Australasian Bus & Coach 412 December 2021 by Prime Creative Media

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AUSTRALASIAN BUS & COACH

HALL OF FAME KANGAROO, QLD YUTONG AUSSIE ASSEMBLY TASSIELINK EXPRESS ISSUE 412 December 2021 $5.95 inc GST

BON APPÉTIT

KINETIC’S ‘BENDY ’ FOOD BUS DELIVERS QUALIT Y YOU CAN EAT

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STEVE HEANES VIC, TAS, WA and SA steve@irizar.com.au +61 (0) 418 780 246

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contents ISSUE 412 DECEMBER 2021

08 in the know

6. editorial | ignition ‘Tis the season! As we wrap up the year, one of change and stress for many, we assess where to now – and if that turkey really is cooked already. 10. news | the front line We’ve gathered up all the key, hardhitting Australasian and international bus and coach news for you, to keep you in the loop.

A collaboration between UK-based Equipmake and Spanish bus bodybuilder Beulas will see operator GoAhead London start in-service trials of a new 480km+ range-capable doubledeck electric bus early 2022. 30. In focus | electric double-decker

WORLD’S FIRST ELECTRIC DOUBLE-DECK COACH

Looking back at the year that was and what will be coming up in 2022.

Belgian bus-manufacturing specialist Van Hool has built the world’s first battery-electric double-deck coach – the TDX25E, with 500km range for the US bus market – on the eve of reaching its 75th anniversary in 2022.

in focus

32. In focus | kangaroo bus lines

22. bic column

SERVING THE INDUSTRY

24. In focus | torrens transit

TORRENS TRANSIT APPOINTS FIRST FEMALE MD Torrens Transit has appointed its first ever female managing director – bus industry veteran Sharon Brown.

26. In focus | london e-decker trial

480KM+ E-DECK BUS TRIAL

Business Awards Hall of Fame, it was announced at a gala function, recently. 46. cover story | foodbank bus

THE BREAKFAST CLUB

For many people in Australia it can be a struggle to access enough food to feed themselves and their families. Help is on hand, with Kinetic’s new articulated Volgren Foodbank buses.

KANGAROO BUS LINES JOINS HALL OF FAME Queensland family owned and operated transport operator Kangaroo Bus Lines has been inducted into the 2021 LPE-sponsored Sunshine Coast

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EDITORIAL Editor: Fabian Cotter ph: 0451 194 600 e-mail: Fabian.Cotter@primecreative.com.au Technical Writer: Paul Aldridge

PRODUCTION

Facebook – facebook.com/ABCBusnews YouTube – bit.ly/busandcoachtv Twitter – twitter.com/ABCmag

Production Co-Ordinator: Cat Fitzpatrick Art Director: Bea Barthelson

PRINTING IVE Print

40. operator | tassielink transit

EXPRESS SERVICE

Tasmanian bus operator Tassielink has been helping improve the daily commute for many passengers in the south of the state with a new express service between Huonville and Hobart, with two brand new Scania low-floor buses servicing the route.

e-mail: James.Rock@primecreative.com.au

e-mail: Matt.Alexander@primecreative.com.au

SUBSCRIPTIONS www.magshop.com.au e-mail: magshop@magshop.com.au ph: 1300 461 528 between 8am – 6pm (EST) Mon – Fri mail: Magshop, GPO Box 5252, Sydney, NSW, 2001 Annual subscription rates (12 issues): Australia: $89* NZ: $A100.05 Overseas: $A122.50 (Australian air-mail only) *price includes GST

departments

65. bus marketplace | classifieds

EXECUTIVE GROUP CEO: John Murphy Publisher: Christine Clancy

FOR SALE!

COO: Zelda Tupicoff

There’s hundreds of great vehicles and services listed here from some of the leading bus and coach companies on the planet. Have a look around and see what you might find in there!

Operations Manager: Regina Fellner

58. operator | kanga coachlines

70. factory facts | bus deliveries

Bus fleet and business diversification proves the key to lockdown survival during the past two years, but now Adelaide’s Kanga Coachlines and its Farnham Roadlines sees blue skies ahead.

We know you love them and so we have the latest bus and coach supplier sales data collected and recorded for you to sink your teeth into. To know who is who and who’s done what simply check it out!

HIT THE GROUND RUNNING

ph: 0419 139 941

ph: 0413 599 669

The largest ever display of heritage buses in Queensland helped the Queensland Omnibus and Coach Society Inc (QOCS) celebrate its 25th anniversary in style, held 16 October 2021, organisers report.

ABC magazine caught up with Volvo Buses’ relatively new president Anna Westerberg. With Volvo Bus general manager Australia and New Zealand Mitch Peden popping in for the online link, too, let the intense bus talk begin.

James Rock

Matt Alexander

RETRO COOL

SUPER VISION

Trader Group Sales Manager:

Business Development Manager - Bus:

46. event | qocs heritage bus expo

52. interview | anna westerberg

ADVERTISING

Trader Group Sales Director: Brad Buchanan

MONTHLY RESULTS

ABC is published by Prime Creative Media 11-15 Buckhurst Street, South Melbourne VIC 3205 Telephone: (+61) 03 9690 8766 Website: www.primecreative.com.au

ISSN 1324-8634

DISTRIBUTION

Distribution within Australia and New Zealand and beyond by paid subscription to the owners and managers of: • route buses • government bus operations • school buses • extended and day tour operations • express coaches • country and charter operations • bus and coach manufacturers • equipment suppliers • tourism attractions • railways management. Australasian Bus & Coach (ABC) magazine is owned by Prime Creative Media. All material in ABC is copyright and no part may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means (graphic, electronic or mechanical including information and retrieval systems) without written permission of the publisher. The Editor welcomes contributions but reserves the right to accept or reject any material. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information Prime Creative Media will not accept responsibility for errors or omissions or for any consequences arising from reliance on information published. Opinions expressed in ABC are not necessarily the opinions of, or endorsed by the publisher unless otherwise stated.

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IGNITION

FABIAN COTTER

Fake Alien Invasion – Wha?

If it’s not electricity-grid shutdown threats it’s holographic aliens coming to town – not Santa [facepalm]. Seriously? Gees…

allen asleep searching for one video online only to wake up to something like random cat bottoms on your screen? Eeek! Hey, we’ve all been there. But, this time, it was aliens. Holographic aliens, in fact. Not alien bottoms, I hasten to add – thank God! I mean full holographic Klingon-type aliens, or such. Do a search; you can’t make this stuff up. Under the umbrella title of ‘realistic holograms’, there’s not only aliens – which apparently will be shown to us en masse as some sort of invasion and we get scared and then comes all this unjustified spending on military stuff – but there’s all sorts of – awesomely disturbing and realistic – holographic examples online. Check it out… Whether it’s whales jumping out of the water and splashing around in front of people while they are sitting inside a basketball auditorium, or people in a shopping mall interacting with giraffes and polar bears in real time and positioning themselves – gobsmacked – near the animals and patting them, etc… I tell you, it was graphically impressive, yet equally desensitising, to just how advanced in technology we are and to what high level things need to be for us to be entertained these days – lest we die of abject boredom 10 seconds later. I guess, like Kurt Cobain justifiably and calmly (not) pointed out to us years ago in the hit song Smells Like Team Spirit: “Here

we are now, entertain us…” – followed by that crucial “Yeah!” scream in there somewhere. But I digress… The point is, scaring people with aliens? Not sure that will work. We’ve all seen enough movies like Independence Day to know we have to fearlessly punch them in the head and say: “Welcome to Earth.” So who are they kidding? If we are collectively pumping money and energies into already expiry-date-doomed holograms, when are we collectively going to direct such greater efforts into healthier living, our schools and hospitals, improving education system and fixing potholes? Hmm…

BUS STRESS Which brings me to mental health in the 6

bus industry. It was an interesting month online for us, where some blocked social media comments (not me, the algorithm does this automatically itself, usually for swearing) led to a conversation with a passionate reader about the lack of mental health help in the bus community, following the recent passing of her friend, and the major lack of support for the issue within an organisation. The chat further helped remind me and, in turn, hopefully others, that each organisation is responsible for their own approach (NDAs?) – good or bad – and that such stressful current times would have made things worse for many drivers, so please speak more about it to friends and family or professional support groups if needed. And likewise let’s all be more open to listening to others and look for signs of distress, and help and direct, especially as us ‘busies’ wind down for the year.

HO, HO, HO! Let it never be said ABC magazine doesn’t give out Christmas gifts and cheer each year, for within these pages of Issue 412 you will actually be receiving yours. You are most welcome. ;) But seriously folks… Gracing our cover this December is something a little different indeed and one that’s genuinely for a good cause – feeding people who cannot afford it. The Foodbank bus program has been added to via two Kinetic-donated ex-Skybus articulated buses, which Volgren reworked to be ‘mobile supermarkets’ (yes, you read that right!), designed to deliver fresh produce and healthy food (hoping that’s not strictly marketing bumpf and someone’s at least sneaking some decent chocolate on board to slip to people with a nudge and a wink) to those who desperately need it. The concept probably has greater impact now with so many poor people who have lost their jobs, or having had to leave for a range of reasons, so anything that can keep them going for however long it takes to get back on their feet, if at all, speaks volumes about the type of society we are and how we choose to be. The 18m-long ‘bendy bus’ (mainstream speak for ‘articulated’, BTW) – called

‘Dorothy’ will soon be joined by another early 2022, and if there’s any justice for the greater canine community it will be named ‘Toto’ … maybe. Check pages 34–39. Also inside we chat to relatively new Volvo Buses Europe president Anna Westerberg, who joined local GM Mitch Peden on an ABC video call at the time of the new BZL electric bus launch, last September. Yes, it’s taken me that long to type up the recording. Yes, I type each character and then re-look left and right at the keyboard for the next key to hit. My bad. Much thanks though to our production co-ordinator Cat Fitzpatrick, who masterfully saved the day and continued my poor efforts, so we had it ready for this issue. Thanks, Cat. See pages 52–57 for that one. Operators? By a quirky twist of fate we have two this issue. We figuratively head to south Oz’s centre to visit Adelaide’s Kanga Coachlines, then pirouetting – while maintaining supreme balance in a tutu (not a pretty sight given my stubborn lockdown pounds) – south-east to Van Diemen’s land (old school) to visit Tassielink and check out its latest Huonville Express buses. They are on pages 58–63 and 40–45, respectively. Plus, there is a retro-cool Queensland heritage bus event (on pages 46–51), we muse over the world’s first electric double-deck coach from Van Hool (on pages 30–31), check out a new city e-decker in London (pages 26–28), congratulate Kangaroo Bus Lines on its Hall of Fame award win (pages 32–33) and also welcome Torrens Transit’s new MD Sharon Brown (pages 24–25). Plus there’s loads more… Ultimately, though, the time we next speak we’ll be on the other side of … God knows what, given how things have gone since 2020 … so all I can say is: On behalf all of us at ABC magazine and Prime Creative Media, we wish you a very merry and safe Christmas and even merrier and safer (hopefully) new year. And heartfelt thoughts and a warm virtual hug out to all who may have lost someone dear to them this year. :( Until the next thrilling instalment…

