fuel cells and fuel cell systems with

expertise from around the world, but we set up operations in China because that is the place that gave us access to the number of people we needed for the engineering and manufacturing capabilities, and to be able to afford them,” Craig adds.

The premise of Horizon sounds a bit like an old multi-racial gag, a French guy, a

Chinese guy in the US, a guy from Hong Kong and an Australian formed a company.

But far from being a joke, these guys were absolutely serious and from that original partnership a very International company was born.

As part of the effort to accelerate hydrogen adoption in the automotive sector, and broaden their role from

supplying Fuel Cell powertrains, Horizon

formed Hyzon Motors, an amalgam of the Horizon name and its hydrogen capability,

technology development within Horizon, and combines this with a newly assembled,

Vehicle experience.

Knight says Hyzon Motors will be the first fuel cell commercial vehicle manufacturer in series production in the USA, leveraging the substantial field experience gained by parent company Horizon, to ensure all vehicles perform reliably and effectively

in deployment scenarios. It’s a bold claim but speak with Knight for any length of time and his determination and focus are clearly evident.

“Our objective is to reach absolute efficiency and sustainability with all that we do,” Craig told Coach & Bus. “The aim for Hyzon heavy vehicles is to reduce energy consumption, to capture maximum efficiency from our industry

leading Fuel Cell Power Systems, he adds.

China’s air pollution situation and government will is accelerating the development of fuel cell technology as

are government incentives and legislation in Europe, which is something that has

enabled and encouraged Horizon to lift the pace of its heavy vehicle fuel cell programs.

“The tech is finally ready for the challenge, but it’s the external factors have brought things along a lot faster than we had anticipated, and there are three things that have really driven it,” Craig Knight explains.

“The first thing is China, you cannot discount the extent to which China has

made things happen, look at the way things have developed with batteries and solar panels which have been driven largely by China as a marketing and manufacturing

been the commitment from Euro countries.

“Denmark, Norway, Germany etc. are clearly pro-hydrogen and have encouraged investment in hydrogen, electric motors, control systems and the like, and this has driven things and led to the development of the whole supply chain.”

“For instance, if you tried to go out and source a 450kW electric motor to drive an electric truck five years ago it would have been difficult and very expensive, but now

Hyzon CEO Craig Knight

because of the government subsidies and incentives, the whole supply chain had to evolve, so its encouraged a supply chain to build up around it ,“Knight explains.

over the years that has enabled us to jump on this with pretty good speed,” he adds.

Knight says a significant number of the hydrogen fuel cell buses and trucks

created demand that would have taken years to develop on its own,” Knight adds.

global desire to decarbonise and also the corporate will to demonstrate you are starting the journey to decarbonise

equipped with Horizon fuel cells.

One of the inspirations for Horizon to push into zero emission fleet operations

have been able to invest in technology and manufacturing capability, which we couldn’t do before, because we just didn’t

powered vehicle operations.

“This is only going to accelerate with global attention on what has been going

base,” he said.

“So, by moving the heavier duty vehicles like buses and trucks in China on to electric and hydrogen electric fuel cells, that has

“That has been hugely beneficial, we

have the volume to justify it, so we are

able to put in more automation and drive unit costs down.”

“The more you do the cheaper it gets, it is the Plasma LED TV model really, when Plasma and flat screen TV’s first hit the market they cost $25000 and within a relatively short time they cost less than $1000.”

Knight says the second big motivator has

The third thing he identifies is the general

business activities, especially diesel

on in Australia over the past summer with bushfires and the focus on climate change,” he said.

“Those external factors are very

important, it wouldn’t have mattered how hard we worked in our labs and our factory if the external factors weren’t there to help us along it wouldn’t have happened as quickly. Fortunately, we have been able to accumulate a lot of valuable experience

currently being deployed in China are

was a little known but very interesting

forklift and materials handling company in the USA called Plug Power. For around two years Knight studied the Plug Power

model in the US to understand how they had deployed tens of thousands of fuel cell powered forklifts in sensitive warehouse operations for material handling.

“I was quite fascinated by the commercial deployments because the entire industry was aware that the majority of their deployments historically used third party

fuel cells and the fuel cells weren’t ours, they were from another fuel cell supplier,”

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Right: The heart of Hyzon’s power plant is the hydrogen fuel cell that creates electricity through a chemical reaction with various elements inside what is a compact and unassuming grey box.

Above: Hyzon hopes to have the first hydrogen fuel cell electric powered prime mover pulling a road train in Australia

said Knight.

“It interested me that so many customers were buying from Plug Power some kind of solution where they weren’t spending years to validate the technology, and didn’t even know who had built the fuel cells,” he said.

“That encouraged me enormously because

Knight explains that the material handling situation in closed warehousing (especially

and cold environments because batteries don’t like cold, so the voltage drop in a

operate in confined spaces where you can’t use internal combustion engines, so they need zero emission power. A large number

quickly, costing hours a day on every bit of forklift machinery with battery changing and losing charge etc.

base transport fleets where the customer was buying a highly dependable service,

power. Unfortunately, 24/7 doesn’t really work for battery electric, because you need

I could see the potential to promote a similar model for zero emission back to

they were not focused on the technology within the vehicle, which can take years to fully comprehend and accept.”

“It was very innovative for Plug Power to

never sell a single machine, only to lease them, as this took away the technology anxiety from the customer by telling them that they don’t have to worry what was in the box,” said Craig.

“Plus assured their customers they would guarantee a working, clean, zero emission forklift, and that Plug

Power engineers would be on hand in their warehouses and work with their engineering team to make sure everything ran without problems and disruptions.”

“It wasn’t all plain sailing, Plug Power

had to change a lot of stuff, fix a lot of stuff and throw a lot of stuff out, but there are roughly 30000 forklifts systems working around the US on hydrogen fuel cells to date, and the customers love them.

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food grade facilities) is absolutely perfect for hydrogen fuel cells, because they

of distribution centre warehouses in the USA are 24/7 and use battery electric

time to charge the batteries. The alternative is to change batteries, but this is also a complex and time consuming process.

“If you have to change the batteries, this

can be a 40 minute process and it presents all sorts of OH& S challenges because the battery packs can weigh up to 600kg ,” said Knight.

“Companies doing this found that all the workplace injuries were coming from changing the batteries over and getting the battery packs on to the charging stations,

refrigerated warehouse is very steep. In a freezer warehouse, it happens much more

“There is typically a 30 to 40 per cent improvement on pallet movements by each

piece of forklift equipment in frozen food warehouse operations when busy locations switch from battery to hydrogen fuel cell technology,” said Knight.

“That doesn’t include the fact that many have been able to repurpose whole

sections of their warehouses, and they can now rent that area out or better utilise the space, which before was a cost because it was full of battery charging equipment and personnel managing the process. So, they took out a bunch of cost and adding in a bunch of revenue,” he said.

Knight emphasises that while forklifts

in warehouses clearly aren’t equivalent

it is slow and troublesome. If you are spending 40 minutes or more to change a battery pack at the end of an eight hour

to buses or trucks running on public roads,

charging racks take up a tonne of space.”

Knight says the other factor that

“The key, as I say, was that they took away the technology concerns and they

shift then you are losing a fair proportion of the shift in terms of productivity, and the

he still believes that Plug Power’s model was very interesting and very prescient for commercial road transport .

accelerated Plug Power’s hydrogen fuel cell forklift uptake was the deployment

took away the investment barrier,” he said.

“Fuel cells are expensive, that’s the

of fork trucks in refrigerated warehouses

mantra everyone will give you when talking

Hyzon promises hydrogen fuel cell vehicles from minibus/ vans to tour coaches, buses, heavy trucks and prime movers.

about the technology, but they negated that by offering a lease price that was the same cost as running battery electric forklifts, and that is the model that will win over bus and truck operators to hydrogen fuel cell power trains as well,” he added.

While others speak of battery electric vehicles being ideal for daily back to base operations, Knight believes deploying hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in this

environment will not only be more viable cost wise, but also will help justify the

necessary hydrogen fuelling infrastructure.

“After we understood the Plug model, you realise a forklift operation is just a back to base logistics model and many bus and

truck operations are also back to base. As the vehicles are higher value and need a lot more power (hence hydrogen as fuel), that provides much greater critical mass

in the business model, and our bus and truck projects will overshadow the forklift concept, because the systems are so much bigger and much higher value; also higher impact in terms of environmental factors.”

“There are already around 100 privately owned hydrogen filling stations in the USA at the moment, and while I can’t tell you where they all are, this fact illustrates that the economics are there to set fuelling stations up to power materials handling equipment when you have enough of them,” said Knight.

Knight says Horizon is already talking with Hydrogen suppliers about establishing transportable hydrogen fuelling stations.

“There is a myriad of bureaucracy tied up in building permanent hydrogen fuelling stations, but if it is a trailer and not a permanent structure then we can place a transportable fuelling facility much more quickly and less expensively,” he added.

“We are working with our partners to have

a fleet of mobile fuelling systems because waiting for fixed hydrogen fuelling stations

will be a slow and very circuitous process that would slow down the roll out enormously.

One of the most exciting things for fuel cell adherents is that green hydrogen is coming, and large-scale green hydrogen production

has the potential to enable heavy vehicle

fleet operations to run at a lower price level than diesel, Knight reckons.

“We already have MOUs with green

hydrogen suppliers in Australia whose green hydrogen pricing when we start will be around $8 AUD per kilo dispensed into the vehicle,” he said.

