Indholdsfortegnelse for Issue 422 i Australasian Bus & Coach

Bus Stop Sales has announced another key appointment, this time of a respected industry veteran to its company leadership team Bus Stop Sales director Pete White has announced that the company has appointed Stephen Long to its company leadership team. A well-known figure in the Australian bus industry, Long joins the Bus Stop team in the newly created sales leader role of General Manager, National Fleets to further support the distributor’s Zero Emission Bus (ZEB) transformation and growth plans. Having spent more than a decade in bus specific management roles, White says Long was a perfect candidate for the newly created role. “Stephen deeply understands the bus industry and the needs of fleet operators over and above the supply of the bus itself,” White says. “In additional to a great…

Months after building and testing the buses, Sunbury will now see the first three zeroemission buses hit the road in a state-first The Victorian government’s push towards a cleaner and more sustainable Melbourne bus fleet has taken another major step with the first three electric buses as part of the Zero Emissions Bus Trial hitting the road in Sunbury. Minister for Public Transport Ben Carroll says the government’s $20 million Zero Emissions Bus (ZEB) Trial will inform the transition of about 4,000 diesel buses in the state’s public fleet, including around 2,200 in regional Victoria, to zero emissions. From 2025, all new buses on Victoria’s public transport routes will be zero emissions. Bus operator Donric is introducing the three zero emission electric buses on existing routes in and around Sunbury…

Operator Kelsian Group is now expanding its UK presence with a new acquisition Kelsian Group and its UK subsidiary Tower Transit have announced the acquisition of two bus businesses in the Channel Islands. The Group has acquired LibertyBus operating in Jersey, and CT Plus operating in Guernsey, signifying a new chapter of growth and potential for the suite of companies, Kelsian and Tower Transit in the UK and the Channel Islands. Kelsian Group CEO Clint Feuerherdt says its highly experienced management team in London will oversee the operations, remaining focussed on delivering essential and sustainable journeys. “We are delighted to take the reins of both LibertyBus in Jersey and CT Plus in Guernsey. Kelsian’s legacy is supporting island communities and economies and we are excited to serve the Channel Islands…

Robert Gloster has been driving buses for nigh on 50 years. Most days he completes the daily run from Underbool to Ouyen – 51 kilometres as the crow flies – and drops students to and from the school in Ouyen. Despite this long service for his local community in the Victorian Mallee, Gloster was taken by complete surprise when he was rewarded for his efforts. In July, Gloster was chosen by the Bus Association of Victoria as the Best School Bus Driver for 2022. After receiving the award at the Bus Vic maintenance conference and trade show’s awards ceremony, Gloster admitted he was completely surprised by the recognition. “I never envisaged that I would even be a contender – I had no inkling whatsoever,” Gloster told ABC. “My wife Colleen…

When Anthony O’Donnell first started at Coachair four years ago, he had a clear vision for the company. He wanted to see the Australian-owned bus and coach air conditioning manufacturer establish a local engineering support network. It’s taken time and hard work, but now the Coachair national manager of sales has achieved this crucial point of difference. It’s culminated in a close support network that is quickly acting to work with customers when they need assistance most. “It’s something we made clear that we wanted to do early on,” O’Donnell told ABC. “We’ve made people responsible as sales staff, technical support or engineers to keep them part of this network. “It provides a very big point of difference for us that’s starting to hit home to our customers. No one…

Bus Stop Sales’s Expo stand burst with green. It emerged out of plants scattered across the stall. It shone out of the King Long electric chassis that attracted many viewers throughout the Expo. “We decided early on that we wanted to showcase our premier electric options and the variety of models we have available,” Bus Stop managing director Pete White told ABC. “Bus Stop is an end-to-end solutions provider across multiple brands, and we continue to offer a mixture of locally built bus packages in addition to fully imported content.” The King Long chassis displayed is Bus Stop’s latest electric solution for urban operators. White says the chassis is packed with class-leading components. He says the chassis was assembled by Chinese brand King Long. The chassis was displayed in two…

At Camira Fabric’s Expo display site, Australian sales and marketing manager Rodney Peterson says the growth of Camira’s products means he’ll have to book a larger space for the next Expo. “Next time we’re going to need a bigger site,” Peterson told ABC. “We keep churning out new patterns, ranges and products – for instance, we have 200 patterns in just the one range to celebrate our 200-year anniversary.” As the leading fabrics provider for seats in the Australian bus and coach industry, Camira is constantly evolving its range. Peterson says the company’s 200th anniversary has spurred Camira to showcase its capabilities to the local transport industry. This includes providing fabrics that meet the high level of safety required in public transport networks. “Looking around our site, we have the…