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NEWS

TRANSDEV-JOHN HOLLAND WIN SYDNEY CONTRACT

NO FEWER than 136 brand new zero-emissions buses proved key to the NSW state government awarding a Transdev-John Holland Buses (NSW) joint venture (JV) to operate Greater Sydney Bus Contract 9 (Region 9) until 2030, it’s been announced. The Region 9 win – which includes some of the city’s busiest bus routes, with a patronage of 67 million customer journeys in a typical year – means commuters in Sydney’s CBD and Eastern Suburbs can look forward to a greener, more reliable commute from next year, Transdev explains. Routes connect Sydney’s CBD to the Eastern Beaches, La Perouse to the south, the suburban centres of Darlinghurst, Kings Cross,

VOLGREN JOBS BOOST VIA NEW CONTRACT THE VICTORIAN state government Department of Transport’s decision to award Melbourne’s bus fleet franchise to operator Kinetic allows Volgren to create 50 new jobs, Australia’s largest bus body builder confirms. State Minister for Transport, Ben Carroll, announced recently that Kinetic – which already operates airport service Skybus in Melbourne – would take control of the city’s 537-strong fleet. Kinetic, in turn, will introduce five Volgren battery electric buses (BEBs) into the city’s network by June next year – and by mid-2025 will have introduced 36 BEBs, plus more than 100 Volgren-bodied hybrid buses. Volgren CEO Thiago Deiro says the Department of Transport’s decision to prioritise green transport would help reduce emissions, and that by promoting local content the Victorian government was supporting Australian manufacturing and Victorian job creation. “Every manufacturer strives to plan and structure their business based on long-term demand. The Metropolitan bus franchise helps us to do exactly that. Our expectation is that our direct labour resources will increase by 45 to 50 per cent, or by

around 50 direct new jobs,” Deiro stated. “Over the past four decades, Volgren has become part of an extensive and thriving south-east Melbourne manufacturing ecosystem. And we plan on building on it by investing in programs to enhance apprentice- and traineeships at our Dandenong facility during the life of the contract. “Volgren keeps investing in jobs and in the local supply chain because we want local manufacturing to succeed, but we know government backing is essential for that to continue,” he explained.

ZEB OBJECTIVES Minister Carroll says the new franchise was a significant development in Victoria’s transition to zero-emissions buses, accelerating the government’s plans for all new public transport buses to be zero emissions from 2025. “We are jump starting our push for a zero-emissions bus fleet in Victoria to benefit the environment and help build our engineering, design and manufacturing expertise in these emerging technologies.” Deiro adds that when you buy a Volgren Australian-bodied bus, you

are buying “more than just a bus”. Volgren’s buses maximise operator value overtime through quality, after sales, customer relationship and passenger experience, he says. “Australian manufacturing now offers the highest quality levels I’ve seen in the bus industry. That comes from Volgren’s advanced manufacturing capabilities combined with the exceptional quality of materials and components produced by our local supply chain,” Deiro stated. “Buying a locally-made bus supports Victorian’s circular economy, but also means operators and governments can be confident that their vehicle will be on the road for 20 years or more.”

ESTABLISHED PARTNERSHIPS Deiro outlines that Melbourne is home to some of the country’s best public transport operators and the decision to appoint one would not have been any easy task. “We’re very happy for Kinetic. It’s a great achievement for them and we’re proud that they have selected us as their body supplier for this new era in Melbourne’s public transport system,” he said. “I’d also like acknowledge our

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Randwick, Redfern, Waverley, Bondi, Coogee and Mascot, and the harbourside suburbs of Elizabeth Bay, Double Bay and Vaucluse. Transdev Australasia CEO Luke Agati says ‘sustainability’ and keeping people and customers at the heart were critical to securing the contract. “We are delighted to partner with John Holland to operate Region 9. We will bring our collective know-how to help Transport for NSW [TfNSW] continue to set the pace in the transition to zero-emissions fleets in Australia and deliver broad benefits to the community,” Agati said. John Holland executive general manager, rail and transport operations, Steve Butcher, said: “The team was excited to build on the region’s

partnership with Transdev and the other operators, who participated in the tender,” Thiago said. Volgren has collaborated with Kinetic for almost two decades, delivering more than 30 buses for their Skybus and Surfside operations, it confirms. “The Metropolitan e-bus franchise represents a huge step for the Kinetic-Volgren partnership and we will make every effort to ensure this remains a successful alliance. “Volgren really appreciates dealing with operators that know what they are looking for and have deep understanding of the products and the industry as a whole. That’s what we get with Kinetic. They have a great team whose members are very knowledgeable and transparent.”

Above: John Holland executive general manager, rail and transport operations, Steve Butcher, said: “The team was excited to build on the region’s strong customer service record.”

Above: “Buying a locally made bus supports Victorian’s circular economy, but also means operators and governments can be confident that their vehicle will be on the road for 20 years or more,” said Volgren CEO Thiago Deiro.

strong customer service record. “We are proud to be joining Transdev and will bring our experience operating customer-focused networks like Sydney Metro, Canberra Metro and Metro Trains Melbourne to make sure customers are the biggest winners out of the transition,” Butcher said. Transdev John Holland Buses (NSW) managing director Rachel Spencer says key workers, including all operational employees, will be offered employment with the company on their current terms and conditions of employment with full recognition of service. “We are looking forward to meeting the team in Region 9 and coming together to deliver customer-focused, safe, reliable and sustainable journeys – carrying on State Transit’s legacy of connecting people and communities in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. “As an Eastern Beaches local, I’d like to acknowledge State Transit for providing a safe and reliable bus network over many years and thank them for working with us over the next five months to ensure a smooth transition for employees and customers,” Spencer said.

ABOUT THE JV Transdev John Holland Buses (NSW) is an integrated joint venture partnership between Transdev Australasia and John Holland, combining the

know-how of one of the world’s leading mobility companies and one of the nation’s leading integrated infrastructure, transport and building companies, they explain. The company will commence contracted services from Sunday, 3 April, 2022, following a period of transition with State Transit Authority.

ABOUT TRANSDEV Transdev is a leading public transport operator, with more than 82,000 employees worldwide – some 1,894 of whom are working in Sydney operating light rail, ferry and bus services, it states. The company has been operating buses in Sydney since 1998 and is the current operator in regions 10, 12 and 13, it confirms. Its team of more than 5,600 ‘journey makers’ are at the heart of keeping six of Australia and New Zealand’s biggest cities moving every day, it says.

ABOUT JOHN HOLLAND John Holland has been driving positive change in Australia for more than 70 years and is now one of the nation’s leading integrated infrastructure, transport and building companies, it states. From Parliament House to the Alice to Darwin Rail Link, from the MCG’s Great Southern Stand to Sydney Metro, the company has “…had a hand in the Australia we all know today,” it explains.

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NEWS

FIRST AUSSIE YUTONG BUS-ASSEMBLY PLANT A VAST ARRAY of additional Australian bus-manufacturing jobs will need to be fulfilled given local Yutong distributor Vehicle Dealers International (VDI)’s first bus assembly plant being ‘green-lighted’ – initially for Brisbane – early 2022, it has been announced. Yutong – the world’s largest bus manufacturer – is due to bring its advanced bus building techniques here to Australia via VDI, increasing local jobs to create, “…the most environmentally sustainable vehicle in Australia,” VDI explains. In response to a growing Australian market requirement for local content, VDI Yutong has signed a ‘Drivable Knock Down’ (DKD) agreement with Yutong HQ in China to undertake a local assembly program, which will initially involve the extremely popular E12 battery electric low-floor city bus, VDI confirms. The forecasted sales of the E12 will require a substantial facility and Australian workers to complete the assembly and finishing of each vehicle, Yutong VDI explains. With plans “well advanced” to start the DKD programme at a selected Brisbane workshop early 2022, discussions are continuing with a number of state government departments regarding the possible location of additional sites in NSW, ACT and Victoria, it adds.

‘ROLLING GLIDER’ To avoid giving up the advantages of the globally successful Yutong E12 electric bus’s monocoque construction, the 10

vehicles will arrive from the factory as a ‘rolling glider’, VDI explains. That is, they will then receive the entire internal fit-out, as well as many other major components once it arrives in Australia, utilising as much locally sourced materials and components as possible, it says. VDI managing director Peter Woodward, said: “We have so far invested considerable time and effort to develop this project to meet the needs of our customers and we will look to expand it to include other models in our range – including buses that we are yet to release.” “We are looking to have the DKD program up and running ASAP – and, with the extensive capabilities of the world’s largest bus manufacturer, Yutong is once again showing it can meet the needs of Australian bus operators. “No doubt the large number of jobs that we will be looking to fill, not to mention the increased jobs required by local goods and services suppliers to meet our demands, will be appreciated as the Australian economy continues to rebuild to pre-Covid levels,” Woodward added. According to VDI Yutong, these jobs will be in addition to its current employment level in Australia, which provides extensive sales, service, parts and technical support for its range of Yutong buses and will cover a vast array of job types, both skilled and unskilled.

ABOUT VDI Wholly Australian owned and operated,

Above: Yutong’s first bus assembly plant will mean a jobs boost in Brisbane.

Vehicle Dealers International (VDI) is part of the Woodward family’s CaPTA Group and has held the sole distribution rights for Yutong buses in Australia since 2017, it explains. CaPTA currently employs more than 250 people in Australia – including in Yutong Bus Centre branches based in Cairns, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. Additionally, both WA Hino in Western Australia and Adtrans in Sydney are VDI’s Yutong-authorised dealers with full sales, service and parts support available when its customers need it, it states.

ABOUT YUTONG At 1.12 million square metres, the Yutong factory is recognised as the largest in the world with a maximum daily production capacity of 445 units and totalling more than 60,000 units annually, it states. Ranging from its D7 27-seater, 39–57-seater school and charter buses to its battery-electric (BEV) E12 zero-emission 44-seater city bus, Yutong has a range of vehicles to easily satisfy the needs of the Australian bus operator, it says.

