Indholdsfortegnelse for Issue 356 i Australasian Bus & Coach

Daimler Buses increased its global earnings by 28 per cent last year, 2016 sales figures reveal. Daimler Buses sold a total of 26,200 buses and bus chassis worldwide in 2016, compared to 28,100 in 2015. While mostly known in Australia for the Mercedes-Benz brand of buses, the Daimler Buses Setra brand also posted record international unit sales in 2016. Strong business with complete buses in Western Europe made a significant contribution to the boost. Daimler Buses were introduced to new markets in 2016, namely India, Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Head of Daimler Buses Hartmut Schick says the organisation will have invested a further 835 million Australian dollars (600 million euros) by 2018. “We are systematically further developing our unique product portfolio and extending our technology leadership…

It is only in the last 18 months that Queensland school bus operators have been involved in what QBIC would describe as an open dialogue with TransLink in regard to school services and they weren’t going to miss it for the world. QBIC executive director David Tape says he is pleased with how the event at Toowoomba City Golf Club unfolded and that it was great to get an insight into how Translink plans to streamline a currently complex and slow process; getting new school children registered for local school bus services. “It’s vital that we not only engage with the state, but to also engage with and include our school operator members in the process as our school sector goes through this change,” he says. This years’ conference had…

‘During this time, we probably bought 10 different bus companies’ Sometimes you need time to step back and look at the big picture. When you’ve been working in such a niche industry as the bus business all your life, you can develop a particular way of doing things based on experience and a certain approach that you absorb from those you work with. So, when current Deane Transport Services owners Alyson and Brenton Deane left the industry to take up senior roles at a trucking company in Albury, they were exposed to a whole other world. “That all happened when my father decided he wished to sell Forster and Wingham Coaches, which he eventually did to Buslines Group in 2015,” Brenton says. “It was too big for me to buy…

‘Deliveries dropped dramatically in March 2017 with just 55 new buses supplied’ Deliveries dropped dramatically in March 2017 with just 55 brand new buses delivered throughout Australia. This does not compare well with February 2017, during which 80 new bus deliveries were reported by chassis manufacturers, representing a decrease of 25 vehicles. The March delivery number also stacks up poorly compared to the 86 new buses delivered in March last year. Volvo had a sluggish month, its deliveries decreasing from 27 in February to 18 in March, followed by Scania’s 13 which was also down on last month’s 23. MAN was a big surprise though, reporting nine deliveries for the month of March. The majority of other manufacturers delivered less than four vehicles respectively, with Yutong dropping month-on-month from six…

“This program will deliver better bus shelters so you’re not waiting in the rain” More than $22 million in funding for upgraded public transport infrastructure across regional Victoria has been announced. The extensive program will upgrade bus stops, signage and access, as well as bus and coach interchanges. Victorian Minister for Public Transport Jacinta Allan released the tender for the state government’s Road and Rail Minor Works program recently. “This program will deliver the day-to-day upgrades that make a real difference – more parking at the local station, a secure place to lock your bike, and better bus shelters so you’re not waiting in the rain,” she says. “They’re local projects that have come out of the extensive consultation with local communities through the Regional Network Development Plan – Victoria’s…

A brand new underground concourse at Central Station will better connect passengers to trains, buses, light rail and the new Sydney Metro. New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian and transport and infrastructure minister Andrew Constance announced ‘Central Walk’ will be built as a wide, accessible and modern pedestrian link from the eastern side of Central Station. It will link the new light rail stop to the new Sydney Metro platforms with direct access to existing suburban platforms. “We are going to revitalise Central Station to make it an international showpiece of Sydney’s transport network,” she says. “It’s often the first stop for visitors from overseas, interstate and from regional areas and we want to ensure the Central Station experience is world class and convenient for the quarter of a million…

A newly created Denning 60 year reunion commemorative event is in the planning stage and kicks off on Saturday, June 17 at the Acacia Ridge Hotel in Brisbane. Former Denning employee of 12 years and 40-year bus industry veteran Dick White came up with the idea for the event, and is looking forward to marking the occasion with other Denning enthusiasts and people involved in the bus industry more broadly. “Like most former employees, Denning is in my blood and I have a real attachment and connection to the Denning vehicles,” he says. “The year 2017 celebrates 60 years of Denning products – so it is very fitting to have the first ever Denning Reunion.” “We are expecting up to 200 people to come - past and present employees, operators,…