“Our aim is to get that $8 down to $AUD5 per kilo over the next couple of years, and that will happen with volume. While even at $AUD8 we will be pushing parity with the

cost structures of diesel engines in heavy buses and trucks, at $5 per kilo they will be hitting diesel cost structures out of the park,” he adds.

“It will be cheaper, and it will be zero emission and it will also be much more efficient than either diesel or battery electric vehicles.

“The efficiency of a fuel cell stack is almost 60 per cent, and when you integrate a fuel cell for powering an electric power train the efficiency is about 45 per cent,

but the efficiency of a diesel engine is only about 20 per cent,” says Knight.

Craig says that the other environmental headache that comes with battery electric vehicles is that the chemistry of the batteries can never be undone, whereas the elements inside a fuel cell can be reworked, recycled and re-used .

“You also get a lot more yield out of a fuel cell and they are fully recyclable, there is no waste issue as there is a with

a battery, it is a one way trip for chemicals in a battery.”

“Basically, a fuel cell uses aluminium, graphite, titanium and platinum, so you simply don’t have that compromise with a

fuel cell because you can reuse every part of the cell by recycling and repurposing.

“With a battery you have either a weight compromise or a range compromise, or

both with some BEVs, however a hydrogen fuel cell has neither, and since it supplies DC power just like a battery, you have the same benefits of an electric driveline with torque and power, but without the range

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anxiety or the battery weight trade-offs.

While Knight emphasises that the Hyzon

already has agreements with a number

year, and will be the only company to be

technology anxiety, the other question that arises with Hydrogen fuel cells is how long

base in China. Some of those vehicles will

USA to create some clear air given the trade

Motors model will follow the Plug leasing model and take away the longevity and

do they last?

Knight holds up the commonly held wisdom that the life of a commercial vehicle diesel engine is about 800,000 to one million kilometres before an overhaul or scrapping. By comparison a Hydrogen Fuel Cell designed for a commercial vehicle aims to operate effectively for at least 20,000 hours and possibly up to 30,000 hours. To give that some relevance, a bus or truck averaging 60 km/h would take

of OEM vehicle makers to integrate these power trains into existing vehicle platforms in countries outside its well established bear the name plates of these OEMS, while others will bear the Hyzon badge.

“I’d say one to two years ago, it was near impossible to get OEMs interested, so we started to do things ourselves, we started things moving and reckoned that we would try to figure out how to fund it later, so we started investing in developing larger capacity fuel cells” said Knight.

“Then six months ago the OEMS started to get interested, they started to answer

to be recycled.

the phone, then they started calling us and in the past three months it has just gone insane and the recent feedback has been amazing, everything has started to change, and the attitude has changed,” he added.

Craig says the company made the pitch to investors asking them if they want a three

are saying the technology is about five to ten years away, Knight says Hyzon is already there and the company is ready to

that is going to go ballistic in commercial vehicles, then they can join us, and we can deliver because we are going to jump

around 17000hours to cover one million kilometres, so potentially, fuel cell life of 20,000 to 30,000 hours could see the vehicle covering around 1.5 to 1.8 million kilometres before the fuel cell life needs

While other hydrogen vehicle proponents

take advantage of this gap in the market.

“We have major global companies partnering with Hyzon on electric motors and other core components, as well as Type 4 hydrogen storage tanks. Since we can deploy these vehicles right now, why the hell should we wait?” challenges Knight.

“One of the big factors regarding the need to reduce emissions to benefit the

environment is that you have got to start

to five year head start on a business model

into this gap in the market. We have some serious investors on board to help us resource this model properly.

“Our first manufacturing capability

is in China and we have already taken possession of a terrific production and

integration site in the USA, in upstate New York, and we will start with system integrations there in the coming six months.

“We will stage our ramp-up in the USA,

somewhere and at the moment we are only deploying hundreds of zero emission vehicles, but we need to deploy millions to

by first shipping the core fuel cell stack to the US from China, and we will do the peripheral system integration as well as the

It must be underlined that Hyzon Motors will essentially produce the FCEV drive trains to power trucks and buses and it

deployment in the US market, so we will be deploying fuel cell powered heavy vehicles in the US from our local factory later this

make a real difference,” said Knight.

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vehicle integration locally in America for

doing so in series production before the end of 2020,” he adds.

“It was critical that we had a plant in the

tensions between China and America.”

In Australia, Hyzon is working with a bus maker to create fuel cell buses on imported chassis with the bus body completed locally. Knight is at pains to point out that they are not prepared to compromise on quality, safety and performance and will only be working with quality OEM suppliers

“Hyzon Motors is going to market using the Horizon hydrogen fuel cell technology built up over the past 17 years, with all the IP behind it along with the more than a million kilometres covered by the trucks and buses already powered in China and the more than 1.5 million fuel cells we have sold globally, so we leverage a lot of highly valuable experience,” he said.

“Our goal is to essentially offer best in

class in safety and environmental impact, and the performance of each vehicle

platform has to be at least as good as the traditional fossil fuel versions, but our aim is for them all to be better.”

“They will have better torque, better

power, efficiency and economy, and there needs to be no compromise on specs at all in any possible way. Simply put, everything has to be the best, and this will facilitate

rapid acceptance with drivers and fleet operators,” he adds.

“At the moment we are the only company

making 150 kW fuel cell modules, but we have already designed a 370kW module and our aim is that we are going to use these for very high power applications, including the famous Australian road trains towing 135t.

We are committed to be the first hydrogen fuel cell company to power a road train,” Knight says with a grin.

Operator

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School bus transport is changing, with a lot of schools now either running their own bus transport programs or contracting bus charter companies to provide dedicated bus transport routes for their students. The latter is particularly noticeable with major private schools in our big cities running bus fleets to enable students to get directly to the school from particular suburbs. We head to a small town in the Murray Valley to take a look at a school that is managing its own school bus fleet in a unique way. www.truckandbus.net.au 023

St. Mary’s College transport operations manager Tom Robinson

S

t Mary of the Angel Secondary

College in the Murray Valley in rural Northern Victoria. runs its own fleet of ten buses including

six Scania school buses, in the small

country town of Nathalia, not far from the NSW border and halfway between Echuca and Cobram or about 30 minutes from Shepparton.

Nathalia is a small farming community

of about 1900 people. Amazingly for such a small town, St Marys has 615 students and transports around 500 of them a day in their own buses. The nature of

the location and the catchment for the student population means that many of the students have to cover a lot of kilometres to and from school each day.

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To facilitate this the college operates

its own private bus system, with ten buses transporting students outside the Nathalia Government bus pick up

area. The College’s bus system picks

up students from as far away as Finley, Tocumwal, Barooga, Cobram, Katamatite, Yarroweyah, Strathmerton, Numurkah and surrounding areas.

The school bus fleet comprises four

manager 13 years ago, and over that time has been responsible for the growth and modernisation of the fleet.

The first buses to transport students

from Cobram and Tocumwal to the College

began in 1975 with 21 students travelling to and from Nathalia each day on a contractor owned bus. The College purchased its own buses in 1992 which formed the bases of

the fleet that has grown into the system it now so effectively operates.

Scania A30 buses as well as two new Scania Tourings along with an older MAN, a Hino, a Mercedes and a Metrotech, all

“The school did the sums in the early 1990s and realised that if contractors

operations manager, Tom Robinson.

Robinson started as a mechanic and driver with the school almost 25 years ago

and operated them it would be more cost effective,” said Tom.

of which are managed by the school’s bus

and he was offered the job as operations

were making money out of supplying the bus services then if the school owned

“The school started by buying second

“ COMFORTABLE TRAVEL IS IMPORTANT PARTICULARLY ON THE LONGER ROUTES TO COBRAM, BAROOGA, TOCUMWAL AND FINLEY.” hand buses and had a lot of smaller buses, but we have rationalised and now we buy larger buses and we only buy new buses,” he added.

Tom Robinson told C&B that a

revitalisation of the fleet started in 2015 with the purchase of the first 57 seat Scania A30 and was part of a program to

upgrade the fleet from basic school buses to a fleet of modern touring coaches.

“Safety is paramount while comfort of the students was also a major consideration for the upgrade of the

fleet over the past few years, “ said Tom

Robinson. “New buses are also more economical to run and maintain.”

“All of our buses are now air conditioned, seat belt equipped and are designed to

deliver our students to and from Nathalia

In a logistical operation the buses are

in the safest possible manner,” he added.

“Comfortable travel is important particularly on the longer routes to

parked up in the remote towns like Finlay and Tocumwal each night and the school has a small fleet of economy cars, which

It gets pretty hot in the Murray Valley, in summer and equally it can be pretty cold in winter so having air conditioning

day by the drivers and left there while the buses transport the students back to Nathalia and home again later in the day.

Cobram, Barooga, Tocumwal and Finley.”

and some comfort is important in keeping students fresh and ready for school in the morning and not to fatigued after a long day in the afternoons.

The longest route to Finley across the border in NSW is close to a 200km

round trip each day, while Tocumwal and Barooga is a 180km round trip, so the students spend a fair bit of time on board the buses.

are then driven out from the school each

This means that each of the buses can cover up to 40,000km across the

average school year of about 180 days.

The School’s oldest Scania has logged up around 240,000km in the five years it has been on the fleet.

The school has such long bus runs because it is the only catholic college for many miles around and there are no

catholic colleges in Finley or Tocumwal.

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“We often take the coaches to the open nights the school holds in those towns and the prospective parents are impressed by them and it gives them confidence that their kids will be safe on the trip to and from school each day.”

While the buses are used on the regular daily runs, they are also used for school excursions and for transporting the students to sporting events.