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VOLVO BUSES ANNOUNCES NEW 2030 GOALS AND ‘VISION’ DIRECTIVES further supporting customer needs and environmental targets through quality, safety and sustainability spearhead Volvo Buses’ new “vision, strategic priorities and ambitions for 2030”, which the company recently announced. The new vision – as of November 10, 2021, and announced via a broadcast from Volvo Buses president Anna Westerberg in Gothenburg, Sweden – states that it’s Volvo’s vision to, “…be the most desired and successful provider of sustainable people transport solutions, driving value creation through innovation, partnerships and people.” The purpose of this new vision is to further reinforce Volvo Buses long-term direction, with key strategic priorities in place to further emphasise focus areas for the years to come, in order to reach the company’s 2030 ambitions towards safer, more productive and fossil free transport solutions, it explains. These strategic priorities include developing people and culture, encouraging sustainable and profitable growth, accelerating electro-mobility, growing services

and solution sales, and nurturing ongoing partnerships, it says. “We are thrilled to see Volvo Bus adopting a new and revitalised vision that will help us to achieve our long-term goals,” said Mitch Peden, general manager Volvo Bus Australia. “Supporting our customers and creating a cleaner, more sustainable and reliable transport industry is a top priority for Volvo Bus. And, together with our customers, supply chain partners, governments, and other stakeholders, we are moving efficiently to develop and offer cleaner, safer and more circular transport solutions to reach our sustainability and productivity targets,” he explained. Peden continued: “Much of our operations, products and services already align with this new vision; for example, our newly launched Volvo BZL Electric – Australia’s most safe, responsible and sustainable electric bus system – which will be key to our strategy moving forward in providing zero-emission, more efficient and quiet transport. “It is our priority to ensure that our collective product and service offerings across the Volvo Bus

Above: “We are thrilled to see Volvo Bus adopting a new and revitalised vision that will help us to achieve our long-term goals,” said Mitch Peden, general manager Volvo Bus Australia.

business aligns with this vision.” Volvo Group revised its 2030 vision to drive prosperity through transport and infrastructure solutions, and to be the most globally desired transport and infrastructure provider of choice, it states. “In line with our new vision, Volvo Bus Australia will continue to be guided by our values of quality, safety and environmental care and will continue to take the lead when it comes to responsibly meeting customer needs and contributing to a more productive and sustainable future for the transport industry,” he concluded.

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NEWS

SCANIA ECOLUTION TRIALS SHOW FUEL SAVINGS FOLLOWING its successful city bus fuel and emissions-saving trials via Scania’s original ‘Opticruise’ program, the results of its latest ‘Ecolution’ strategy are even further improved, the companies report. Recent results of a seven-month trial using Scania Ecolution – which includes key driver training hints and tips – indicate it cuts fuel use by close to 10 per cent and increases passenger comfort simultaneously, Scania explains. Ecolution aims at maximising fleet fuel efficiency using ongoing driver training, digital coaching, vehicle and fleet optimisation, and other tools to achieve pre-determined sustainability goals, as well as enhance operating cost controls. Self-described as, “…a tailor-made partnership for the sustainability of bus operator businesses across Australia,” the successful Transport Canberra campaign indicates a decrease in operating costs and emissions using the Ecolution optimisation program, they confirm. As its name implies, ‘Ecolution’ aims to: “…reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions through vehicle optimisation and by meeting agreed fuel and CO2 emission reduction targets,” Scania Australia explains. Centred around a group of 40 Transport Canberra drivers on regular route work, a new low of 28.12L/100km was achieved for fuel consumption, a saving of 9.7 per cent above the benchmark established prior to the start of the seven-month program, the Swedish bus OEM reports. Additionally, the drivers achieved a 7.8 per cent reduction in carbon dioxide tailpipe emissions as a result of their improved driving performance, it says. During the program, the drivers covered 12

260,025km and the buses consumed 74,697 litres of diesel, Scania states. Prior to their Ecolution training, TC bus average consumption was 31.15L/100km, while the average consumption during the program fell to 28.12L/100km – the best result being 24.46L/100km during a week in August, Scania claims.

STANDING STILL Average idling time was also reduced as a percentage of total runtime, from 22.4 per cent to 16.3 per cent, with the best result logged being 11.2 per cent, monitoring data proves. Harsh braking events were reduced from 2.7 per 100km to 2.3, with the best result being 1.3 per 100km. Harsh acceleration also reduced significantly from 0.82 per 100km to 0.27, with the best result being 0.02 per 100km. Benefits here are a smoother ride for passengers. The driver group involved in the ACT program in 2021 has been encouraged throughout the Ecolution program by Transport Canberra training staff, as well by Scania’s driver trainer Peter Verbrugge, who coached the drivers remotely due to pandemic restrictions. Drivers, however, set about competing against each other to set new low fuel burn results, as well as focusing on smooth driving techniques and reducing their idling, Scania informs. “Reduced idling has been notable in this program,” says Hamed Shoghi, National Fleet Services manager at Scania. “Idling is just burning fuel for no benefit, and idling levels were quite high at the start. There are many opportunities during the day when the engine can be shut off and this saves fuel, money and reduces overall exhaust emissions,” he said.

FLEET FILTRATION “Good habits taught by the program have certainly raised the performance bar,” added Glenn Dougall, senior director at Transport Canberra. “This is our third Scania driver-focused program and we have seen a cumulative reduction in fuel consumption and emissions over the period. “The benefits of the Scania driver training program have spread out through the fleet, as we have had our own driver trainers trained by Scania. “The core messages regarding fuel saving, smoother driving and reduced idling habits have filtered all across our operations to a far wider group than just those on the Scania Ecolution program,” he explained. “At the start of the Scania driver program three years ago we saw idling rates of around 40 per cent and the training cut that almost immediately. “We’re well below that on average among the participating drivers in 2021, at 16.8 per cent.”

AUSSIE SPEC Scania’s Ecolution program has been modified to suit Australian operating conditions and comprises a selection of features and benefits for operators. “We can modify vehicle specifications, maintenance contracts and driver training to enable the driver and vehicle performance to be optimised,” said Shoghi. Then, we use the follow-up coaching principle to keep the driver training lessons fresh in the mind over the longer period until it becomes an ingrained way of working,” he added.

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BLK HIRES ALTERNATIVE FUEL EXPERT SPECIALIST vehicle importer and distributor BLK Auto has appointed key bus industry-leader and alternative-fuels expert Ben Kiddle as general manager – zero emissions vehicles, the company has announced. A boon for any bus company, Kiddle started his career in the late 1990s as a heavy vehicle mechanic and progressed through the commercial transport industry, taking increasingly senior roles within the State Transit Authority (Sydney Buses), before moving into senior management positions within the private sector. Kiddle’s 23-year career in the operational transport and vehicle manufacturing industry has landed him roles at Telfords Bus & Coach, Alexander Dennis, State Transit Authority of NSW, Custom Denning and, more recently, GM roles at Gemilang and Nexport, his CV outlines. As a passionate advocate for alternative-fuel vehicles, in his most recent role Kiddle managed the design and development of new light-weight EV buses and trucks, and introduced the largest battery electric vehicle (BEV) fleet to Transport for New South Wales, BLK Auto explains.

Kiddle’s depth of experience impressively includes: setting up local manufacturing and supply chains; coordinating successful tender submissions for local and federal government agencies; implementing depot electrification and fleet EV deployment; and training customers and staff on the correct operating procedures of electric and hydrogen vehicles, BLK Auto confirms. He has successfully implemented many safety, quality and efficiency-improving systems that have affected real growth at an organisational level, the company states.

SOLID START BLK Auto managing director Jason Pecotic says Kiddle brings a ground-up working knowledge of the transport industry, and a clear vision for the future of BLK. “It is my pleasure to welcome Ben to BLK Auto,” Pecotic said. “His proven track record in the battery electric vehicle space will be an invaluable asset to our business. “We are excited to draw on his deep industry knowledge and management expertise,” he explained.

Above: Ben Kiddle, new general manager – zero emission vehicles, BLK Auto.

Reciprocally, Kiddle says the transition to BLK was a natural next step and an excellent opportunity to work with a zero emissions-focused company. “I am a strong believer in, and passionate advocate for, the wide-scale uptake of hydrogen and battery electric vehicles,” he said. “BLK is an industry first-mover that is paving the way for the hydrogen and battery electric vehicle market here in Australia, and I look forward to joining a team that is committed to supplying zero emissions transportation to Australian industry.”

BLK AUTO RECRUITS UK HYDROGEN TECH EXPERT SPECIALIST VEHICLE importer and distributor BLK Auto has recruited UK bus industry veteran and Optare ex-CEO Graham Belgum as the company, “… grows its hydrogen vehicle development and fuel supply services,” it states. Belgum is a professional engineer with more than 40 years’ experience across the design, development and operational support of myriad mechanical, electrical and electronic equipment, BLK explains. His career dates to the first 10 hydrogen fuel cell buses that went into service in the United Kingdom for Transport for London after they were introduced in 2003. During this time, he served as an

engineering director for First Group in London and oversaw the introduction of the first and second generation fuel-cell buses into operation, including the development of Lea Interchange to refuel and maintain FEVs for the Olympics. In recent years, Belgum has led the design, development and support of a range of battery-electric buses as the CEO of Optare Buses, and worked on the design and development of a double-decker fuel-cell bus. Commencing in his new role as ‘professional adviser’ recently, Belgum takes over to enhance BLK Auto’s hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle development and support capability as the

Above: “Hydrogen is the way forward for a clean energy future, and BLK Auto is at the forefront here in Australia to make a meaningful impact in this sector,” new BLK Auto professional adviser Graham Belgum stated.

company works with local body manufacturers to develop and integrate its fuel-cell solutions to their fleets, BLK states.

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NEWS

KEOLIS DOWNER SELECTS SIEMENS FOR QLD E-BUS DEPOT PUBLIC TRANSPORT operator Keolis Downer has chosen German multinational conglomerate Siemens’ 200kW chargers to power Brisbane’s forthcoming fully electric depot – future home for 16 Bustech e-buses – it was announced, recently. Following similar confirmation of Australian bus company Custom Denning having selected the Siemen’s Sicharge UC product family to power its new ‘Element’ e-buses in Australia, the Keolis Downer statement means Queensland’s first all-electric bus depot will soon be a reality via Siemens delivering e-bus charging solutions to the new North Lakes depot in Brisbane. Operational from September 2022 and in service from February 2023, the new e-depot will power the 16 Bustech zero-emission buses serving more than 60,000 residents in the city’s northern suburbs. Keolis Downer will upgrade the North Lakes depot in partnership with the Department of Transport and Main Roads following the Queensland government’s commitment that every new bus in South East Queensland will be zero emission from 2025. Regional implementation will begin between 2025 and 2030, it’s explained.