The Dutch bus manufacturer officially marked its tenure in Australia with the release of the Ebusco 2.2 electric bus in Melbourne in October. A week later, the shiny new bus was on display in Sydney for the Bus & Coach Expo. After years of planning for this moment, Ebusco Australia and New Zealand sales director Simon Pearce says he’s excited to see Ebusco’s products gaining traction down under. “At the Expo we’re proud to show our Ebusco 2.2, which is fully engineered for Australian conditions,” Pearce told ABC. “This is the generation three model of the bus and it arrived in the country around a month and a half ago. “We had our launch last week in Melbourne which was really successful, and now we’re looking forward to putting the…

Irizar viewed the Expo as an ideal time to display its 1000th vehicle sold in the country. The Irizar i6S 3900 was delivered to Kangaroo Bus Lines (KBL). The Managing Director of KBL Darren Webster ensured the Irizar model made it to Sydney in time. “We really wanted to show our 1000th vehicle sold in Australia,” Irizar Asia Pacific managing director Steve Heanes told ABC. “It’s just ticked over 30,000 kilometres and has been kept in really good condition, making it a great centrepiece of our stall.” Heanes says having the 1000th Irizar vehicle delivered in the nation sends a message that Irizar has delivered a large number of vehicles in a short time. Irizar also brought down another of its i6S 3900 luxury coach bodies courtesy of Sydney operator…

Sege’s latest seat product in the 430 seat was set to be installed on an Irizar coach in a worldfirst appearance for the model. The seats didn’t land in Australia until the week before the Expo. In just three days, the existing seats on board the Irizar body were taken off, before the new seats were placed inside to launch Sege’s newest range. Taskin was relieved that the last-minute move paid dividends. “It’s a world first – these seats haven’t been released anywhere and are now being launched here in Sydney,” Taskin told ABC. “We’ve heard that they are nice and comfortable seats. It’s good to see people recognising the comfort and style of Sege’s seats.” For the week prior to the Expo, Taskin wasn’t sure if the seats would…

Siemens has been an early leader in electric vehicle charging technology, making it a forerunner in the e-mobility space. At the Bus & Coach Expo, it once again showed the chargers that makes Siemens such a valuable partner for operators looking to make the zero-emissions transition. Siemens says the Expo was the perfect platform to showcase products and solutions that have established themselves at the top of the market in Australia in the past few years. Siemens electric charging infrastructure lead Olivia Laskowski says being able to physically show the industry what Siemens’ products look like is valuable for the future of the e-mobility market. “People always want to have something tangible in front of them,” Laskowski told ABC. “It allows them to visualise the charger and how it would…

Along with its shiny new Volvo BZL Electric chassis, Volvo Bus Australia used its Expo stand to educate the industry on its plans for the future. The recently launched BZL Electric chassis provided Volvo Bus Australia general manager Mitch Peden with the opportunity to showcase the company’s latest technological developments and social progression. “We had our BZL Electric chassis built with Express Coach Builders in Macksville,” Peden told ABC. “This highlights our local content and intention to prioritise local manufacturing for workers in NSW for our operator partners. “It’s also great to show part of our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) activities by using the bus that has the NAIDOC Week livery that was commissioned from Goreng Goreng artist Jacob Sarra and was completed at our head office in Wacol, Queensland.…

It’s no surprise that global technology company ZF had an impressive range of traditional and electric OE axles, transmissions and aftermarket parts at the Expo. But the company focused on its new telematics product. The ZF Bus Connect telematics system is a new solution that the company currently has on trial around Australia. ZF application engineer Jason Moses says the Bus Connect system capitalises on ZF’s unique involvement in many aspects of a bus’s design. “The Bus Connect telematics product is new for us at this Expo,” Moses told ABC. “It works by connecting into the vehicle and communicating the vehicles position and live operating data to a user portal that can help improve efficiency and safety.” Moses says Bus Connect can obtain all vehicle data, which can be used…

In the fight to make transport more sustainable, the Tasmanian government has turned to buses in its capital city of Hobart. In late September, the Tasmanian government announced it was embarking on its most progressive public transport agenda in decades in a bid to ease traffic congestion around the Hobart city centre. The nearby suburb of Kingborough will soon be providing its residents with more reasons to take the bus into Hobart. A new park and ride facility is set to open in Huntingfield alongside additional express bus services to and from Hobart two years after it was first conceptualised as part of the Hobart City Deal in 2019. “It’s pretty new for us here in Tasmania,” Tasmanian deputy premier Michael Ferguson told ABC. “We’ve needed to initiate these new…