For Tom the safety packages the Scania A30s and the newer Tourings offer are a vital part of the attraction to Scania. The school has four other non-Scanias on

fleet including the MAN Custom Coach, the Hino, the Mercedes Express and the Metrotech Inter.

“We have had a great run with Scania and

our intention is to gradually convert the entire fleet overt the next four years, so it

will be an all Scania fleet in time,” said Tom.

“Scania’s Dean Cash has been a huge help to us, he has gone above and beyond as our sales rep and made sure the school had the right buses for our needs and established a great relationship.

“We have big distances and the buses have to travel at highway speed, so it is important that we have the safest possible buses doing the job, and safety is the first thing I look at when buying new buses for the fleet,” he said.

“The Scania’s are also very fuel efficient and return some very strong economy, which is obviously another attraction.”

The St. Marys school bus routes are reviewed each year with a view to student demographics, accessible sealed roads and cost effectiveness. Bus routes and bus stops may change each year for all of those reasons.

“The entire bus operation, including mapping the routes, doing the allocations

and organising the stops is run and organised by the school’s bus department as is our maintenance program,” said Tom. As someone who started at the school as a mechanic and driver, Tom Robinson

knows the business and knows what is needed to keep the buses maintained and on the road reliably and safely.

“We have a new workshop here in

Nathalia and we employ a full-time mechanic as well as a part time mechanic, and we have access to 14 drivers who make up a magnificent team,” he effuses.

“St Marys is a very unique operation, I really can’t think of any school that runs its own bus network across such a large

catchment and with so many buses, and we are very proud of what we do here,” Tom concluded.

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“ WE HAVE HAD A GREAT RUN WITH SCANIA AND OUR INTENTION IS TO GRADUALLY CONVERT THE ENTIRE FLEET OVERT THE NEXT FOUR YEARS, SO IT WILL BE AN ALL SCANIA FLEET IN TIME”

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Profile

The sleepy NSW mid north coast town of Macksville sits on the banks of the Nambucca River and once was a banana growing centre, but these days is probably best known for the narrow bridge across the river and the Star Hotel as well as being the home town of the tragic cricket star Phillip Hughes. However Macksville is a town of surprises and one of those is the fact that it is host to a major bus building enterprise and has been for more than 20 years. We headed to Macksville to get the inside story on Express.

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www.truckandbus.net.au 029

E

xpress Coach Builders was

established back in 1997 and

for the first few years it turned around 10 or 12 buses a year but in more recent times the Express output has been up to about a bus a week on average. There are a few hundred Express

built buses on Australian roads these days, from route buses to school buses as well as coaches.

When C&B visited the Melbourne Bus

Show last October, we noticed that the new Scania Hybrid bus on the Swedish company’s stand was an Express built

bus and the Macksville manufacturer had

a stand of its own right alongside Scania.

We got to chatting with Dale Hancox, the

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general manager of the company, a role

Dale Hancox met us at the door when

he had only assumed a couple of months

we arrived after our easy four and half

it and had almost overlooked the fact that it lived in a town of just under 3000

ways it has changed, particularly in the last six months since he was brought in

before the show.

It struck us that while we knew of Express, we didn’t know very much about

almost exactly half-way between Sydney and Brisbane. Knowledge of the industry told us that it was hard enough for a lot of other bus body builders to get skilled personnel in big cities let alone a small town on the Pacific Highway.

So we thought time to do a yarn to

delve inside Express and see what makes this small manufacturer tick and how it punches well above its weight.

hour drive up the Pacific Motorway from our Sydney base and was keen to sit down and chat about Express today and the

as the general manager.

It soon becomes obvious that while he is keen to talk he is also keen to get out on the factory floor and be amongst the

tradespeople creating new buses on the latest bus chassis.

For Dale the unique thing about Express is that it is in a country town , which is

something that is both a challenge and has its positives.

“Lifestyle is an attraction for people to

He is the first to admit that coming from

Out on the shop floor things are buzzing

come here but the reality is that you have

Brisbane to Macksville needed some

at Express and the order books are full

Dale said.

He was brought in in mid 2019, by the

“In Brisbane it is all go, go, go so I had to change my mindset and approach

Express vehicles a week will be heading out onto Australian roads this year.

to go further afield to find the more highly skilled tradespeople, but it works and we are doing some very good work here,”

owners of Express, to bring a fresh pair of eyes to the business after a 35 year career with Telstra, where he was a systems specialist in IT, writing programs and

software and improving efficiencies.

“I’m a process person and although I had never worked in the bus building business, when Mark Foster asked me to come and

take a look at Express I loved it and saw it as a challenge,” Dale said.

adjustment, mainly because the pace in the Queensland capital is a lot faster than life on the banks of the Nambucca.

things from a different angle,” he added.

Hancox was clearly conscious of not putting the Express workforce off-side by just being the new boss from the big

smoke there to change everything.

“There were some obvious problems and inefficiencies that had to be changed and improved which I quickly identified and I saw the situation as a mending process,” he said.

until February 2021 and the schedule is targeting production at 53 buses and 16 coaches in 2020, meaning just over 1.3

That number is dwarfed by the big operations like Volgren, Custom and the like, but the company prides itself on its quality, flexibility and customer service.

The fact that the Express name is proudly displayed on the Scania Hybrid which is now in service with McHarry’s is a testament to the regard in which

the company is held by Scania and many bus operators.

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The Scania Hybrid was a complex build with the need to install the hybrid’s batteries

in the roof structure of the bus and also incorporated an entirely new electrical system

along with the demands of the hybrid system. Express pulled off the build and learned a

lot of lessons, that they are incorporating into the other Scania Hybrids, which are on the build schedule during the coming months.

For Dale his task was to increase production efficiency and improve the processes while

retaining the skilled workforce.

“We have some very accomplished and clever tradespeople here and they our biggest

asset, what we had to do is put some systems in play to increase efficiencies and to drop the barriers between the office and the factory floor,” said Dale.

“It was a matter of identifying the biggest issues and putting a strategy in place to fix

them,” said Dale.

“I LIKE TO GIVE PEOPLE SOME CERTAINTY AND MAKE THE WORK ENVIRONMENT ONE PEOPLE WANT TO WORK IN” “The main issues I identified were communication, a barrier between the factory and

the office and streamlining the planning and scheduling process,” said Hancox.

Hancox explains that the biggest change has been putting an eight week ‘countdown’

in place, with the drawings and plans for each bus being produced eight weeks out from the manufacturing start date. These are then viewed and read by each of the section

team leaders to make sure it will all work. They all have one day each to view the plans and then they are signed off on schedule for the materials to be ordered and thee are

timed to arrive at Express at the right time for them to be included in the build process.

One of the most important things that has come with this is a computer spreadsheet

program that tracks the design, approval, ordering and build on every bus so that

the schedule, costs and manhours can be tracked and questions can be raised if the schedule or costs and time exceed the plan.

“As I say, I am a systems person and putting that system in place was critical to

ensuring we meet our scheduling and deliver better quality to our customers,” he adds.

Since the introduction of the new system Express has reduced reworks, improved

output and opened up communications between all of the sections within the factory.

Express is also now producing even more components inhouse than it used to and has

also looked at reducing costs in a number of areas, including rationalising transport, particularly for componentry.

“We have put a procurement transport plan into place and rationalised how we get

parts and components here to Macksville,” said Dale.

When C&B visited Macksville, the Express factory was humming with productivity

with all of the manufacturing stations occupied with new buses in varying states of construction.

It is a remarkable operation, particularly given the fact that it is in a very rural location.

Hancox has initiated some new methods and facilities to streamline the operation

including building a new raised mezzanine area where the bus roof sections are situated just ahead of being lowered onto the frame of the bus body, an initiative that has saved significant time and improved quality. This is just one of many of the changes he has

initiated and as we walk around the facility it is clear the staff view Dale as one of them

and welcome his presence on the factory floor, so much so that there are constant stops to speak to workers, mostly initiated by them. There is a clear warmth on both sides.

“I like to give people some certainty and make the work environment one people want

to work in and I reckon we are achieving that,” said Dale.

“I know it is difficult to attract skilled trades people to a country town, but once they

are here the lifestyle factor kicks in and they realise they can have a pretty nice lifestyle in the country.

“Most of our people work within 30 minutes of the factory, and its not 30 minutes sitting

in a traffic jam, it’s generally a much nicer drive than a commute in the city,” he adds.

When C&B drives away from Express after spending several hours there the place is

still buzzing, and activity continues apace. It may be small in relative terms but Express is

clearly doing some good work and it is operations like this that underline that as a country we can still make things, build complex automotive products and vehicles that will live and last in our unique environment and Express clearly does that very well indeed.

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“ WE HAVE SOME VERY ACCOMPLISHED AND CLEVER TRADESPEOPLE HERE AND THEY ARE OUR BIGGEST ASSET”

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New Technology

A

utomated vehicles have been a discussion point for the past few years, with both media pundits and the everyday person in

the street. No one really seems sure when we will see autonomous vehicles on our streets and there are so many unanswered questions. When will we see automated vehicles on our roads How will they work?

What are the impediments? But right here under our noses in the coastal city of Coffs Harbour, we have seen a groundbreaking autonomous bus trial running with

enormous success.

The Coffs Harbour BusBot Trial has been running for just over a year and was initiated as an opportunity to test the

possibility for technology to revolutionise the way passenger transport services are designed and delivered in rural and regional communities, and after two successful phases is about to enter phase three of trial

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in the local Botanic Gardens precinct.