THE CHARGERS Siemens will supply five Sicharge UC200 and 16 Sicharge UC Dispenser charging units capable of delivering a peak power output of 200kW. Siemens will also provide commissioning, spares, and preventative maintenance services for the depot, supporting the 100 per cent electric bus fleet designed and built in Queensland by Australian bus manufacturer Bustech Group. 14

Siemens Australia Pacific chairman and CEO Jeff Connolly, said: “The flexibility of the Siemens Sicharge UC product family has enabled nations across the world to reap the benefits of electrified transport, with world-leading technology solutions providing local capability. “Operators require flexible, robust and scalable solutions, and we are proud to see Keolis Downer choose Siemens technology to power Queensland’s largest e-bus fleet. “Transport fleets are one of the largest sources of emissions in Australia, and the decarbonisation of transport is an important part of meeting net-zero emissions targets. “As more bus networks move to embrace new full electric bus technology, electrical and charging infrastructure will need to scale to meet this demand and ensure the seamless movement of people through our increasingly connected cities,” Connolly said.

CHARGER SPREAD Operator Keolis Downer has also engaged Siemens to supply Sicharge UC e-charging equipment at the Hamilton depot in Newcastle, New South Wales, to support the first electric buses trialled by the operator in Australia, it states. Regular services from the Hamilton depot are expected to commence by February, 2022, it confirms. The Siemens Sicharge UC platform provides bus operators with, “…optimal flexibility when planning electric bus depots, offering compact, sequential and ultra-high power charging options capable of producing up to 800kW@1,000 volts (V); this allows operators to benefit from the rapid advances being made in

battery technology, with the option to scale-up economically by adding up to five dispensers plus a pantograph to each charging centre, according to Siemens. Keolis Downer CEO David Franks, said: “Selecting Siemens has ensured the operator can future-proof its e-bus operations. “With electric bus technology developing at a fast pace, bus operators require holistic charging and depot management solutions that we can rely on to grow alongside the technology it powers and market demand. “Siemens provides a world-class platform, enabling us to scale up quickly and meet the expectations of our passengers.”

ABOUT KEOLIS DOWNER As the largest private operator of multi-modal public transit in Australia, Keolis Downer’s footprint extends into five states across heavy rail, light rail, tramways and buses, it confirms. In Brisbane’s northern suburbs, it operates public and school bus services under the Hornibrook Bus Lines brand as a contractor to both Translink and Brisbane Transport, with 1.7 million passenger journeys taken on its network each year, it explains.

ABOUT SIEMENS Siemens provides world-class charging infrastructure designed specifically for electric bus depot applications, but also supply complementary technologies such as ‘microgrid’, grid connection and charging management solutions – all of which are increasingly becoming essential components of electric bus depots, it states.

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school bus stock IN STOCK OR COMING SOON Suitable for any application and TfNSW compliant. Irizar Scania K310

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customised REPAIR & MAINTENANCE PACKAGES The best vehicles deserve the best after-sales care and our comprehensive flexible maintenance plans, backed by extensive national parts coverage and driver monitoring and coaching, provide you with maximum productivity, minimum costs and complete peace of mind. Contact your dedicated Scania representative to discuss a tailored repair and maintenance package, customised to your specific working environment.

CUSTOMER TESTIMONIAL “Having Scania’s Repair & Maintenance package has proven to be of great added value for my Scania coaches. It gives me full coverage of all Scania related components and is valid Australia-wide, meaning the nearest Scania dealer will always be able to assist me, regardless of where we are operating. The maintenance and repairs are being done by Scania trained technicians using genuine Scania parts. For business planning, the fixed monthly rates offer peace of mind with no unexpected costs or surprises”. Rick Palmer – Managing Director, Palmer’s Coaches.

Call your local Scania Bus & Coach Area Manager today. For the only business that matters. YOURS. QLD / NSW / NT / ACT Ian Clarke: 0438 482 492

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www.scania.com.au * Delivery times subject to prior sale and dependent upon seat installation and finalisation of specification. **Please refer to Scania warranty policy terms and conditions.

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NEWS

SYDNEY BUS DRIVERS STRIKE OVER PAY

SYDNEY’S NORTHERN BEACHES GETS ON-DEMAND PONCHO BUSES FOUR NEW Poncho ‘small buses’ have been added to Keolis Downer’s Keoride on-demand transport service in Sydney’s Northern Beaches, Hino Australia has confirmed. Keoride became a permanent transport service on 31 October, 2021, following a four-year on-demand trial that began in 2017, the operator explains. In the Northern Beaches it was one of the first NSW on-demand transport trial services, connecting customers from their homes to the nearest transport hubs at Avalon, Narrabeen, Warriewood and Mona Vale, it adds. Keolis Downer Northern Beaches managing director Mark Dunlop, says the Poncho’s safety and accessibility features, plus compact design and manoeuvrability, were of particular appeal for the Keoride service. “The tight turning radius, size and handling of the Poncho make it wellsuited to narrow and sometimes challenging geography of the Northern Beaches,” said Dunlop. “Giving the local community access to shared trips that allow more flexibility and convenience has encouraged the use of public transport,” he added. The innovative on-demand service is proving very popular with the Northern Beaches community, allowing customers to use the Keoride app to book a vehicle from near their home, a designated point of interest within the service area, or the nearest bus stop – and drop them at the nearest transport hub, such as the B-Line bus service, Keolis Downer states. For Hino Australia’s manager – Bus, 16

Sara Clark, the Poncho is a popular choice for on-demand operators, who are attracted to its versatility in delivering flexible transport services. “Operators appreciate our ability to work with them to provide mobility solutions that best suit the requirements of their fleet while the Poncho’s safety, passenger comfort and accessibility appeal to patrons who use the service,” Clark stated.

BESPOKE BUSES The Poncho buses were customised specifically for the new Keoride service with additional options such as CCTV and fire suppression systems for added safety and flip-out wheelchair ramps for increased accessibility, says Hino. The Ponchos’ innovative kerb-kneeling technology, wheelchair ramp and dedicated wheelchair space inside provides level entry for all passengers, Hino explains. This feature also allows for passengers with prams to easily access the vehicle and safely transport infants, expanding the on-demand service to a wider community, it adds. 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, it says. 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, Hino confirms. “Poncho drivers benefit from a comprehensive field of vision which includes an infrared, night-vision enabled

INACTION on equal pay for Region 3 and 6 bus drivers in the Inner West and South West of Sydney saw them hold two-hour stop-work meetings on Thursday and Friday, 2–3 December, and a 24-hour strike on Monday, 6 December, the Transport Workers Union (NSW Branch) confirmed. The continued strike action came after their calls for ‘same-job, same-pay’ went unanswered by bus operator Transit Systems and the NSW state government, the union explained. The strikes came after drivers turned off Opal card readers for several days, which operator Transit Systems responded to by attempting to, “…dock hundreds of dollars from drivers’ weekly pay,” according to the union. As a result of Sydney’s privatised bus network, bus drivers are employed by several different companies, each with significantly different pay and conditions, the union explains. This is most pronounced at Transit Systems, where all drivers in Region 3 and newer drivers in Region 6 are paid significantly less than the former State Transit drivers in Region 6, despite performing the same work for

reverse camera that is perfect for night-time operations,” Clark stated.

FACTORY BENEFITS Measuring less than 7m in length, the Hino Poncho is both highly manoeuvrable and well-equipped, with features such as power steering, telescopic and tilt-adjustable steering column, threeway adjustable driver’s seat, and airbag suspension system with stabilisers, Hino says. Poncho drivers benefit from a standard five-speed Aisin A500 true automatic transmission, making stop-start operations both easier and more efficient, it states.

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the same company, the union outlines. It advises that: “…under section 4.5 of Schedule 3 of the Sydney Metropolitan Bus Service Contract, the salaries and wages’ component of the contract is increased annually in line with the latest ABS quarterly index for the wage price index in the transport, postal and warehousing industry.”

‘DEAF EARS’ TWU NSW state secretary Richard Olsen says drivers were left with no other option, given their calls for ‘same-job, same-pay’ had so far fallen on deaf ears. “All that bus drivers are asking for is the simple guarantee that if you drive a public bus in Sydney, you’ll get paid the same as everyone else doing the same job,” Olsen said. “The operator Transit Systems, and the state government, have chosen to ignore these drivers, so they’ve been left with no alternative but to take strike action to have their voices heard. “These bus drivers have turned up day-in, day-out throughout the pandemic to serve the community; the last thing they want to do is go on strike – but the company’s stubborn refusal to negotiate has left them with no other option. “This is ultimately a problem of the state government’s making; their privatisation of Sydney’s buses has led to this mess, where drivers are on all kinds of different pay and conditions despite doing the exact same job. “We are calling on Transit Systems and the state government to stop playing games, and to come to the table to reach a fair agreement with these drivers, including ‘same job, same pay’.”

NEGOTIATING TABLE For every week that Transit Systems stalls negotiations with drivers, it pockets an estimated $30,000 in taxpayer money intended to be used to provide pay rises for bus drivers, the TWU NSW says. Under its bus contracts, the state government pays Transit Systems an increased amount each year for the labour component of the contract, it says. This increase is in line with the Wage Price Index for the transport, postal and warehousing industry – the most recent figure being an annual increase of approximately 2 per cent for the September quarter, the union states.

OPERATOR RESPONSE ABC magazine contacted Transit Systems earlier for a response. A spokesperson for the operator replied as follows: “All services are operating to schedule and there is no disruption to customers,” they explained. “The TWU is misleading the public by stating that ticket machines are off when they are in fact on, with 98–100 per cent of all ticketing machines currently active across most of the network. “The TWU are placing their members who are not supporting the action and

FULLY AUTOMATED STAFF BENEFITS PROGRAMS

Above: The TWU NSW states its drivers have been left with no alternative than to strike.

other drivers under unnecessary pressure, in addition to confusing the community with regards to collecting fares.” The spokesperson reminded of its earlier statements – issued Sunday, 21 November, 2021 – which stated: “We have undertaken nine separate negotiation meetings, of which, the TWU attended only one and the RTBU attended just four. “We have listened and communicated extensively with our employees including regular twice weekly Q&A updates, informative videos, and an internal briefing on the proposed Enterprise Agreement for all employees, which included 60 minutes of paid time to those who viewed the session. “All buses will operate on normal timetables and the majority of buses had the Opal machines turned on. “We will continue to work with our employees and look forward to reaching a positive outcome,” they said.