Ebusco Australia has officially released its popular 2.2 bus in Australia Electric bus manufacturer Ebusco has launched its worldwide 2.2 bus model in Australia in a right-hand drive model. At Melbourne’s Park Hyatt Hotel, both Australian and international employees joined forces to officially release the bus, which has been tailored to Australian conditions. Ebusco Australia director Simon Pearce welcomed the attendees and said he was excited to release the model in Australia. “I’m really excited to be here today to launch Ebusco officially in Victoria,” Pearce says. “Ebusco’s journey in Australian started in 2019 down in St Kilda. A group of us discussed our future in Australia and what it would look like in the Asia-Pacific region – we believed there was a fantastic future. “Then COVID got in the…

Kinetic is continuing to grow in Tasmania after acquiring a north-east bus group. Kinetic is set to expand its presence in Tasmania’s north-east with the announcement of an agreement to acquire family-run business East Tamar Bus Lines. Established by Darrell and Glenda Lee in 2020, East Tamar operates three government contracted bus services primarily between Launceston and George Town. The Lee’s also operate a charter business, Lee’s Coaches, which won’t be included in the sale. East Tamar has six buses and 10 employees with all staff to be offered continued employment with Kinetic. Kinetic also operates SkyBus Hobart, Redline Coaches and MerseyLink with its network in Tasmania now including 209 buses and 244 people. It is the largest privately owned government contractor in the state. The investment will expand Kinetic’s…

CDC has brought back a former executive to become its new UK and Ireland CEO. Transport operator ComfortDelGro (CDC) has announced it is re-hiring a former executive to become the company’s newest CEO for Europe. Former executive Damian Rowbotham will return to CDC as CEO to oversee the bus, coach, taxi and private-hire division in both the UK and Ireland from September this year. The announcement follows CDC previously choosing to bring on experts in rail tendering for its wholly owned subsidiary ComfortDelGro Transit. This involved appointing new heads of rail operations, maintenance and customer experience. CDC says the hires are part of an aggressive expansion strategy to join more international tenders. Rowbotham returns to CDC after being at Stagecoach Group in London. Before this, he was the group finance…

Back in 1942, Dick Rowe used a car running on charcoal to pick up people from a Western Sydney train station and transport them around. Eighty years later, his grandson now runs the transport business he started during the dirt roads and petrol rations of the second World War. It’s hard to believe how far Busways has come since such humble beginnings. Dick, affectionately known as Pop to fellow family and Busways fraternity, kickstarted a crazy chain of events that resulted in a thriving family operator when he bought a car in his teen years while living on his parents’ Western Sydney dairy farm. Bought in the throes of the second World War, fuel rations meant Pop had to attach a gas producer to the side of the car and…

It had been three long years since the bus and coach industry last congregated for an Expo. At the BusNSW 2022 Australasian Bus & Coach Expo at Sydney Showgrounds, its members quickly made up for lost time. Despite certain last-minute rushes to pack stands, the inside of the Showgrounds sparkled with buses as the local industry showcased the best of its latest products. Just a few steps through the door and it was clear the direction the Australian sector had veered towards in recent times. Battery electric buses and other zero-emissions products dominated the Expo stalls as many manufacturers celebrated its recent forays into new energy technology. From Volvo and Bus & Coach International’s (BCI) latest electric chassis and bus offerings upon walking in the front door to the alternative…

BLK Auto’s green vision is coming to fruition. Alongside its wide range of vehicles on display at the Bus & Coach Expo, BLK Auto had a special announcement to make in Sydney. After plenty of preparation, BLK Auto managing director Jason Pecotic stood proudly in front of the first HDrive bus to hit the Australian market. “This is our greatest achievement so far,” Pecotic told ABC. “HDrive is about to launch as its own brand and here at the Expo we’re launching the HDrive range of vehicles.” The 7.5-metre battery electric CitiBus took pride of place at BLK Auto’s stand. Decked in light blue and a livery of green leaves, the first HDrive bus on display is proof of the brand’s environmental direction. After receiving the distribution opportunity for HDrive…