“The audio interface has six channels of TV plus a radio tuner” Now owned by Malaysian-based automotive parts manufacturer APM, Victorian seating supplier McConnell Seats Australia has seen demand grow for seats with USB capabilities built into either the armrest or the frame of the seat. While the under-seat, frame-mounted design has been in circulation for a few years now, having a USB built into the armrest is a reasonably recent and exciting development. McConnell general manager James Lowe says the organisation is seeing more demand for seats with special features and it is constantly adapting to changing trends and requests, particularly from upmarket coach operators whose customers expect all the modern conveniences. “We are working with IRIZAR, who supply us with the audio unit components for that particular design…

‘When fully open, you can easily access all areas for inspection and maintenance’ On my very ›rst phone contact organising the test drive of the Bonluck President 2, I used the word ‘bus’ in my discussions about the upcoming visit. I was quickly reminded that the President 2 is not a bus, it’s a coach, so I guess I was looking forward to seeing what this luxury ‘coach’ had to offer! I travelled to Yatala, Queensland, to meet with the joint owner and director of Bus and Coach Sales Australasia (BCSA), Rodd Hood. Hood has almost 30 years’ experience in the industry so it was easy to be impressed by both his knowledge of the industry and the Bonluck President 2 – down to the vehicle’s minor details. DESIGN AND…

A new state-of-the-art bus depot in Thomastown is now open, supporting better bus services for passengers in Melbourne’s north. Parliamentary Secretary for Public Transport Ros Spence and Member for Thomastown Bronwyn Halfpenny were in attendance to officially open the $8.6 million facility. “We’re making buses better, with new routes and services to carry more people as Melbourne grows,” Spence says. “New depots like these will support better bus services on some of our most popular routes, getting them home safer and sooner every day.” The depot on High Street will be home for 50 buses operating on Smart Bus routes 901 and 902 – two of the most popular on the network. It includes facilities for 100 Transdev staff and huge tanks to capture 81,000 litres of rain water that…

“Action needs to be taken and we will commence route protection for mass transit” Land will be secured between Auckland’s CBD and airport for the creation of a bus priority lane with a view to converting this into a tram line over the next few decades. The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) and Auckland Transport boards have come to an important agreement on the next steps for mass transit in Auckland. Both boards have agreed that there will be a staged, integrated transition from bus to light rail transit from the airport to the city centre, based on future demand and capacity, and to commence route protection for this important gateway corridor between two of Auckland’s key growing employment areas. Further work will be done to assess key operational elements, required…

‘It’s good to see operators going for something that is a bit out of the ordinary’ Camira has a brand new premium ‘Vision’ range of fabric that can be used for coach seats or interior trim. The new fabric is a ›at woven polyester that adds a touch of class to leather or any other style of coach seats and has only just been released in Europe and Northern America. The first operator to boast the ›ash new style of coach seating is Crowther’s Coaches, which is set to receive the newly built touring coach from Brisbane body builder Coach Design, built on a Mercedes-Benz chassis. McConnell is the seating supplier for this innovative build. “We displayed samples of this new range at the Australian Bus + Coach Show in…

‘Urban growth has generated significant transport challenges including traffic congestion’ ABC recently spoke to Sarah Roberts, whose PhD in industrial design is being sponsored by Transdev Melbourne and Monash University. While the PhD won’t be complete until 2019, her investigation into how the physical design of buses currently used in Melbourne might not be the most conducive to attracting new users is gaining momentum. Roberts’ research project seeks to explore what a future bus might look like for urban local transport within suburban Melbourne. “New technologies and design thinking are reinventing the potential of bus design, moving away from the conventional view of the bus as a slow, boxy, impersonal shell,” she says. “I started this particular research project in April 2016 and it’s been interesting just trying to gain…

‘There’s currently no local Japanese manufacturer producing articulated buses’ Volgren’s partnership with Nara Kotsu Bus Lines is one of the company’s several relationships, including its ongoing association with Japan’s largest bus operator, the Nishitetsu Railway Company, which ordered an additional ›ve artics last year. It has also forged partnerships with global trading company Mitsui & co, and Scania Japan, which provides the service and support of the complete bus. Volgren business development manager Jon Tozer says the two 18m-long articulated buses – built on the Scania K360UA E6 chassis delivered to Nara Kotsu – represent an important milestone for Volgren’s export credentials. “The delivery of the two artics for Nara Kotsu is the result of 18 months of hard work, and reinforces Volgren’s ability to deliver world-class buses that meet…