DISCOUNTED ECARDS FOR CHRISTMAS GIFTS OR BIRTHDAYS.

Bus Operators who launch their programs before Christamas will gain the most benefit for themselves, their staff and families.

wemakeadifference.com.au or call Kieran McHatton on 0493 054 814 busnews.com.au December 2021 ABC

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NEWS

IVECO CHANGES WON’T IMPACT RANGE CHANGES to Iveco’s Australian manufacturing processes will not impact its bus and coach product range, the company has confirmed. According to a company spokesperson, following its Customisation & Innovation Centre (CIC) development announcement – created as part of a global transformation process – they stated: “We are not building Iveco’s full bus chassis in Australia at the moment. Today’s announcement will not affect [our] heavy bus range,” when ABC magazine asked for further clarification of the changes and full ‘heavy duty range’ importation. As part of a global transformation process, Iveco announced development of the CIC and related changes that will impact its Australian manufacturing arm, recently. The CIC is a business unit that will further leverage Iveco’s local engineering and manufacturing expertise, “… transforming the company’s focus towards the customisation and innovation of its vehicles for local markets,” it says. The CIC is being developed to better assist Iveco customers and body-builders – particularly those with complex body types – to achieve a more streamlined design and body fitment process for their vehicles, it explains. Promoting innovation will be another key aspect of the CIC, with Iveco placed to work more closely with Europe and local partners to explore areas such as alternative propulsion solutions, digitisation, connectivity and autonomous driving, it adds.

LOCAL CUSTOMISATION In commenting on the new initiative, Iveco Australia and New Zealand managing director Michael May says that by focusing on the CIC, Iveco would strengthen one of its key selling points in the Australian and NZ market. 18

“Historically, our most unique value proposition has been our ability to customise and specialise vehicles for our market, leveraging the expertise of our local engineering team and the local facility,” he said. “By further enhancing this service, we believe there is considerable potential to provide additional value to existing and prospective customers, while growing the CIC’s capacity and scope of work.”

IMPORTED RANGE Announcing the development of the CIC, the company also advised it would move to fully import its heavy duty range from Iveco’s advanced manufacturing facility in Madrid, Spain. This transition is anticipated to take place from the end of June, 2022, it confirms. Iveco currently fully imports its light duty, medium duty, selected heavy duty, minibus and off-road models, it states. The decision to fully import its heavy-duty range will allow Iveco Trucks Australia to more closely align model year introduction timings with that of its parent company in Europe. As an example, Iveco will be launching the new S-Way model truck in Australia according to the global launch plan. May says the decision to move to local customisation of fully imported vehicles was a natural progression of Iveco’s ANZ transformation. “Given our brand’s long history of manufacturing in Australia, this next step towards customisation strengthens our ability to remain agile and responsive

to demanding regional requirements,” he said. “This move will also ensure that we are in a position to offer the market the very latest in Iveco performance, comfort and safety innovation, in the most timely fashion and, at the same time, capitalise on our design and validation engineering expertise and customisation capabilities.” Over the coming months, Iveco will continue to engage with its employees, whom may be impacted by the announcement, and will provide appropriate support to the involved workforce, it states.

SPIN-OFF REBRAND The CIC creation isn’t the only change of late, with Iveco globally in the lead-up to its spin-off from CNH Industrial early 2022 being renamed to Iveco Group, unveiling an innovative new logo that showcases the eight brands under the Group’s ownership, it states. The new logo positions Iveco Group as the holding company, employing an “…understated design and restrained colour selection to portray a humble yet hard-working ethos”, while the blue dot between ‘IVECO’ and ‘Group’ signals, “…a bright future, focus on sustainability and balance,” it explains. Below this logo are its brands written as: IVECO CAPITAL, HEULIEZ, IVECO BUS, IVECO, FPT, IVECO Defence Vehicles, ASTRA and Magirus, which stand out with bolder colours, giving each an individual identity, it states.

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NEWS

DAIMLER LAUNCHES FINANCE ARM FOLLOWING Daimler Truck and Bus Australia Pacific completing its separation from the local Mercedes-Benz passenger car division, Daimler Truck – now with its own new finance company - became an independent global commercial vehicle manufacturer, allowing for a “…sharper focus on commercial vehicle customers,” it reports. The global changes will enable the Daimler Truck business to continue delivering class-leading Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner and Fuso trucks and buses into the future as it moves towards zero emissions, it explains. Daimler Truck and Bus Australia Pacific has grown its workforce as it takes on previously shared internal services, but the “big news for customers”, it says, is the creation of a new dedicated truck and bus finance company: Daimler Truck Financial Services. Previously, Daimler’s commercial vehicle finance offerings were provided by Mercedes-Benz Financial Services, the same finance company that delivers finance for Mercedes-Benz passenger vehicle customers. From now, Daimler Truck Financial Services will be wholly dedicated to truck and bus customers, through the established Daimler Truck and Bus dealer network, it clarifies. Experienced commercial vehicle finance executive Craig Cubitt has been appointed CEO of the new organisation, which will be based at Daimler Truck and Bus headquarters in Mulgrave, Victoria.

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JINGLE BELLS, BATMAN SMELLS

Above: Daimler Truck Financial Services Australia CEO Craig Cubitt and Daimler Truck and Bus Australia Pacific president and CEO Daniel Whitehead.

very different to operating a passenger vehicle and the finance requirements they need for their business are also unique,” he explained. “We are excited that Craig and his entire team will now be able to focus solely on our truck and bus customers and provide them with the best and most innovative commercial vehicle financial products and services,” he added.

CUSTOMER FOCUSED Cubitt says the Daimler Truck Financial Services team, which has extensive industry experience in Australia, is perfectly positioned to deliver the best products and services to Daimler Truck and Bus customers. “We aim to be a truly customer-focused organisation that puts our truck and bus customers at the centre of everything we do,” Cubitt stated.

The festive season is upon us and the logistics of transport, after all, is key to getting Santa around the world so fast. So, it’s no surprise that buses have been getting into the Christmas spirit in Vancouver, where a fleet of Translink Reindeer Buses have been sporting bright red noses. Part of a decades-long initiative called Toys for Tots, staff at TransLink, Coast Mountain Bus Company, SkyTrain, Transit Police and West Coast Express in the Metro Vancouver region donate toys and cash, which is then donated to families in need. Awesome!

NAPTIME

Is your favourite part of Christmas Day where you sink into the couch, full of sherry and turkey, and snooze the rest of the arvo away? Well, you’ll enjoy this one. There’s a bus service in Hong Kong whose sole purpose is to provide the bus-nappers amongst us with hours of uninterrupted sleep. Ulu Travel Agency runs a doubledecker on a five-hour, 47-mile (75.6km)-long route, the longest route in Hong Kong, and provide passengers who may live in noisey, crowded apartments with a restful space to sleep in. Bring a blanket!

WELCOME DEVELOPMENT Daimler Truck and Bus Australia Pacific president and CEO Daniel Whitehead says the independence of Daimler Truck is a big plus. “We are excited that Daimler Truck is now a standalone global entity because we know that independence will make us more nimble and enable us to continue making the investments needed to develop the best trucks, buses and associated services of the future,” he said. The creation of a dedicated financial services company for Daimler Truck and Bus customers is also a welcome development, said Whitehead. “Running a fleet of trucks or buses is 20

ABOUT DTFS Daimler Truck Financial Services (DTFS) offers a range of financial solutions, including: business asset loans; hire-purchase and lease products; as well as some unique, innovative solutions unavailable elsewhere in the industry. DTFS will offer two unique and exclusive products: Fast Track Finance – which offers a fast, streamlined approval process; and the Daimler Guaranteed Buy-Back program - which provides customers a guaranteed future value on their Daimler truck right from the beginning of their contract, the company explains.

MODERN DESIGN

Neither the northern English city of Preston nor bus stations in general may necessarily spring to mind when thinking of striking design, but the World Monuments Fund has singled out the restorers of Preston Bus Station for its 2021 Modernism Prize. An example of British Brutalism, when Preston Bus Station opened in 1969 it was the largest in Europe. After years of neglect, however, it was threatened with demolition, but community interest meant that a restoration project was undertaken instead to return it to its former glory.

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BIC

Serving the industry Looking back at the year that was 2021 and what’s to come...

021 was jam packed – with borders slammed shut and reopened, only to be shut again, and the thrills and spills of political storms where we have seen ministers come and go and even premiers! Despite the drama, we have been lucky to make some inroads with the re-knighted Deputy PM Barnaby Joyce at a recent industry roundtable dinner where zeroemission buses and transition, accessible transport and regional connectivity were on the menu. We also raised the issue of zero-emissions buses (ZEBs) and coaches with Angus Taylor, the Minister for Industry, Energy and Emission Reductions, and any bureaucrat who cared to listen to us about what is required to ensure the safe operation, maintenance and manufacturing of ZEBs. It is our lot in life at the BIC to instruct governments on what was, what is and what will be. The year that was in 2021 saw accelerated activity coming out of the Federal Department of Infrastructure and Transport, the Office of Road Safety, the National Transport Commission and the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator. The first half of 2021 saw several door-stopper regulatory impact statements on national law reform and legislative review of heavy vehicle law, heavy vehicle charging, disability access, Euro VI mandate, road safety, vehicle safety and driver safety. To this end, the BIC has submitted detailed reports on a staggering seven proposed reforms and legislative reviews.