Coachair has considered the implications of zero-emissions vehicles on air-conditioning units. Traditionally, these units needed space and power to keep buses and coaches cool during Australian summers. With the introduction of electric vehicles, lightweight models that take up as little space as possible have become ideal for manufacturers. Coachair has responded to this change while staying true to its diesel product roots. At the Coachair Expo stand, Coachair national sales manager Anthony O’Donnell says the brand showcased the best of both ranges. On one side of its open stall, Coachair showed its newest electric unit in the EX32. On the flipside, the leader of its XT product for diesel vehicles mirrored the electric range to give customers numerous choices. “What we have on display on the electric vehicle side is…

Foton Mobility had to be organised to ensure its low floor hydrogen vehicles arrived in Sydney in time for the Bus & Coach Expo. Working with Australian transport provider Transit Systems, Foton Mobility national sales manager Greg Abel says it was worthwhile to show the local industry the latest in zero-emissions vehicles in the nation. “It’s been quite an adventure bringing our vehicles out here,” Abel told ABC. “We had to go through quite a few processes when they arrived in Australia before transporting them to Sydney. “These vehicles have been operating successfully in China for quite a few years, so we decided to introduce them to the Australian market.” Foton Mobility’s Expo displays included two hydrogen fuel cell buses, which sat alongside a battery electric truck and Foton’s charging…

MAN Truck & Bus is focused on increasing its success in Australia by introducing a new product modelled off its global electric chassis. After working its way down the vehicle emissions scale, MAN Truck & Bus unveiled its new Lion’s Chassis E LF at its Bus & Coach Expo stand. The fully electric low-floor chassis made its debut at the MAN stand at Sydney Showgrounds. The new E LF is based on the City E model, which was recently voted the International Bus of the Year for 2023. “What we have is proof that we are leading the trend towards zero-emissions vehicles in our industry,” MAN head of bus and coach at Penske Australia Crinel Geaboc told ABC. “Our Euro 6e emissions chassis on display is the latest technology in…

Scania Australia decided to bring a wide range of its international EV products to the Expo. With its latest bus technology standing side-by-side with trucks, chassis and e-machines, Scania went well beyond the bus. Scania Australia bus and engine sales director Julian Gurney says the brand decided to showcase its entire e-mobility potential. “We purposely put forward our global product portfolio when it comes to battery electric vehicles,” Gurney told ABC. “This includes an e-machine designed for marine applications and its battery packs. “We also brought our very first battery electric truck in Australia to join our low-floor chassis and our premium coach product.” The 4x2 battery electric truck gave the industry an idea of what Scania’s full EV range looks like, with the dash and interior being shared between…

Unlike other Expo exhibitors, SMC Corporation used its Expo stand to gauge the interest of visitors in relation to electric doors in comparison to pneumatic doors. The industry pneumatic manufacturer has spent years looking at producing an electric bus door range to complement its expansive pneumatic door models. After comparing the two technologies, SMC Corporation has surprising news to share with the industry. “What we hear from people is that they believe that fixating on electric buses means these vehicles must have electric doors too,” SMC Corporation national sales manager Darryl Wilson told ABC. “However, even with electric doors, you need pneumatic control to disengage the door in safe situations. “It simply isn’t factual to assume that electric buses have electric doors.” Wilson says all electric buses already have compressed…

At this year’s Expo, Webasto Australia didn’t have its own stand. Instead, it joined forces with local manufacturer Aluminium Revolutionary Chassis Company (ARCC) to promote the pair’s latest venture into zero-emissions bus technology. Webasto CS sales and service director in APAC David Byrne says the company joined with ARCC due to ARCC recognising Webasto as its preferred battery systems supplier. For Webasto, partnering with an exciting Australian company for the Expo was a no-brainer. “It was a superb opportunity for us to release our battery systems to the market in conjunction with a key customer,” Byrne told ABC. “ARCC is a really interesting company to us because it’s a start-up that’s pushing boundaries in innovation with a great mix of experienced and young engineers. “With our battery solutions, we have…

2022 BIC NATIONAL CONFERENCE 13–16 NOVEMBER 2022 BRISBANE The Bus Industry Confederation will hold its National Conference in Brisbane from 13 to 16 November. The theme for the National Bus Industry Conference is ‘Moving People – Navigating Change’. The conference aims to engage high level discussion on current and emerging issues, trends and challenges for our moving people industry. The program will include presentations from highly regarded policy leaders and policy thinkers to engage delegates on what our future cities and regions look like and future transport needs. The industry is currently experiencing a number of external factors that, for many, will mean a new or adapted sustainable business model for the future. The conference will include a blockbuster session on zero emissions and examine business agility and resilience in…