Phase 1 of the trial was based at the Coffs Harbour Marina, travelling along the Northern Breakwall to Muttonbird

Island. The Northern Breakwall offered an ideal testing location as it’s a high profile and controlled environment where local residents and tourists were able to experience the vehicle and participate

in the trial. The vehicle operated at slow speed along the Northern Breakwall on a

shared path with pedestrians and cyclists fulfilling 30 trips per day, 6 days a week.

The trial started in November 2018 and ran for approximately ten weeks before being moved and reprogrammed for phase two in a retirement village just South of Coffs Harbour.

The second part of the trial saw BusBot serving the Marian Grove Retirement Village in the village of Toormina, which kicked off in April 2019. It enabled a public transit

solution to the community of seniors, while offering some unique benefits beyond a driverless vehicle. This phase spanned 22

weeks and the third phase has just started in the North Coast Regional Botanic Gardens.

“Phase 2 proved to be an extremely

exciting phase of the project where we have seen new technology integrations trialled for the first time, right here in Coffs Harbour,” said Busways MD Byron Rowe.

At the same time CEO of Sawtell Catholic Care of the Aged, Michael Darragh, said he believes the automated vehicle has brought happiness to the older generation.

“This is the dawn of a new age in assistive technologies that are now promoting greater mobility, flexibility and independence for the senior sector. In an era where isolation and

loneliness are significant risks for many seniors, this safe and effective transport system is

helping to keep the community connected and engaged which is great,” he said

We think of technology hotspots like California, Japan, Scandinavia and Germany as the places where autonomous vehicles are being developed and tested but then we stumbled across a program testing an autonomous bus system right here in Australia, and in of all places Coffs Harbour on the North Coast of NSW.

Each transition to a new phase has had to meet a safety milestone before moving to a more complex environment, and in the third

it was seeking to provide seed funding and to partner with industry, researchers, local councils and businesses to develop

EasyMile EZ10 Generation 2 electric vehicle which can carry up to 15 passengers, and is fitted with several

complexity has been lifted even more.

Automated vehicle technology has a huge potential to improve the way we live and

and automated vehicle trials across regional NSW. The Coffs Harbour BusBot trial was

features including a fully redundant 360° LIDAR view, internal and external cameras,

phase which is about to commence the

it’s important to give the community an opportunity to be a part of the journey as

the technology develops and that is exactly what BusBot has done.

and co-deliver a number of connected

proposed by the group of project partners

led by Busways and was selected as one of two regional locations to host the trial and

The trial has been a NSW Government initiative, and is being led in partnership

was the successful bidder in July 2018.

The trial aimed to target locations with real world cases, but which also supported

and on demand software specialist Via.

Transport for NSW also specified that locations also needed sustainable local support to establish and deliver the trial.

Regional NSW. Through the expression of interest Transport for NSW announced

trips each day, ranging from eight to 30 trips per day.

The actual vehicle in use in the trial is an

between Transport for NSW, local bus operator Busways, Coffs Harbour City Council and vehicle manufacturer EasyMile, In late 2017 the Government opened expressions of interest calling on industry to help automated vehicles transform

local customers and local transport needs.

The plan was that during each phase the BusBot would travel a different number of

interesting and highly technical safety

audio and visual warning alarms and

intercom, a fail-safe brake, and a fleet management system that incorporates cybersecurity and redundancy features.

The long range LIDARs ( laser radars if

you like) will detect if the BusBots path is

blocked and will enable the vehicle to slow and stop before the obstacle. Depending on the type of obstacle, the BusBot may be able

to suggest a path to avoid it, or the attendant may need to take control of the vehicle to manoeuvre around the obstacle before the BusBot can restart autonomous driving.

The EZ10 tips the scales at a shade

over two tonnes and with its four battery packs and enhanced air conditioning

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“THIS IS WORLD-LEADING TECHNOLOGY BEING PUT TO THE TEST IN A REGIONAL AREA. THIS TRIAL IS ALLOWING US TO EXPLORE NEW AND INNOVATIVE WAYS FOR LOCAL COMMUNITIES TO MOVE AROUND AND STAY CONNECTED” weighs 2130kg with a GVW of 3130kg. It is 4.05metres long, 1.89 metres wide and 2.87 metres high. It uses lithium ion LiFePo4

successfully delivered. The point of the exercise has been to develop a sustainable business model and blueprint which can

have great potential to increase non-car journeys and revitalise regional mobility.

Receiving this award for a project based

kW/h and gives the vehicle a range of up to 16 hours and takes six hours to recharge.

The EZ10 BusBot has a maximum speed

the country and to accelerate the safe introduction of automated vehicles onto Australian and international roads.

demonstrates how important these trials are – it’s fantastic to be a part of it,” Byron Rowe, said.

battery packs, with a total capacity 30.72

of 45km/h but is electronically limited to 25km/h during the trials and can tackle a 15 per cent incline while carrying its maximum weight, something that will be tested in phase three at the Botanic Gardens.

The Coffs Harbour trials have been the

first Australian study of driverless shuttles in regional communities and has gained international interest thanks to its ability to

verify real use cases as well as the fact that it has proved to be real value to a range of resident groups.

From the trial, the various organisations involved have been able to learn valuable lessons on project development, safety assurance and operation which were all

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be scaled to multiple operations around

on finding future transport solutions

The ‘BusBot’ Trial also recently won the Automated Vehicle Award at the annual

“BusBot has given us and our project partners an abundance of knowledge when

and groundbreaking the program has been so far.

driverless and electric technology that not only work to deliver a seamless transport network but also help the environment

diverse environments with increasing

vehicle use.”

“Busways has been thrilled to lead this innovative trial in our own backyard. To see

Intelligent Transport Systems National Awards last year, highlighting how important

Each phase has seen specific transport use cases from tourism to retirement villages and closed-off communities in

levels of complexity. The goal of the trials has been to determine barriers and opportunities for delivering new AV mobility options and improving transport options in rural and regional communities.

“Automated vehicle trials such as BusBot

it comes to future transport solutions in

as we move towards electric passenger

Transport for NSW bring trials to regional

towns such as Coffs Harbour proves how important it is to identify the transport needs of these residents and what works for them. Congratulations to the teams involved in such a successful trial of

BusBot,” Mr Rowe said.

Using the BusBot app, passengers

have been able to ‘hail’ the autonomous

BusBot directly from their smartphone.

Via, which is a global leader in developing on-demand shared mobility solutions, used its advanced algorithms to enable multiple riders to share the driverless vehicle. The

technology directs passengers to a nearby virtual bus stop for pick up and drop off,

and then automatically tasks the driverless vehicle to stops, allowing quick and efficient shared trips without lengthy detours, or inconvenient fixed routes and schedules.

Via says the service marked a milestone in its efforts to facilitate autonomous mobility, building and deploying solutions that will enable autonomous vehicles to function in real-world situations as part of optimised, shared transportation systems, as the

BusBot deployment has proved.

“If autonomous vehicles are to reach their full potential for providing low-cost, efficient

rides, they need to be shared by multiple passengers,” said Daniel Ramot, co-founder

As with all the phases a shuttle supervisor will be on board providing customer service

“Via’s sophisticated systems are able to power, in real-time, the movement of millions of connected autonomous shuttles

vehicle.

NSW Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Transport, Stephen Bromhead said BusBot

and CEO of Via.

and their passengers, and we’re delighted to be working with BusBot to launch this

groundbreaking service.”

Via has been tapped by cities and transit

authorities in the United States and around the world to help re-engineer public transit

from a regulated system of rigid routes and schedules to a fully dynamic, ondemand network. Via now has more than 70 launched and pending deployments in more than 15 countries.

Phase Three kicked off on 20th February with passengers able to travel around the

North Coast Regional Botanic Garden from

the café to the Japanese Gardens, stopping at the Sensory Garden and the Endangered Species section.

and information while monitoring the

was leading the charge for automated vehicles in Australia.

“This is world-leading technology being put to the test in a regional area. This trial is

allowing us to explore new and innovative ways for local communities to move around and stay connected,” Mr Bromhead said.

“This final phase of the trial will be the most complex and exciting stage as we

learn more about driverless technology and the opportunities to expand it further.”

There is no doubt the BusBot Trial has been an important and groundbreaking

program that is going to establish a platform for many other future Automomous Vehicle operations . We can’t wait to see where the technology will take us.

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“ MOST IMPORTANTLY, WE’RE TAKING A LONG-TERM VIEW OF THIS ACQUISITION, AS WE SEE IT BEING A CRITICAL COMPONENT OF NFI’S GROWTH FOR YEARS TO COME”

“We find ourselves in a leading global position as an independent – not dependent on a broader company whose interests may be somewhere else.”

In a conference call with stakeholders in North America, Soubry explained why NFI was confident to invest in a company based in the UK despite the current political and economic issues such as Brexit.

“It’s important to have context on Brexit as it relates to ADL, which we considered carefully during our due diligence process,” he said.

“While there are risks with Brexit, ADL is somewhat insulated. It does not have a large export market from the UK to the EU, does not have vehicles crossing borders multiple times, can flex its supply chain as necessary and currently has limited

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sales or purchases in Euros. In fact, most transactions are in Pounds.

“One of the things we really liked about ADL which is very different to NFI is its flexible operating model. This allows the company to successfully develop new products, quickly enter new markets and establish local sourcing assembly partnerships.

“Generally, vehicles for the UK market are made in the UK, vehicles for the North American market are made in North America, and vehicles for Asia are made in Asia. This manufacturing strategy is testament to ADL’s flexible operating model.

“Most importantly, we’re taking a longterm view of this acquisition, as we see it being a critical component of NFI’s

growth for years to come.”

Colin Robertson was keen to emphasise that there is still a firm commitment to the business from the ADL shareholders who invested in 2004 when the business was in administration.