“Dare we go further and discuss the whole let’s-go-zero agenda coming from all governments?” All vehicle regulation, standards and national laws undergo cyclic updates and/or reviews in some form, and it is BIC’s job to minimise the impact and, where possible, maximise the outcomes for industry viability. A seemingly simple change to a clause within a regulation may have a potentially massive negative impact on our industry and it is the BIC’s role to work with the regulators and policy arms of the federal government to assess and, where required, alter or introduce clauses to achieve the intended outcome. A recent example of our ‘bus business insurance’ work is the review of the Transport Standards. The Infrastructure and Transport Ministers Meeting tasked the National Accessible Transport Taskforce to review and provide options on 70 reform areas in disability access laws for public transport. This review has been ongoing since late 2020, with the BIC at the table on various focus groups. The reforms are big, 22

with high-impact factors for operators, bus manufacturers and suppliers. Concerningly, there is a push from the disability sector to include dedicated school buses in the Transport Standards. It is a tough gig to convince the bureaucrats that no student, of any status, is without access to suitable transport options. There has been a few interesting ‘scrums’ during this review process and the BIC is taking a hard line to ensure that the bus industry isn’t placed in the position to provide costly solutions to a problem that doesn’t exist. Heavy Vehicle National Law reform, being undertaken by the National Transport Commission (NTC), has the equal potential to do-good or do-bad. The NTC is currently in its early phases of ‘policy assessment’ across six reform areas and its first attempt at ‘easy to use and flexible’ fatigue management laws was a fail. The BIC, in its quick and concise (civil) response, has put the NTC in retreat mode and the new proposed ‘easy to use and flexible’ standard hours have now been junked. Our broken record mantra ‘a bus is not a truck’ has hit a home run, with the BIC being granted one-onone collaboration with the NTC to ensure that the bus industry isn’t left at a dead-end with a ‘one size fits all’ approach. Dare we go further and discuss the whole let’s-gozero agenda coming from all governments? The critical safety impacts are of national importance to the bus industry. There are little or no recognised regulatory standards for vehicles and zero-emission components or infrastructure, let alone on-road operations and safe housing and maintenance at the depot. Nationally, we will see a major skills gap in maintaining safe vehicles as fleets move from diesel and hybrid technology to electric and hydrogen. The BIC has established a committee of subject matter experts in their fields to help develop national industry standards and advisories to ensure that buses and coaches continue to be the safest way to travel on Australia’s roads. The Australian government is a ‘brains trust’ of thousands of public servants – most of whom are not moving people experts. It is vital that industry protects our own unique ‘brains trust’. The BIC is here to help industry do just that. Due to the massive reform in the pipeline, we feel it is incumbent upon the BIC to inform industry now of the progress of new national law that will be coming our way in the next couple of years. A National Industry Summit will be held in Canberra on 1st and 2nd March in 2022, so that you can make the necessary business plans to stay ahead of the game. Go to www.movingpeople.com.au/summit to view the program and register. As this is the last View from Canberra for 2021, we wish all readers a safe and joyous end of year break and we look forward to catching up with many of you early in 2022.

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come face to face with BIC national members at the 2022 Bus Industry Summit movingpeople.com.au/summit Accreditation Manager Advantech Australia Airbags Australia ATG Axalta Coating Systems Beneco BFI Fire BLK Auto Bridgestone/Bandag Brisbane City Council Bus & Coach International Bus Finance Australia Bus SA Bus Stop Sales BusInsure Buslines Group BusNSW BusTech Group BusWA Busways Group Camira Group Challenger Bus & Coach Coach Design Coachair Australia Coachworks ComfortDelGro Corporation Australia Connect Source Consat Telematics Consolidated Insurance Agencies Cooltek Asia Pacific Cummins Curratechnic Dal-Trans Denso Automotive Systems Australia Department of Transport Victoria Distinctive Systems (Australia) Downer EDI Engineering Power DTI Group Ebusco

2022Industry Summit23 Program_D6.indd 2 Bus Confederation (5209631).indd 1 Untitled-24

Electromotiv Express Coach Builders FIP Group FleetSafe/Mobileye Fry’s Spares Future Fleet International GIRO Global Bus Ventures Go Transit Media Group Heritage Finance HESS Hino Bus Australia I-Bus Sales Australia ICS Service Solutions Ideas Enterprise Independent Tyre Monitoring Solution INIT Interline Bus Service Into Training Australia iris Asia-Pacific Irizar Asia Pacific ISRI Seats IVECO Bus JCDecaux Australia & New Zealand Keolis Downer Kevrek (Australia) Kinetic Group KINNECT KlineFire LSM Technologies Luminator Technology Group MAHA Australia McConnell Seats Australia Mercedes-Benz Bus & Coach MKW Insurance Brokers Multispares Murrays Australia Navigate Health Australia netBI

Nexport NOVO Transport Systems Nuline Charter/Bayside Coaches O’Brien Glass Industries Omnibus Optibus Parts Supply Solutions/ Hanover Displays PBA Transit Planning Penske Commercial Vehicles Piper Alderman Pitcher Partners Port Stephens Coaches Precision Cleaning Australia Premier Transport Group PrimeWorks Public Transport Authority of WA Pulitano Group Punchbowl Bus Company Quantum Risk Management Queensland Bus Industry Council Red Bus Services Redcat Wheel Safety Rover Coaches Ryan Tax Services Australia S.M.S Diesel Spares Scania Australia Scriptus Consulting Siemens SMC Corporation (Australia) State Transit Authority of NSW Streamline Co StyleRide Seating Systems SURA Australian Bus and Coach

Tasmanian Bus Association The Orion Network Thermo King Bus Australia Thoreb Australia Tiger Spider Transdev Australasia Transfab Transit Systems Transit Training Solutions TransLink Transport Canberra Transportme Trapeze Group ANZ TWUSUPER UITP (International Association of Public Transport) United Safety & Survivability Corporation Valeo Group Valvoline Australia Ventura Systems Australia Victorian Diesel Services Viva Energy Australia Voith Turbo Volgren Volvo Bus Australia Wales Bus & Body Repairs Webfleet Solutions Wireless Alert Monitoring System Yutong Australia Zafety Lug Lock Australasia ZF Services Australia

National Members of the BIC as at 1 November 2021

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IN FOCUS

TORRENS TRANSIT

TORRENS TRANSIT APPOINTS FIRST FEMALE MD

Transit systems’ South Australian bus operator Torrens Transit has appointed 36-year bus industry veteran Sharon Brown to the position of managing director – the first female bus MD for the greater Kelsian Group (Sealink) and Australia, the company has announced.

rown commenced her career in the bus industry with TransAdelaide in 1985 and has successfully moved through the ranks, earlier resulting in being appointed regional manager – South in 1999. “Sharon joined Transit Systems in 2000, working over the years as the

senior area manager and overseeing the scheduling functions for the business, while also managing the Mile End and Port Adelaide Depots,” Kelsian Group CEO Clint Feuerherdt outlined. “We have every confidence in Sharon’s abilities to continue delivering a high standard of service excellence across our SA network and congratulate her on the achievement.”

GENDER DIVERSITY The appointment highlights a trend of Kelsian senior executives driving gender diversity in its bus business, the company explains. Kelsian’s Transit Systems is seeing an increasing interest from females for roles within the transport sector, according to Feuerherdt. “We are thrilled to see and support

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females in leadership roles, and we passionately believe this has been buoyed in the bus industry, as we celebrate more women in transport,” he said. Transit Systems is part of Kelsian Group, which boasts an impressive array of females in the executive ranks, with an all-female leadership team in South Australia including: Donna Gauci, chief operating officer, marine and tourism; general manager Sealink South Australia Sarah-Jane Tilbury; and now welcoming Brown to the senior leadership team in Adelaide. Additionally, Angela Piper is the general manager of Sealink, Northern Territory and Tania Matthews is general manager Sealink, Tasmania, Kelsian confirmed. “The females in our businesses have worked hard, they are respected industry experts and they are having a positive impact across the business and industry. We will continue to encourage and support gender diversity,” Feuerherdt said.

The females in our businesses have worked hard, they are respected industry experts and they are having a positive impact across the business. ABOUT SEALINK (KELSIAN) Sealink Travel Group is Australia’s largest integrated land and marine, tourism and public transport service provider, with established international operations in London and Singapore, it states. It is one of Australia’s most experienced and diverse multi-modal transport businesses, boasting performance-driven capabilities across ferry, bus and light rail, it adds. Sealink is made up of Australian marine and tourism operations and Transit Systems’ domestic and international public bus and light rail transport operations. Sealink moved more than

207 million customers in FY2021, has approximately 9,000 employees and operates approximately 3,800 buses, 117 vessels and 24 light-rail vehicles, it adds.

Opposite: New Torrens Transit MD Sharon Brown. Left: Kelsian Group CEO Clint Feuerherdt.

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IN FOCUS

LONDON E-DECKER TRIAL

480KM+ E-DECK BUS TRIAL IMAGES COURTESY EQUIPMAKE UK

A collaboration between UK-based Equipmake and Spanish bus bodybuilder Beulas will see operator Go-Ahead London start in-service trials of a new 480km+ range-capable double-deck electric bus early 2022, the companies announced recently.

aunched in September and to begin trials in Q1 next year, the ‘Jewel E’ double-decker electric bus – using “sustainable and cost-effective electrification solutions” specialist Equipmake’s ‘breakthrough’ Zero Emission Drivetrain (ZED) – will join the fleet of London’s largest bus operator, Go-Ahead. Designed and developed in the UK, Equipmake’s Zero Emission Drivetrain (ZED) offers operators three modular battery pack options of up to 543kWh – the largest capacity battery of any two-axle double-decker electric bus in the world, it states. This delivers an unmatched electric driving range of up to 480km+ (300 miles), which is more than sufficient to ensure the Jewel E can easily complete an entire 26

duty cycle without the need to stop and recharge, the company explains. Equipmake’s modular design enables operators the flexibility to scale the amount of battery throughout the life of a bus, future-proofing it for a range of routes and distances, it adds. Jewel E, say its makers, is a cost-effective and highly efficient electric double decker bus that will help to reduce local emissions in urban environments, improve air quality and reduce running costs for operators – “…no matter what the city, from London to Las Vegas.” The Jewel E is set to be manufactured in 2022 at an all-new manufacturing facility near Snetterton, in Norfolk. Spanish company Beulas – based in Girona and with more than 87 years of

experience in the bus sector – produces the remarkably stylish body. “We are delighted to be working with Equipmake on this innovative project,” said Dolors Beulas, Beulas’ managing director at the time of the launch. “Its Zero Emission Drivetrain is state-of-the-art, offering exceptional efficiency, yet is cost-effective too. “Beulas is a leader in passenger transportation in Europe, and with Jewel E we are further consolidating our position, launching a cutting-edge zero emission bus that has huge potential to improve urban air quality.” Beulas stated. The vehicle chassis has been specifically designed for the Equipmake ZED by Agrale in Buenos Aires, Argentina – a leading truck and bus chassis manufacturer established

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in 1962. The initiative will bring new jobs to the Norfolk area and will also play a key role in helping the UK government achieve its target of introducing at least 4,000 more British-built zero emission buses into the UK market by 2024, says Equipmake. The Jewel E will also help meet exceptional exponential demand, as the global electric bus market is expected to accelerate from 300,000 vehicles per annum to one million by 2030*, it adds.