Scania and the South Australian government have confirmed that the manufacturer will no longer supply diesel buses to the government Scania says it and the SA government’s Department for Infrastructure and Transport are playing a leading role in transitioning to cleaner and greener public buses. In September, DIT took delivery of its final diesel-powered rigid bus from Scania. From now on, all deliveries by Scania to DIT for rigid route bus application will be electric-hybrid or full electric powertrains. “By mid-October this year we will have 24 (Generation One) electric-hybrid buses in service with the DIT public transport system, the first of which has been in service for close to two years,” says government bus contracts manager for Scania in SA Steven Godbold. “Now we are preparing for the introduction…

The WA government has decided to start a new coach trial to compensate for cancelled services earlier this year The Western Australian government will introduce a 12-month road coach trial to service residents of Collie, Manjimup and surrounding areas, following the cancellation of privately-run services earlier this year. The trial, starting October 24, will introduce return trips between Collie and Bunbury five days a week, and between Manjimup and Bunbury (via Bridgetown) three days a week, to complement existing services in these areas. The announcement of the 12-month trial follows the decision by South West Coach Lines to cease return services between Collie and Bunbury, and Collie and Manjimup earlier this year. The new services will offer an early morning departure from Collie to Bunbury, returning in the late afternoon,…

Transdev UK will continue to use Freeway technology to revolutionise its fleet management Transdev UK says it is transforming its bus maintenance operations by introducing revolutionary new technology. The technology will see the company roll out a new digital system supplied by Freeway, which connects 700 mobile devices and a series of operational and management systems for its fleet of 550 buses, maintained at eight locations across the north of England. Utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) technology, the Freeway software can automatically work out the optimum job scheduling and resource allocation based on live data feeds from drivers, workshop technicians and other staff equipped with mobile devices. The system is being integrated with a raft of aspects, including those used for operations, finance, and fuel management. The operator has initially rolled…

As of September 2022, Yurika has seen more than 52,000 charging sessions and 910,000 kilowatts of energy delivered using green energy. This comes via the largest electric superhighway in Australia in the Queensland Electric Superhighway. As part of this, Yurika has quickly moved to be at the forefront of Australia’s electric charging infrastructure transition. Yurika is part of Energy Queensland – the largest wholly government owned electricity company in Australia. The organisation has grown its national footprint rapidly, drawing upon more than 100 years of experience in generation, transmission and distribution power systems across Queensland. Yurika Key Account Manager for electric vehicle (EV) products Bryn Somers says Yurika’s goals are clear when it comes to the bus and coach industry. “We’re committed to delivering solutions that energise and connect communities…

No other companies can boast the same tale in getting its products to the Expo as Bus & Coach International (BCI) can. Just weeks out from the Expo, BCI CEO Desmond Armstrong decided to spring a surprise on his sales staff. Instead of trucking BCI’s Expo buses from Melbourne to the Sydney Showgrounds, Armstrong devised a fun way of moving the fleet. “It was my crazy idea,” Armstrong told ABC. “Everyone called me the disruptor, because the buses were initially earmarked to be trucked to Sydney. “Instead, I decided to do a test in Melbourne at a local charging station. Once we proved the vehicles could take charge, we flew the whole sales team down to Melbourne and drove the three buses from Melbourne to the Expo.” The process involved…

Following a highly successful period in the lead-up to the Bus & Coach Expo, Challenger Bus & Coach sales manager Dan Campbell couldn’t help but be proud of his two-vehicle fleet on show at Sydney Showgrounds. “We’re lucky to have two models on show in our V10 and V12,” Campbell told ABC. “Our whole philosophy is about using premium parts. We have OEMs supply it, before we then assemble it and build a reliable vehicle.” In Challenger’s short history, the theory has worked. The V10 is a 10-metre, 45-seat bus that was driven up from Melbourne, while the V10 has been a hot item for the brand. “The V12 has actually already been purchased,” Campbell says. “It’s wrapped in the Western Australian orange school bus colours ready to go. From…

It’s clear DENSO has joined the industry in making the shift towards electric bus products. At its Bus & Coach Expo space, its new LD9 electric units glistened under the Sydney Showground lights. After years spent perfecting the technology to make the unit as light and efficient as possible for manufacturers, DENSO Automotive Systems Australia electric and thermal solutions manager Matthew Rizio says it was all worthwhile to see the LD9 at the first Expo since 2019. “We’re branching into electric products and this can be seen in our new LD9 electric model,” Rizio told ABC. “This is our future now. The development in electric and hydrogen technology makes for really exciting times ahead.” Rizio says a couple of buses at various Expo stalls had the new LD9 installed. Based…