“It was a risky investment which paid off very nicely. At the same time, over the 15 years we’ve grown from £150m to more than £600m in sales and from 1,200 employees to 2,600, high quality, high skilled jobs. We’ve invested in green credentials, new products, new markets and UK leadership. This is just the next few paragraph in a really exciting story,” he said.

The question of the future of the BYD - ADL electric bus saw Roberson claim there would be no change for the foreseeable future.

“We communicated with BYD about what

we were doing throughout the process and it gave unequivocal 100 per cent support for NFI acquiring the business. We have a great partnership with BYD in the UK and New Zealand,” he added.

“It’s good for both parties and indeed BYD is keen to sit around the table and look at how the model may be considered in other markets,” he added.

“We’ve already kicked off an initiative to cooperate in North America. Where ADL is quite new and setting up its own suppliers, NFI is mature. Helping ADL navigate, and in some cases NFI making components because we have fabrication capability, definitely can bring some cost synergies.

“I think there’s also a good opportunity for cooperative selling. Where certain customers are considering a double-deck

but are not sure about the longevity or level of support in North America. When the NFI salesperson walks in hand-in-hand with the ADL salesperson, it will help our ability to sell buses and create options.”

Robertson added that the leverage ADL would have in North America thanks to NFI’s backing may help it secure more favourable deals from suppliers.

“There will be a great opportunity to benchmark. If nothing else, we will have access to quality information, leading to more informed discussions and decisionmaking,” he said “We’re a small player in America, but the fact we now have that halo effect from NFI means its manufacturing capability can drive quality and value. The notional threat of its vertical integration might

mean suppliers sharpen their pencil,” said Robertson.

Paul Soubry says that he believes ADL will be the global brand for the new group and that the NFI brands in North America will stick to their knitting.

“We’ve got our work cut out for us in North America and we’re pleased with what New Flyer, ARBOC and MCI are doing on their products. I can’t imagine a scenario where NFI goes outside North America – that’s exactly why we wanted ADL, to continue to have them seek out new markets.

“Maybe there are technologies, designs and so on which we apply in North America which we can work with ADL to apply there, but the international growth is the reason we acquired ADL.”

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Alternative Fuels

With more and more emphasis and pressure coming on bus fleets to lower emissions and reduce the carbon footprint, a lot of attention has been focussed on battery electric and even hydrogen fuel cells as the power for transportation in coming years. But, there are other alternative solutions that will deliver low emissions using traditional internal combustion engines. We head to Bristol in the UK to look at one such alternative.

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Already many electric buses are in service

overseas and here in Australia, particularly as shuttles for airports and in trials with major public transport operators.

However even in Europe and the UK where

there is an even greater pressure to ‘green’ the fleets, its become apparent that electric power is by no means the only option for

bus operators looking to slash emissions.

An example of this is in the West country

of the UK, around the city of Bristol a major fleet is embracing biogas diesel as a way of lowering emissions and employing a cleaner and renewable energy source to power its buses .

The reality is that electric power is the first thing people think about when

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considering environmentally friendly

buses. For a start battery electric vehicles are quiet, near silent in fact, and nothing comes out of the exhaust pipe.

The big drawback is range, but even this

has improved dramatically in recent times and the acceleration of technology and R&D means it is racing ahead even faster.

However, BEVs have their drawbacks and opponents. For a start there are serious question marks over the resources and waste produced from battery disposal and

manufacture, as well as the sustainability of the electricity used to charge them. That is also not forgetting that for a fleet to go BEV the power demands particularly at night for an entire fleet would be huge and

border on the impractical.

An alternative then could be the use of a renewable fuel for internal combustion

engines that can be easily produced, uses a waste resource to create it and deliver much lower Co2 emissions with no range issues. The fuel is biogas, which although

it is not a zero emission solution has Co2 emissions 85 per cent below normal diesel fuel equivalents.

First West of England managing director James Freeman said that biogas made perfect sense and that when people think green, they normally think electric.

“We’re doing something different and more practical for our particular fleet

needs and demands and still dramatically

“ WE’RE DOING SOMETHING DIFFERENT AND MORE PRACTICAL FOR OUR PARTICULAR FLEET NEEDS AND DEMANDS AND STILL DRAMATICALLY REDUCING OUR GREEN HOUSE GASES”

reducing our green house gases,”

fuel tanks giving enough gas to give the

The company unveiled the first batch of biogas-powered double deckers at its Lawrence Hill base in Bristol in the UK in

The first ten of the new Biogas Scania ADVs were delivered in early January and began operating on the First West

said James Freeman.

early January 2020 as well as showing its newly-installed state of the art refuelling infrastructure.

The company has ordered a total

of 77 new Alexander Dennis (ADV) Enviro400CBG City buses each sitting on a Scania Euro6 gas chassis and powered by a rear mounted 9.3-litre Scania fivecylinder engine producing 280hp and

1,350 Nm of torque which are comparable

figures to similar diesel-fuel Scania 9-litres.

The buses are equipped with two 515-litre

buses a range of around 400km.

company has in the switch to biogas.

To enable the new fleet to run the Lawrence Hill gas filling station was designed and installed at a cost of around $AUD4 million

Metrobus m3 service based around the Lawrence Hill Depot and refuelling station

( £2 millionGBP). The facility took nine months to build the filling station and can provide 100 per cent compressed

recycled food waste.

A few weeks later the next 27 of the

in the future. The company has delivered another environmental benefit, thanks to the

where the buses return at the end of the day for a tank of, what amounts to,

new biogas buses arrived on the fleet joining them soon will be a further 27 buses for operations in and around the

east of Bristol, totally replacing the diesel fleet that was previously operating on these routes, showing the confidence the

biomethane for up to 100 buses, giving room for the biogas fleet to be further expanded

fact that the gas is delivered by a pipe to the depot, eliminating the need for it to be delivered by tanker truck further reducing greenhouse gas emissions emissions.

The company has a second depot in the Bristol suburb of Bedminster, which also

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has biogas refuelling and was opened in the middle of 2019 and First West says

that between them the two facilities will be fuelling 99 biogas buses by the end of April this year.

Of course none of this has come cheaply

“Biomethane is the cleanest burning

fuel that’s available at the moment and is

the best option. Our gas stations in the UK have effectively removed 30 million kg of CO2 from the atmosphere since we

in terms of capital cost, with a total outlay of

started,” Griffiths said.

“Biomethane can be classed as a carbon

$AUD 9.3 million (£4.79million) under the UK’s Low Emission Bus Scheme (LEBS).

councils to embrace waste food collection, otherwise it’s not only a terrible waste, but

around $AUD54.7 million (£28million GBP) with a government grant covering around

Sales director of Gas Bus Alliance, Tony Griffiths says electric isn’t always the ‘perfect’ solution for emissions reduction.

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neutral fuel because all of it is produced from waste food in the UK and we want all

all of the methane produced by the waste goes into the atmosphere and creates even more carbon dioxide. We can also

collect methane from manure and human waste and we ran a vehicle dubbed the

‘poo bus’ in Bristol as an example of that,” he added.

“Our biomethane is exactly the same specification as natural gas – but natural gas is a fossil fuel and because

biomethane is produced from waste, it’s a carbon neutral fuel – that’s the difference.

“When the gas is piped in it’s pressurised to about 2 bar and when it reaches the filling station it’s then compressed to about 300 bar, stored and then used to fuel the bus.

“ OUR BIOMETHANE IS EXACTLY THE SAME SPECIFICATION AS NATURAL GAS – BUT NATURAL GAS IS A FOSSIL FUEL AND BECAUSE BIOMETHANE IS PRODUCED FROM WASTE, IT’S A CARBON NEUTRAL FUEL – THAT’S THE DIFFERENCE”

“Refuelling is also ultra-safe,” Griffiths

continued. “When the dispenser is

connected to the bus, it squirts some gas in to check the pressure; if it is less than 250 bar (indicating a leak), it won’t allow you to put any more gas in.

‘Refuelling is also very time efficient

and takes approximately 4-5 minutes to fill from empty to full,” he added

Griffiths pointed out that, like here in

Australia, most power in the UK is still

generated by coal fired power stations, so when it comes to power to recharge

battery electric buses the carbon footprint is still significant, even if the bus is not emitting tailpipe gases.

“When we compare carbon neutral

biomethane to electric, you also have to

look at the mining of the lithium and cobalt and then the shipping of that to China for battery manufacture and then the disposal, so it is a pretty significant carbon footprint,” he added.

“We also need to understand battery

disposal. Only 5 per cent of batteries in Europe are recycled at the end of their

lives; the rest are either going into landfill or elsewhere. The reason for this is that

it’s cheaper to buy the materials used in batteries (mainly lithium and cobalt) as virgin materials than to recycle.

“So there’s a huge question mark over

recycling batteries, and an electric bus will need at least two batteries in its

lifetime. People tend to ignore some of these things.”

James Freeman is understandably proud

of the new fleet.

“As we are now able to fuel more

bio-methane powered gas vehicles than we currently have in our fleets, we are

looking to open the facility up to other, third party commercial operations in the future. Indeed, we are already in

negotiation with one organisation already, this is putting us at the forefront of clean commercial fleets, “ James added.

The Bristol based Biogas fleet proves

that thinking outside the box and utilising other fuel sources could provide ways of lowering CO2 emissions while still retaining the efficiencies and range of a diesel engine.

Australia could provide an enormous

opportunity for small biogas generation

plants in country areas using methane from various rural agricultural activities or

in cities, re-using some of the enormous amounts of food we scrap every day.

It’s clearly time for some different

thinking.