RUNNING-GEAR SPREAD The Jewel E is said to deliver cost-effective and, “…incredibly efficient state-of-the-art battery electric transportation”. Its advanced technology will, “…help reduce local emissions in urban environments, improve air quality and cut running costs for operators in every town and city across the globe – from Athens to Zagreb,” the company explains. Interestingly, Equipmake’s ZED is soon to be trialled in single-decker form on the streets of Buenos Aires, Argentina, the company confirms. Yet, perhaps its truest test will be the in-service trials in one of the most demanding bus driving environments in the world, London

– where buses cover around 300 million miles** per year. According to the company, the Jewel E is one of the first EV buses to meet the latest Transport for London (TfL) bus safety standard specifications and requirements for 2024, including enhanced safety features to give the public, drivers and passengers peace of mind. Equipmake’s development team has worked closely with Go-Ahead London’s engineering director, Richard Harrington, and his team of experts to meet the TfL’s 2024 specifications, it says. The Jewel E is suitable for operation not only in the UK capital, but “…also in the surrounding provinces,” – which one would have hoped and expected to be the case. Equipmake has collaborated with a range of suppliers – including Sure24, Forman, 21st Century and McKenna, which have supplied systems such as cameras, intercoms, induction loops and

destination displays – to integrate the most advanced technologies, guaranteeing the Jewel E’s ability to meet even the most stringent requirements, it says.

LINE-UP GROWTH Equipmake’s fully modular and scale-able ZED has been designed from the outset to support different customer requirements and bus sizes, it confirms. The technology underpins the next step in Equipmake’s strategic plan to grow its line-up of advanced electric powertrains and vehicles, it says. Featuring a modular lithium-ion battery design, customers can choose from three options: 325kWh, 434kWh and 543kWh. The latter is the most powerful battery solution of any two-axle double decker electric bus in the world, Equipmake explains. It delivers a maximum range of up to 300 miles, ensuring more than sufficient daily operating mileage, it states.

The Jewel E is one of the first EV buses to meet the latest Transport for London (TfL) bus safety standard specifications for 2024. Another key component of the Jewel E ZED chassis is Equipmake’s HTM 3500 electric motor. Seamlessly integrated into the prop shaft without the need for a separate transmission, the motor is precisely engineered to meet the demanding requirements of a fully laden double-decker bus by producing, “an exceptional 3,500Nm torque at an effortlessly low motor speed of just 1,000rpm and delivering 400kW maximum power.” A Semikron SKAI inverter converts DC charge from the battery to AC charge to drive the HTM 3500 electric motor, it confirms.

Left: (L-R) Ian Foley, managing director – Equipmake and Richard Harrington, engineering director – Go Ahead London.

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IN FOCUS

LONDON E-DECKER TRIAL

more exciting is that it is one of the first EV bus to meet the new Transport for London (TfL) bus safety standard specifications and requirements for 2024, which is a key advantage for our passengers and drivers and the public,” he stated.

ABOUT EQUIPMAKE Equipmake provides EV technology to automotive OEMs and specialist supercar makers, producing everything from industry-leading high-performance electric motors to inverters and power electronic systems, all the way up to complete EV drivetrains, while also operating across marine, off-highway, emergency vehicles and aerospace, it says.

Our Jewel E double-decker bus integrates the latest electric powertrain technologies.

HEATING AND COOLING

Above: Jewel E, say its makers, is a cost-effective and highly efficient electric doubledecker bus that will help to reduce local emissions in urban environments, improve air quality and reduce running costs for operators – “…no matter what the city, from London to Las Vegas.” 28

Equipmake’s patented ultraefficient thermal management system maintains all three of the ZED’s key components – the battery pack, motor and inverter – at an optimum operating temperature, the company explains. Featuring an advanced water-glycol cooling circuit, the system also provides the benefit of heating the interior during cold conditions with captured thermal energy. When the battery is depleted at the end of a complete duty cycle, it can be recharged at the depot overnight via a CSS DC charging point, it says. Equipmake managing director Ian Foley said: “Our Jewel E double-decker bus integrates the latest electric powertrain technologies to result in a highly efficient and cost-effective, purpose-built commercial vehicle – one of the first that meets the

increasingly strict Transport for London requirements for buses operating across the capital. “I am delighted to announce our partnership with Go-Ahead. “In-service trials with London’s largest bus operator will allow us to continue the vehicle’s development during real-world usage cycles on public roads, a vital next step in perfecting the double-decker electric bus before it enters full service.” Go-Ahead London engineering director Richard Harrington, said: “At Go-Ahead London, we believe passionately that converting our fleet from internal combustion power to electric energy will deliver a long-term solution to cut emissions and help provide a clean air environment. “To date, we have already saved 700 tonnes of CO2 with our existing electric fleet and opened Europe’s first all-electric bus garage, so we have the necessary infrastructure already in place to seamlessly integrate the Jewel E test-programme into our services. “What makes the Jewel E even

Its purpose-built R&D facility, located next to the Snetterton motor-racing circuit, allows Equipmake to deliver the complete electric mobility solution – whatever the sector – offering the capability to design, test and manufacture everything from motors to fully electrified platforms, it explains. It also sources and supplies the most advanced lithium-ion batteries, creating entire electric drivetrains for an increasingly international customer base, it adds.

ABOUT BEULAS Beulas, SAU is a Spanish family firm that started operations in 1934 by Ramon Beulas and Narcis Pujol – and it has grown constantly through three generations, it states.

NB: *https://www.consultancy.eu/news/4907/ electric-bus-market-poised-for-hugegrowth-in-coming-years **https://content.tfl.gov.uk/2019-20annual-network-performancesummary.pdf

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7/12/21 8:40 am

IN FOCUS

ELECTRIC DOUBLE-DECKER

WORLD’S FIRST ELECTRIC DOUBLE-DECK COACH IMAGES COURTESY VAN HOOL (EUROPE)

he new TDX25E – affirming Van Hool’s experience in the field of electrical drive systems for buses and coaches, it says – is yet another highlight of the company’s history, with next year also marking 40 years (1982–2022) of Van Hool double-deck coaches (more than 3,500 units built). Only a year ago did Van Hool produce the first fully electric singledeck coach, the CX45E, also shipped to the US market, it states. Van Hool’s TDX25E provides space for 69 passengers (18 on the lower deck and 51 on the upper deck) and has a range of up to 500km – depending on the climatological conditions and the route’s topography, it clarifies. The US-market 30

TDX25E will be used for comfortable employee commutes and/or regular passenger transport, according to Van Hool. Following the sale of 22 fully electric single-deck units sold Stateside, the company is, “…once again demonstrating its innovation based on its vast experience in electrical drive systems,” it states. During the past few decades Van Hool has built more than 1,200 vehicles with an electrical drive system (hydrogen, trolley, battery and hybrid), it confirms. Both the single-deck CX45E and the brand new double-deck TDX25E use electrical components, including a Siemens power train and Proterra batteries. Van Hool CEO, Filip Van Hool, said: “American customers reacted very enthusiastically to the driving experiences

with our first battery electric coach, the CX45E. This prompted us to quickly set to work on developing a battery electric double-deck, which has a higher passenger capacity. “Our experience with electrical drive systems in the past, and recently with the CX45E, really helped us with the rapid development and comprehensive testing of the newest Van Hool double-deck: the TDX25E,” he said. “Van Tool been producing double-deck coaches since 1982. Twenty-five years later – in 2007 – we shipped the first double-decks to the US. And now, 15 years later, we are launching the first 100 per cent battery electric double-deck coach on the US market. “This is a second ‘home market’ for Van Hool; nowhere else in the world is the

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Belgian busmanufacturing specialist Van Hool has built the world’s first battery-electric double-deck coach – the TDX25E, with 500km range for the US bus market – on the eve of reaching its 75th anniversary in 2022, the company has announced.

demand for our double-deck coaches higher than in the USA. “Globally, Van Hool has sold more than 3,500 units in 19 different countries,” Filip Van Hool confirmed.

“Due to demand from several customers for fully electrically driven vehicles, we at Van Hool looked for a solution,” he explained.

ABC CONNECTION

Van Hool is an independent Belgian bus, coach and industrial vehicle manufacturer, it explains. The company, founded in 1947, is based in Koningshooikt, Belgium. In 2022, the company turns 75, it confirms. The majority of units produced are destined for Europe and the North America markets. Van Hool has around 3,500 staff worldwide, the majority of whom work at the production facilities in Koningshooikt, Belgium and Skopje, North Macedonia, the company explains.

“The partnership between Van Hool and its distributor on the North American market – ABC Bus Companies, Inc. – began 34 years ago. After all these years of hard work, together we have managed to put Van Hool on the map in North America,” Filip Van Hool stated. “Today there are more than 11,000 Van Hool coaches and buses on North American roads serving many customers, including a number of large Silicon Valley companies, who organise shuttles for their employees.

ABOUT VAN HOOL

Above: Intended for the USA bus market, both the singledeck CX45E and the brand new doubledeck TDX25E use electrical components, including a Siemens power train and Proterra batteries, Van Hool confirms.

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IN FOCUS

KANGAROO BUS LINES

KANGAROO BUS LINES JOINS HALL OF FAME Queensland family owned and operated transport operator Kangaroo Bus Lines has been inducted into the 2021 LPE-sponsored Sunshine Coast Business Awards Hall of Fame, it was announced at a gala function, recently.

he remarkable feat at the 26th Awards follows the Sunshine Coast bus company – in recognition of the region’s outstanding business leadership – claiming the top prize in the Tours, and Tours & Transfers categories in 2017, 2018 and 2019, thus qualifying Kangaroo for Hall of Fame induction in 2021. Kangaroo Bus Lines provides first-class transport solutions with its fleet of 18 buses and coaches, so it was recognised by the Sunshine Coast Business Awards for its outstanding teamwork, business management, innovation and focus on future growth three years consecutively. The Kangaroo Bus Lines ethos of ‘People, Pride and Passion’ is evident in 32

everything the company does, it explains – especially the relationships it creates with its clients. The operator creates tailor-made transport solutions that meet the unique needs of each client, it says, creating and maintaining long-lasting client relationships through exceptional customer service, it adds. Sunshine Coast Business Awards Chair Jennifer Swaine says the celebration, attended by more than 850 of the Coast’s business community, was very special and showcased world-class local talent both in terms of business and entertainment. As the 2020 awards were cancelled due to Covid, Kangaroo Bus Lines had to hold out until 2021 to see its achievement recognised – yet it has been well worth the wait, the company confirms.

TOUGH COMPETITION Overall, there were 29 category winners including large and small businesses announced across 16 categories, two Hall of Fame inductees, as well as the overall Business of the Year winner. Swaine says the application and judging process was rigorous with judges reading more than one million words as part of the applications, prior to panel interviews, before all applications were scored and winners awarded. “We couldn’t provide such a high-calibre of Awards without our cohort of experienced judges, so we are very grateful to all of them,” Swaine said. “We would also like to thank the 187 businesses who entered this year and our 131 finalists. This year’s entries were

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When you take good care of your workforce, they will take good care of your business.

again of a very high calibre, which reflects the diversity, depth, and strength of the Sunshine Coast business community, particularly given the effects of Covid-19 over the past two years.