Despite having its own history in the sector, Hino’s stand was devoted to the latest Toyota Fuel Cell technology. As a Toyota Group company, Hino’s space featured a recently imported 10.7-metre H2. City Gold Fuel Cell Electric Bus manufactured by CaetanoBus in partnership with Toyota. “At our stand we have a bus developed by CaetanoBus in Portugal under the shared Toyota and Caetano partnership badge,” Toyota Australia Energy Solutions Manager Matt Macleod told ABC. “It’s the first Bus & Coach Expo we’ve been to, so it’s been refreshing to get honest and constructive responses from the industry.” The bus includes all of the latest technology Toyota and CaetanoBus bring to the hydrogen fuel cell space. On the roof, at the back of the bus, is a Generation 1 Toyota Fuel…

For the newly combined company Royans Coachworks, plenty of water has flowed under the bridge since the last Bus & Coach Expo. In December 2020, Royans Transport Accident Repairs Australia purchased the Brisbane-based Coachworks. This meant Royans quickly became enmeshed in the world of Australian buses. Industry stalwart and Royans Coachworks branch manager Scott Isaacs says the Expo has come at an ideal time to educate the Australian sector on the combination of Royans Transport Accident Repairs and Coachworks’s bus background. “The main benefit of this Expo is showing the industry that we’re now a national brand with 29 sites across Australia and New Zealand,” Isaacs told ABC. “Rather than being just Coachworks, which used to traditionally serve in Queensland, this combination gives us the chance to support people more…

Sepura has (and still does) specialise in two-way TETRA digital radio devices that provide efficient communications for public safety and industries such as mining. The company exhibitted at the Bus & Coach Expo in Sydney after finding an avenue into the industry through mining purchases in Australia. Although Sepura is now unveiling new-age broadband devices for bus operators, it’s still staying true to its TETRA roots. “Our heritage is in public safety,” Sepura Senior Business Development Manager Doug Bowden told ABC. “We know there’s a requirement going forward for mission critical devices for public safety, but there’s also a market in public transport for business critical communications devices that are robust, reliable and secure. “That’s the thinking and evolution that now sees Sepura embark on our new broadband device.” The…

The change towards zero-emissions products has also hit seating manufacturers like StyleRide. At its Expo stall, StyleRide displayed a variety of new seating models that were designed to fit on electric buses. StyleRide Australia managing director Garrin Angel says making the seats as light as possible remains critical to catering to the industry’s electric turn. “A lot of our research and design is currently going into new ways of developing lightweight applications,” Angel told ABC. “While doing this, we also ensure we don’t compromise the safety aspects of the seats in any way. “We invest heavily in compliances to make sure we have the safest product on the road. Our investigation is ongoing into new technology that combines weight reduction with safety.” Angel says StyleRide’s latest seat is primed for…

Yutong Australia’s Expo stand was filled with the latest of what VDI, the Australian distributor of Chinese brand Yutong, has to offer. With the launch of a product occurring over the two-day event, it was a busy time of year for VDI Australia general manager Lou Riccardi and Yutong Australia. “It’s a great time for Yutong Australia,” Riccardi told ABC. “It was a wonderful opportunity to have global members of Yutong in Australia to present the C12e bus and launch it in conjunction with VDI.” The recently launched C12e electric model is yet to be sold, having only just arrived on Australian shores in time for the Expo. He’s expecting people to want to trial the bus. The Yutong Australia general manager is hopeful the Expo will give him an…

It may not have been the stellar return to triple-figure sales that the industry wanted, but September’s Australian bus and coach deliveries remained as consistent as ever. Despite July recording 120 deliveries, September edged out August by a single unit, finishing with 89 deliveries for the month. In the chassis section, there was no way of stopping Volvo. After topping the sector in August with 18, Volvo shot up further, finishing with 29 units delivered for a busy September. Trailing Volvo out of the deliveries recorded was Scania with a consistent 17 deliveries, while Mercedes-Benz increased its August tally by one with 14 units delivered for the month. Just behind Mercedes-Benz was Bus & Coach International (BCI) with nine, while MAN (5) and King Long (4) kept deliveries ticking over.…