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Industry

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After several years of what seemed like ambivalence toward the buses, save for its niche Poncho model, Japanese maker Hino has made the decision to recommit to the Australian bus market, appointing Sara Clark as the new manager for Hino Bus and planning a renewed campaign on the local bus market. We have a chat to Sara Clark and look at how Hino is planning to supplement its truck business with a renewed and refreshed approach to the bus business. www.truckandbus.net.au 045

W

hile European commercial vehicle makers like Volvo, Scania, Mercedes and MAN

appointed a new bus manager, and the

Having said that the fact is Hino chassis

fact that it had decided to take a fresh approach to the bus business, had Coach

buses on offer here are getting a bit long in the tooth and can’t offer the sort of tech

franchise development , Bill Gillespie signalled this to us at a truck launch last year, suggesting that bus could play

Hino’s current bus range in Australia is made up of the Poncho along with the 43seat 10.4tonne GVM FD240 based

market, selling around 100 buses in 2009,

bus chassis RK8J/ RN8Js which boast GVMs of 15 and 16 tonne respectively and capacity of up to 61 passengers in school/

of its larger MP series route/school bus

private route bus operation in rural and outer urban areas. Ten years later In 2019, Hino

Part of Hino’s plan under new head of Hino Bus, Sara Clark’s management, is to update the model range with new

Isuzu Australia doesn’t sell buses at all in Australia despite its parent in Japan

Hino has sold 50 of its Poncho buses since the innovative low floor urban shuttle

brand to compete better with the newer bus product from opposition makers.

and sell buses on Isuzu truck chassis at its Queensland base.

So the announcement that Hino had

its full size bus chassis. So it’s clear the company has lost ground in bus despite having a tried and proven product.

successfully and profitably sell buses in relatively large numbers alongside their primary truck products,

the Japanese makers, which dominate the overall truck market in Australia, with few

exceptions have largely ignored the local bus market, focussing instead on their high volume truck sales.

Fuso of course has its highly popular

Rosa, which it sells a lot of, 322 to be exact in 2019 and is rumoured to make a lot of money from them. While it does sell some chassis, it has moved precious few in recent times, in fact it sold just two last years.

having a large footprint in the bus industry, although a private maker, I-Bus does build

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& Bus pretty interested in the story.

Hino general manager for brand and

a larger role in overall Hino sales mix.

If you look back a decade, Hino had around 6 per cent of the Australian bus

with its product finding broad appeal particularly with rural school runs and in

held just 2.4 per cent of the market and sold just 34 buses, 20 of which were Ponchos.

bus was launched here in 2017, but in the same time has moved less than 30 of

and safety features that the likes of Scania and can offer.

around a truck chassis and the dedicated

charter/day charter operations.

generation technology, performance and safety features, which will enable the H

Sara Clark has been in the automotive industry for 26 years, the last 12 at Hino

where most recently she was in charge of the company’s vehicle supply chain and logistics for truck but also for bus. This

Hino Bus manager, Sara Clark

“THERE IS SO MUCH SCOPE AND SO MUCH POTENTIAL THAT I AM THOROUGHLY ENJOYING THE CHALLENGE AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO DRIVING HINO BUS BACK TO A HIGHER LEVEL IN THE FUTURE”

means that far from coming into the bus industry cold she has been working closely with bus body builders and customers in co-ordinating the arrival, build and delivery of buses as part of her remit.

“I am very familiar with the product, people and the industry and I think that is most important in moving into a role

level at the moment it’s fair to say the company has given Clark a fairly wide brief to study the market, figure out what

segments and niches it should target, and which potential buses would best fit the demands of operators.

In fact, Clark has been tasked with

like this,” Sara explained. “I have been in the automotive industry since I left school

formulating a multi-year plan for Hino bus in Australia that will take the company well into the 2020’s and toward the next decade

“This is a welcome opportunity for me and an exciting one because there is so

the more modern and advanced Hino RM bus chassis that is looking like the most attractive

working in various roles in parts, sales, and vehicle supply chain, I love the industry.”

much happening with bus and we have an enormous potential with Hino Bus,” she said.

Sara hails from an automotive-loving family and has always worked at wholesale level during her career.

“I have been very fortunate to have been

mentored along the way by some very

inspiring leaders in automotive and Hino has always been a gender diverse organisation with a great work culture,” she added.

With Hino bus sales at a relatively low

with its passenger transport offerings First on the Hino hit list will most likely be

opportunity in the short to medium term.

While the current range uses the well

proven and reliable 280hp J08E8-litre six cylinder turbo diesel, the RM featuring newer, cleaner Euro 6 equivalent engines

boasting up to 360 hp. The RM bus chassis

is manufactured in the Hino plant in Taiwan in right hand drive specification, and the Australian operation wants that here sooner rather than later, as it will also deliver the sort of safety tech that Hino has had so

much success with in the truck market

with its Standard cab 500 models.

Sara Clark told us that while the current

RN has long been highly regarded by Hino customers and operators, and is still a reliable and durable bus for the Australian market, it is probably time for a bit of a

change over and the chance for some newer and more modern product.

“We are committed to best fit product

strategy and at this point in time nothing is off the table,” said Sara Clark.

“It’s too early to say exactly what we will be targeting, but we are committed to a

long term strategy that will deliver what bus buyers in this country want,” she added.

“If we look back ten years Hino was selling a lot more buses than we are now, and what we are doing is looking at all of

what is a fairly extensive range of products and target buses that are going to be relevant and useful to bus operators in Australia, as I say nothing is off the table at this stage” she added.

The impression you get is what Sara

www.truckandbus.net.au 047

Clark and Hino management is seeking is bus product that gets Hino back on the shopping lists of bus operators around the country. These are the operators who were once loyal Hino customers but which have since moved on to more up to date and better equipped buses from other makers.

Of course the success story for Hino in recent times is the unusual looking but highly practical Poncho, which has ticked a niche box for many operators, and although volume is not huge it is good incremental business for the company.

“Poncho has been a star performer and really fills a niche, which is growing with

is a potential for Australia, Clark is careful

to underline the importance and the success of Poncho in Hino’s local product range, and its ongoing place in the company’s bus offerings.

“J-Bus, which builds the Poncho body in Japan has a whole menu of customisation features, that we here in Australia could take advantage of and we will be looking

“We can absolutely see some strong growth in public transport demand and

Tokyo Olympics, which could in and of itself provide some exciting opportunities

compliant, low floor design that satisfied the needs of the disability act and allowed access for disabled passengers. It also

Hino has some interesting solutions and opportunities and like I said, nothing is off

suited the opening up of more shuttle

services and community public transport operations,” said Sara.

While a wider Hino bus product offering

green sector.

“Yes there are a number of offerings in

go along , which may also give us a wider opportunity in the market,” she added.

The rising embrace of public transport in all its forms is something Sara Clark sees

closely in planning for model updates as we

services operating in urban areas,” said Sara.

“Poncho came along at a time with a fully

that the Hino global menu could offer the local operation a number of options in the

terms of EV and Hybrid particularly with Poncho but potentially with other types of buses as well, but it’s too early to say.”

Ironically on the day we spoke with Sara Clark Hino and parent company, Toyota announced its program to develop a Hino hydrogen fuel cell truck, which should be testing on Japanese roads later this year.

continuing and growing in coming years and is something that she sees as both exciting and encouraging.

more and more ‘last mile’ and local shuttle

increasing demand for lower emission and even zero emission buses Clark intimates

the table, but whatever we do will have to be a good fit for our market here in Australia,” she added.

With one eye on the future and the

Alongside that is also Toyota’s program which has seen it produce 100 hydrogen fuel cell buses for the now postponed

for Hino Bus in Australia.

“There is so much scope and so much

potential that I am thoroughly enjoying the challenge and we look forward to driving Hino Bus back to a higher level in the future,” said Clark.

HINO IN BUS Hino first started making buses in Japan in 1946. Hino Industry Co Ltd was the company that started building those buses alongside cars and trucks as Japan, like much of the world, climbed out of the gloom of the post war years.

Hino set up in Australia and sold its first buses in 1965 with the first Hino bus chassis to ever have a body built on it in Australia constructed by Freighter Industries in Adelaide which was then sold into Tasmania.

Hino Buses found a ready acceptance in the market and have been prized for their reliability and longevity in a range of operations including on school, route and coach runs.

Hino Bus Australia looked after the Hino bus operation between 1980-1998 before it was consolidated into Hino Motor Sales Australia (HMSA) as it still is today.

048 www.truckandbus.net.au

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050 www.truckandbus.net.au

Volkswagen has decided to chase a larger share of the light commercial ready to work market after unveiling a program that will see a number of factory approved bodies and conversions which it says will generally be available as a compete package ready to go from its dealer network. C&B went along to VW HQ to be briefed on the German maker’s line up of custom commercials including its exciting Crafter mini bus offerings.

www.truckandbus.net.au 051

F

or the bus market specifically Volkswagen has realised that there is some strong demand in

the mini bus and fleet market and has unveiled two versions of its Crafter, ready for passenger carrying duties along with some ready to work light trucks and custom conversions to win a bigger share of the light commercial market.

This means that like its Euro van

counterparts like Mercedes Benz, Iveco and Renault, Volkswagen will offer a 12 or

a 15 seat mini bus conversion on its Crafter large van. This of course sits alongside the smaller but still versatile and flexible

Volkswagen says the range will expand as the program is rolled out with a number of the conversions to be kept in stock

of that the vehicles will still carry the normal five-year warranty.

“VGA has a breadth of capability it has

carried out.

While some of the units on display

much the tip of the iceberg. Volkswagen and its partners can engineer literally

enabling buyers to order and take delivery of their vehicles without having to wait for bodies to be built or conversion work to be

were European designed and built conversions, the Crafter bus was done

locally by its conversion partner Amtek.

Volkswagen says it will be sourcing all of

never possessed and a range unrivalled elsewhere,” said Hester.

“These top-to-tail solutions here are very

dozens of bespoke variants,” he added.

The Crafter mini bus conversion was

presented and with either a 15-seat front drive version or a 12-seat 4Motion model

the conversions locally, either as Australian suppliers licence the conversion or as the Euro suppliers set up local operations.

The Crafter Minibus came about as a result of an Australian tender process which

line Caravelle, which has found favour with some bus operators in small luxury transfers and transport duties.

conversions will be fully approved and warranted with service and repair available through its network of around100 dealers

company, Amtek, which is based in the Sydney suburb of Revesby. Volkswagen says it takes it into a new and growing

vehicle press on the its plans at its Sydney headquarters explaining that most of the offerings set to be available during the

Volkswagen Group Australia, national conversion manager, Andrew Hester told the gathered media that the approved

Transporter model including its top of the

The company briefed the commercial

early part of this year, however with the Covid 19 Crisis, that may be pushed back.

052 www.truckandbus.net.au

Importantly Volkswagen says the

nationally.

converters are required to meet the rigid factory engineering criteria and because

there is a great deal of scope and flexibility.

was won by Australian based conversion

market for mini bus sales. Until the new Crafter mini buses, the nine seat Caravelle based on the smaller Transporter was the extent of its minibus offering.

Amtek is an Australian owned and operated company based in purpose-built

premises located across three states with operations in New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia.

Amtek has traditionally specialised in building bespoke, customised, engineered vehicle solutions for clients mostly including government departments, such as emergency services like ambulance services, police, fire and rescue and the Traffic Management Centre as well as

State Emergency Service. As well as those other clients include ADHC retirement and nursing homes, special needs schools, the mining industry, tourism and education where the skills of converting vans to passenger carrying mini buses were

developed and honed.

VGA says the Crafter based bus represents a massive step forward in its

capability and will also be available during 2020 in medium-and long-wheelbase.

All will be equipped with the eight-speed torque converter auto, and will come with additional air-conditioning and heating in the rear passenger area along with a

luggage compartment in the rear. Factory options will include satellite-navigation, LED headlights, trendline pack, and driver assist.

The 4Motion (12 seat MWB version can

be fitted with a rear difflock and downhill

assist as well as an electric step available on the front drive and cargo barrier on both versions as well as window tint and offroad componentry..

The Crafter truck body has been designed

and built by UK company Ingimex which completes the conversion within the VW body builder program and it is looking at

either licensing the body to an Australian

company or potentially starting up a local operation to handle the builds. Andrew Hester says the fitting and finishing of the

bodies would be handled at Volkswagens’ local preparation and finishing centres locate close to the major Australian ports before being shipped to dealers.

The Crafter Box Body on display was also equipped with the optional chain drive tail lift while the rear shutter door system is a high security design featuring interlocking

www.truckandbus.net.au 053

shutter panels, with the door sliding back along the inside of the roof. Unlike a roller

services such as ambulances and potential military use.

They also showed a Tiguan Proline, based on Volkswagen’s popular small

being jimmied or pried open. Another

have the longer single-cab tray length with a full dual-cab passenger area which

in a variety of applications and which VW hopes to convince other Police forces

door this means less intrusion into the load space and less likelihood of the door point made by Hester was the fact that the smooth outer finish on the Crafter’s body which will make it ideal for sign-writing and wrapping.

The Amarok XL offers a 310mm extension to the dual cab which means you can

will deliver huge potential to the ,off road adventure and camper market while also

Initially it will be available on a single cab chassis but a dual cab version is likely in

giving tradies a longer fit all tray without compromising passenger space.

The extended Amarok chassis was

mm wheelbase and is available with either the TDi 340 or TDi410 engines coupled to

designed the conversion. They have now partnered with Adelaide-based Adaptive

the future.

The single cab chassis runs on a 4490

the 8 speed torque converter auto In terms of engine and gearbox options, all Crafters run the eight-speed auto but customers get a choice of the TDI340 and TDI410 engines within this range depending on the model.

The other interesting Convert model show was a stretch version of the popular Amarok ute.

The extended-cab Amarok XL and XXL are both aimed at a range of applications from lifestyle uses such as camper bodied off road adventure vehicles to emergency

054 www.truckandbus.net.au

created in the Netherlands by Veth Automotive who engineered and

Manufacturing which will undertake the conversion here in Australia

Both the XL and XXL will be offered with either the V6 or four-cylinder diesels mated to the eight-speed auto.

The XLL’s 650mm chassis extension

offers even more potential for ambulance bodies and special off road applications, and both will carry the same warranty

as the base vehicle as well as having a tested and reprogrammed version of VW’s electronic stability control (ESC) matched to the vehicle’s longer wheelbase.

SUV and which has already found favour with the Victoria Police which is using it

around the country to purchase.

The Tiguan Proline follows on from the

company’s successful Passat Proline program, which has seen Passat Proline variants used by Victoria Police general

duties and the high performance 206TSI 4MOTION Proline Wagons deployed by that state’s Highway Patrol and special duties operations

The Tiguan Proline has been designed for emergency first responders and is

based on the Alltrack Comfortline with the third row of seating removed for greater

equipment storage. It is powered by the 162kW/350Nm 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine

originally tuned for the Golf GTI. The bottom line according to Volkswagen is that the new factory endorsed range of conversions is designed to provide the most diverse range of “turn key” solutions on the Australian market, we can but agree.

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LCV

TIE ME TRANSIT VAN DOWN SPORT! Vans aren’t always known for racy looks and alloy wheels but Ford is trying to change that with its Transit Custom Sport. We swung behind the wheel of the latest Transit to see how the Sport model performs.

T

his writer is old enough

to remember when utes

were just workhorses and were the last things anyone customised or hotted up. That of

course has all changed and utes are the new sports cars of the21st century.

They’re often workhorses but just as often they are the personal transport of enthusiasts and customisers.

The same hasn’t generally been

seen in the van market, with a few minor exceptions. So we were really interested when Ford introduced a sporty version of its Transit, the

Transit Custom Sport.

The Transit Custom Sport is really a styling exercise and far from being a ‘hotted up’ van the van, the main additions over the normal Transit

056 www.truckandbus.net.au

Custom are styled ‘GT’ stripes and decals,

Ford turbo diesel two-litre which delivers

it feels more precise and better handling

special black trimmed grille, black 17 inch alloy rims fitted with Michelins, bi-xenon HID headlights and LED daytime running

torque over the standard version.

We have to confess we have liked the current gen Transit from the very first time

precise, light and has pretty good feel. Its sharp and nippy and is really great in city traffic conditions, while the 11.8 metre

added skirts and wheel arch flares, a

lights. The Custom Sport package will cost you a $3550 premium over the normal $44,990 SWB Custom van. So the Transit Custom Sport will set you back $48,990 or $53,990 for the LWB Custom Sport.

However its not just external trim

changes, there are also some significant interior additions including a leather trimmed and heated ten-way adjustable

driver’s seat, a leather steering wheel and some extra trim pieces as well as LED lighting in the load area.

At the risk of sounding like Tim the

Demtel guy, but wait there is more! Under the front seats is a ‘tuned’ version of the

another 11kW and an added 15 Nm of

we drove it. It has car like dynamics and handles more like a car than most vans

and with the extra power and torque the great alloy wheels and those Michelin tyres it is an even more impressive package with the Custom Sport.

Like any van the ride when unladen can be a bit firm but put 100kgs or so in the back and it sits very nicely on the road indeed. But even without a load in the

back the Transit steers, goes and stops with great aplomb. The thing is it feels like it has very good balance, with the engine set well back in its short bonnet and with the passenger compartment behind that,

than most vans. The steering is also very

turning circle is pretty impressive.

Safety has often been an after-thought

in vans, not so the Transit Custom Sport.

It gets a full suite of safety systems and boasts a five-star ANCAP rating thanks partly to the six airbags it is fitted with,

but also because of those safety systems.

As part of that bag of safety systems the Transit has autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection,

forward-collision alert, lane-departure alert, rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot monitoring and adaptive cruise control

and trailer-sway control integrated into the vehicles trailer-sway control.

www.truckandbus.net.au 057

Company Car

Some may think Genesis is the first book in the Bible, others might remember it as the band Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel had back in the 1980s but there is a new Genesis and it is Hyundai’s luxury car channel. We spent a week and found the Genesis G70 is a new beginning in many ways.

060 www.truckandbus.net.au

W

hile it seems that a lot of people are buying SUVs

instead of sedans these days there seems to be no shortage of car makers still dishing

up mid-size sedans, despite the fact that some companies like Holden appear not

to be able to make sedans viable.

As we said to a colleague just the other

day how come GM can’t make it work and corporations like Hyundai can? In the case

of our Company Car subject this issue Hyundai’s new offshoot brand Genesis has dished up a terrific mid-size sport sedan with a range of engines and sells it around the globe in left and right hand drive markets. The clever Koreans must know something the self styled ‘masters of the universe’ in Detroit clearly don’t.

The new Genesis G70 2.0T Ultimate

is an affordable luxury, sport sedan that

has tremendous dynamics, plenty of performance and heaps of luxury.

You may have never heard of Genesis,

but it is Hyundai’s new luxury brand.

Just as Toyota created Lexus and Nissan created Infiniti as luxury channels that gave loyal brand devotees a way of

climbing into a higher level of prestige without leaving to buy a BMW or a Benz.

Genesis has been around for a few years, you may have noticed a handful of the bigger G80 limos running around as luxury chauffeur driven hire cars, but Hyundai

now has some added weaponry in the G70 and a range of SUVs and other models due to arrive in the near future.

The arrival of the G70 has filled us with

excitement as its shares underpinnings with the marvellous Stinger from sister

company Kia, but bundles all of it into its own sleek and stylish four door sedan package and on a smaller overall package.

The Ultimate edition is the pinnacle model in the three tier 2.0T range (there

is a 3.3T variant as well), so in essence comes with all the goodness that can be

had from Genesis, with very few optional add-ons. It, like all Genesis vehicles, is also sold at a fixed price.

It’s powered by an inline 4-cylinder petrol engine, fitted with a single twin

scroll turbocharger and intercooler. That

combination generates 179kW of power and 353Nm of torque, with a claimed fuel economy of 9.0-litres/100km.

That’s pretty much bang on, a unique

www.truckandbus.net.au 061

thing in itself, as we managed between 8.9 and 9.4-litres/100km in time in the car. It’s rear-wheel drive and that power plant is mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission.

It scores five driving modes; Smart, Eco, Comfort, Sport and Custom, with Sport mode, or Smart mode (where the car

space. Comfort wise, the right ingredients are there, nice seats, padding in the right places, beautiful quilted style leather padded doors – but that’s where it stops.

If your driver or front seat passenger are tall, and have the seat back, there’s no rear leg room, at all. It feels very claustrophobic.

A low roof line thanks to the almost coupe

There’s quality safety inclusions too, including a 360-degree surround view camera, forward collision assistance for cars and humans, lane keep with steering assist, blind spot collision warning and

The infotainment system is great, but seems a little out of place given it’s identical to what you might find in your base model i30. Sure there’s more functionality there, but from a physical

chooses the best mode for how you’re driving), offering the best feel.

rear cross traffic alert.

Awarded a 5-star ANCAP safety rating, the 2019 Genesis G70 2.0T Ultimate also comes loaded with seven airbags, front and rear parking sensors, smart cruise

control, smart entry and push button start.

Inside you’ll find dual zone climate control, a smart boot opener and heated and vented front seats (with the driver’s seat adjustable some 16 ways). The entire

interior features quilted Nappa leather appointments, including door quilting.

It’s an incredible look and feel, especially with the addition of the panoramic glass

sun roof that’s standard at this spec, that makes the car feel significantly more expensive than its $76,900 drive away price tag, for the most part. More on

that shortly.

Where the G70 fails is in rear passenger

062 www.truckandbus.net.au

styling also means if you’re tall, and stuck in the back, you’re pretty much done for.

look, pretty much the same.

Throw it at corners and it handles those too. With it’s performance driving ability in sports mode certainly impressive. There’s even some added steering control when switching to ‘fun’ mode.

Its rivals, which include the BMW 3 Series , Lexus IS, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Audi A4, bring plenty to the table, that’s for sure, but the Genesis offers a unique alternative to the Japanese and European challengers.

There are nine exterior colours to choose from, including Adriatic Blue, Black Forest Green, Serengeti Brown, Vik and Victoria Black, Savile Silver, Santiago Silver (our test vehicle), and

It does have SatNav though, with SUNA live traffic updates, a thumping Lexicon 15-speaker premium sound system, and

The interior is Obsidian Black by default, but depending on your exterior colour,

also a full colour head-up display and wireless phone charging.

Where the Genesis G70 brings itself

Brown and Velvet Burgundy. There is one wheel choice, as the 2019 Genesis G70 2.0T Ultimate rides on model specific 19-

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. There’s

back is in the drive. Ride and handling are exceptional, thanks to an Australian

tune from Hyundai’s gurus. It’s refined.

Comfortable. Soft without being sloppy.

If that makes sense. Even the feedback

Uyuni and Casablanca White.

you can also choose Vanilla Beige, Walnut

inch wheels.

The only factory optional extras are a

carpet cargo mat for the 330-litre boot, a tow bar, and roof racks. It comes with

is great.

a 5-year unlimited kilometre warranty, five years roadside assistance, and

that perspective, quite frankly. It’s great on

G70 2.0T and we are now looking forward

More importantly, especially for what’s geared as a luxury car, it’s quiet. It puts some of its major rivals to shame from

the open road too, offering an exceptional cruising experience.

complimentary map updates for the warranty period.

We had a marvellous time in the Genesis to trying the 3.0T at some time in the not to distant future.

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064 Money Matters

SO, WHAT ARE THE NEOBANKS? Each year a new buzzword enters our conversations.

This year’s hot contender is ‘neobank’.

N

eobanks let customers do all their banking via smartphone

apps. No bank branch, no paperwork, no internet banking.

That may be uncomfortable for some of us. But for millennials it can makes sense.

Six out of ten 20-somethings already do their banking via a smartphone.

So what do neobanks offer?

Common features include a super quick

sign-up process, the ability to bank straight from your smartphone – and at this stage at least, a limited product range.

In January, Australia’s first independent neobank Xinja, launched its ‘Stash’ savings account. Linked to Xinja’s everyday bank account, it pays 2.25% interest with no minimum deposits or payments.

Another neobank, 86 400 (pronounced ‘eighty-six four hundred’) is backed by Cuscal, which supports Australia’s mutual banking sector. 86 400 has an everyday account called ‘Pay’, and a savings account called ‘Save’. The savings account pays a base rate of 0.4%, or a total of 2.25% when you deposit at least $1,000 each month into the Pay or Save accounts.

Another new kid on the block is Up Bank (backed by Bendigo Bank), which has fee-free everyday banking options, plus

a savings account paying a base rate of 0.50% plus bonus interest of 1.75% on savings up to $50,000 for each month you make five debit card or digital wallet

purchases using the Up Everyday Account.

More neobanks are expected to launch in Australia. But what do they have that traditional banks don’t?

As you’d expect, their apps can

be impressive, often with a variety of useful features.

86 400’s app lets customers view

all their bank accounts in one place so you

get a complete picture of your finances. Up Bank offers free international transfers. Other neobanks have automatic round-up features that send small change on purchases straight to your linked savings account.

064 www.truckandbus.net.au

At some stage, neobanks will likely offer products like home loans. It will be

interesting to see how the savings of having no branch network will flow through to a better deal for consumers. Already 86,400 has a home loan with a variable rate of

their target fall in love with the persona they have created, while quickly professing their love for the victim.

For all their points of difference, neobanks essentially do much the same as regular

stories about why the scammer can’t meet in person. It’s when the scammer starts to ask for money – for whatever

3.09% – it’s a low rate but it’s not the cheapest on the market.

banks. They are a tool to manage your money, and the old rules apply. Don’t be blindsided by a whizz-bang app. Be realistic about whether you can meet the conditions required to earn the top deposit rate, and look for any unexpected fees.

If you feel more comfortable with a traditional bank, then stick with it. Good money management is about what works for you – not following a hot new trend.

Meantime on a totally different topic, If Cupid’s arrow missed you on Valentine’s Day, be wary of strangers declaring their love online.

Last year, Australians reported 4,000 dating and romance scams to consumer watchdog, the ACCC. A total of $29 million was lost to these scams, with victims being cheated out of an average of $19,000 – figures that are believed to be the tip of the iceberg.

It’s easy to wonder how people get caught up in these scams. But the ACCC say a growing number of victims weren’t even looking for a relationship. Plenty were just

engaging in social media or, surprisingly, online games.

Beyond traditional online dating websites, the highest losses from romance scams originated on Instagram and Facebook.

Conventional dating platforms like Tinder or Match.com also had high losses in 2019.

However, a new trend is that scammers are turning to online games such as

Words with Friends and Scrabble to con their victims.

There are some classic warning signs to look for that you could be dealing with a

scammer. The ACCC says they try to make

That’s normally followed by complicated

reason, that the warning bells should really start ringing.

The requests for money don’t always involve hard cash. Scammers are open to other options. Close to $9 million was lost by payment methods like iTunes, Steam and Google Play gift cards.

The main point is that if you send money, the scammer asks for more, often using guilt to get you to dip further into your wallet.

These scams are not new. Yet people continue to fall for them, and are left worse off financially, with a few emotional scars to show for the experience.

That’s why a healthy dose of skepticism

goes a long way when you’re online. Never lose sight of the possibility that your new online buddy could be a crook.

Some simple steps can help protect you, and your money.

Don’t give out personal information – especially your financial details – to someone you haven’t met in person

no matter who they say they are. If the

conversation swings to requests for money, the solution is easy: Stop communicating with them.

Discovering that your new heartthrob is a fake can be demoralising. But that may

be a lot less damaging than being fleeced thousands of dollars – money you will never see again.

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.

hino.com.au

HINO PONCHO. DDA COMPLIANT & THE SMARTEST BUS AROUND TOWN.

XAVIER_HINO36428

THAT’S ANOTHER HINO

Over 4 million Australians live with a disability. Yet, unlike most community transport solutions, the smart Hino Poncho is fully DDA compliant right now and ready to go. Its internal layout configuration features excellent accessibility and an ultra low floor design. Cost efficient to run with superior rear engine access, the Hino Poncho will help lower your fuel costs and reduce maintenance costs as well. And because Hino is driven to do more for you, it comes equipped with automatic transmission and airbag suspension. It’s all designed to deliver on the Hino QDR (Quality, Durability and Reliability) promise to ensure a smooth and comfortable ride, for all your passengers. Find out more today at hino.com.au