KANGAROO PHILOSPHY Another feature that sets

Kangaroo Bus Lines apart is the way it treats its staff, it says. The company says that, “…when you take good care of your workforce, they will take good care of your business.” Employees who join this business are “treated as one of the family,” it states. Additionally, Kangaroo Bus Lines is dedicated to sustainability; it focuses on sustainable business growth, as well as sustainable environmental practices – including paperless

rosters and water-efficient vehicle cleaning methods, it says. When it comes to social impact, Kangaroo Bus Lines loves giving back to the Sunshine Coast community. It has spearheaded transport provision for mobility-impaired passengers and regularly supports local non-profits and communities through sponsorships and vehicle donations, it confirms. According to Kangaroo: “…we take pride in moving people and connecting communities.”

Opposite: Kangaroo Bus Lines says it takes pride in moving people and connecting communities. Above: Kangaroo Bus Lines has spearheaded transport provision for mobilityimpaired passengers and regularly supports local non-profits and communities. Below: The Sunshine Coast Business Awards shows the diversity, depth, and strength of the Sunshine Coast business community.

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COVERSTORY

FOODBANK BUS

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THE BREAKFAST CLUB

If you ‘are what you eat’ and ‘you are’ because you eat then the dignity and humanity of actually eating healthily cannot be underestimated. They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but for many people in Australia it can be a struggle to even manage one meal. Help is on hand, though, with Kinetic’s new articulated Volgren Foodbank bus delivering it fresh, fast and free. WORDS FABIAN COTTER IMAGES COURTESY KINETIC

hat was that song in the musical Oliver again? ‘ Food, glorious food. Hot custard with mustard’? Or something like that... Whilst those ingredients together don’t sound quite right – nor legal in at least three states of Australia, probably – when you are living on the street or just struggling to get back up off it, being hungry enough from lack of food, or more specifically not being able to afford it, might just present that horrible gustation proposition above as mandatorily gourmet indeed. Yuk! Yet such is the survival instinct we are born with and the sliding scale of what goes down the gullet to fill the belly and stay alive is commensurate with the environs in which we – and usually, unfortunately, for many – find themselves in via the curveballs in life that got us there in the first place. Hey ... it happens. In its simplest terms, that inescapably awful and painful (for many this will be ego-driven) feeling of not being able to buy food to satiate hunger – like back in your pre-school days when you forgot your lunch money, or the lovingly packed food from mum or dad (or maybe not even having the luxury of those at all) – affects millions of people worldwide each day. According to the latest World Health Organisation jointly-issued information about global hunger overall, referencing the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report, it stated: “There was a dramatic worsening of world hunger in 2020, the United Nations said today – much of it likely related to the fallout of Covid-19. While the pandemic’s impact has yet to be fully mapped, a multi-agency report estimates that around a tenth of the

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COVERSTORY

FOODBANK BUS

The new initiative is the result of a long-running partnership with Skybus operator Kinetic.

global population – up to 811 million people – were undernourished last year. The number suggests it will take a tremendous effort for the world to honour its pledge to end hunger by 2030.” Closer to home, the Foodbank Hunger Report 2021 revealed that one in six Australian adults haven’t had enough to eat in the past year. Additionally, 1.2 million children have gone hungry during the same period, it states. Foodbank Australia provides essential food and grocery relief to more than one million Australians experiencing food insecurity every month. It works with the entire Australian food and grocery sector including farmers, wholesalers, manufacturers and retailers, who donate and redirect surplus product to Foodbank. This enables the organisation to provide more than 241,000 meals per day to people in need, it explains. So what does hunger and the cost of living in hard, present times have to do with buses? Nothing – aside from the awesome custom Volgren articulated (‘bendy’) buses that Victoria’s Kinetic operates on behalf of charity Foodbank. A veritable ‘supermarket on wheels’, this first of two ‘bendy’ Foodbank bus ably delivers fresh quality produce to key places where those who desperately need it can get to it. And in this way, the program does its best to – little by little, bus trip after bus trip – chip away at those dire national hungry … and often homeless… numbers each day. If allowing people to still access food,

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or to ‘break bread’ with others – a sacred bonding ritual, it must be said, that is often underappreciated in the modern day (social distancing and forced segregation doesn’t help) – then the true value of the Foodbank bus cannot be captured with mere words.

ALL ABOARD Foodbank provides 70 per cent of the total food rescued for food relief organisations across Australia, which plays a significant role in feeding vulnerable Australians. Foodbank Victoria will now expand its reach to Victorians struggling to make ends meet with the launch of two buses (Scania L94UA 6x2 low floor chassis) that Kinetic donated and are transformed at Volgren into ‘mobile supermarkets’. The new initiative is the result of a long-running partnership with Skybus operator Kinetic, which has partnered with Foodbank Victoria for a number of years, the operator confirms. Kinetic has fielded a team in Foodbank’s inaugural Hunger

Ride, participated in the Pick and Pack program through a workplace volunteering program, and helped with relief packages and donations during the 2020 bushfires. Kinetic’s latest donation of two articulated Skybus vehicles to the mobile-supermarket program will mean Foodbank Victoria gets to reach communities experiencing food insecurity throughout metro Melbourne and supply them with healthy and nutritious food. Kinetic co-CEO Adam Begg says the donation was an example of how Kinetic was

continuing to transform and innovate its relationship with Foodbank Victoria. “We have long been committed to Foodbank Victoria’s food relief efforts through corporate donations, fundraising and volunteering days, and this initiative is an evolution and expansion of our volunteering program,” Begg said. “Kinetic’s role extends far beyond simply taking people to the airport or running bus services. We are proud ambassadors for Victoria and that includes understanding

Top: The bus has been specifcally designed for the delivery and display of produce. Above: The supermarket bus carries fresh produce and frozen goods alongside pantry staples. Opposite: Kinetic has partnered with Foodbank Victoria for several years now.

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COVERSTORY

Above: ‘Dorothy’ - named after former Foodbank Victoria chair Dorothy Coombe - is a friendly face for those in need. Opposite, Top: Foodbank Victoria provides 1.2 million meals per month to many Victorians in need. Opposite, Middle: The two 18-metre articulated buses (the second due early 2022) have an entry at the back and exit at the front. Right: Volgren’s Yuri Tessari says the buses are the result of, “...great flexibility and skill,” from the partners involved.

FOODBANK BUS

how we can influence the community through our network and partners. “This latest donation is the result of a collaborative effort. We have had nothing but support since first taking this opportunity to our partners, and the transformation these vehicles have undergone is incredible,” he explained. The two 18-metre articulated buses have an entry at the back and exit at the front, offering a miniature supermarket experience with shelving and refrigeration. The mobile supermarkets will be stocked with a range of fresh product, pantry and staple items, taking healthy food to those in need, the partners explain. Volgren chief commercial officer Yuri Tessari says

Foodbank Victoria and Kinetic invited Volgren to participate in the development of the vehicles. “The design process took place during meetings and visits where we discussed concepts as we literally walked through

the original vehicles. After several discussions, Volgren’s engineering team presented our final drawings, which then later became the final buses. “It was certainly an unusual project; there are obviously no shelves on a standard bus – but our service centre, as well as our suppliers, showed great flexibility and skill to turn the designs into a reality. “In fact, Kinetic has been great since day one. They’ve been very transparent and clear on what the project was and supportive throughout the whole process.

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Kinetic has been great since day one. They’ve been very transparent and clear on what the project was. It’s great that we are able to strengthen our partnership through this project.”

FAMILY FUEL Each bus has the capacity to stock approximately 400 kilograms of fresh produce, with a menu consisting of fruit and vegetables, 500 kilograms of chilled items, 200 kilograms of frozen goods, and 1,000 kilograms of pantry staples like rice, pasta and legumes. The mobile-supermarket program is expected to visit up to six locations every week, bolstering Foodbank Victoria’s existing efforts, which were invaluable throughout the pandemic. Each bus will support around 100 families at every location with around 15 kilograms of food. By working with its charity partners throughout the state, Foodbank Victoria provides around 1.2 million meals a month to Victorians in need, including its

School Breakfast Club program, which it provides in conjunction with the Victorian government. Foodbank Victoria CEO Dave McNamara says the mobile pantry program would allow many struggling Victorians to access healthy and nutritious food. “This is all about supporting people who are doing it tough and simply don’t know how they are going to find the next meal for their families or themselves,” McNamara said. “This is a concept we first discussed with Kinetic last year, allowing us to visit people who often don’t have the capacity to travel, or who aren’t receiving food relief in the traditional ways.

“It also allows us to provide a truly bespoke food-relief service to the emerging culturally and linguistically diverse communities around metro Melbourne. “Both Kinetic and Volgren have come to the table by working with their partners to donate and transform these incredible buses, and we’re absolutely delighted to get to this point today.” Kinetic will keep the wheels turning on the initiative with bus drivers jumping in the front seat as part of a dedicated volunteering program. The purpose-designed buses, which were branded by Transcal and Avery Dennison, will be maintained through Skybus’ service facilities, the operator explains. busnews.com.au December 2021 ABC

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OPERATOR

TASSIELINK TRANSIT

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EXPRESS SERVICE Tasmanian bus operator Tassielink has been helping improve the daily commute for many passengers in the south of the state with a new express service between Huonville and Hobart. Not only this, but the service is being provided by two brand new Scania low-floor buses, providing access to the mobility-impaired and a more comfortable service for all. WORDS CAT FITZPATRICK IMAGES COURTESY SCANIA

ell-known Tasmanian metropolitan and regional bus operator Tassielink Transit has been running bus services on the Apple Isle since its beginnings in 1985, when Melbourne-based Invicta Group expanded south. Having separated from Invicta in 2001, Tassielink is now a family run operation under the ownership of managing director Shane Dewsbery (fondly known as ‘Bubbles’ by the industry), after having worked in the company for 26 years. Now operating the most extensive bus network in Tasmania, Tassielink services over 50 regional and remote towns and villages with

commuter buses as well as charter services, and recently further expanded its offering with an express bus service in the south of the island, on which run two new Scania Express-bodied buses.

GREATER CONNECTIVITY These buses are the first additional services being rolled out over the next 12 months as part of the Tasmanian government’s Southern Projects initiative. This is a series of transport projects delivered by the state government as part of the Greater Hobart Traffic Solution. “This is all about encouraging more people to use public transport and managing traffic flow along Hobart’s

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OPERATOR

TASSIELINK TRANSIT

southern corridor by providing an end-to-end solution with faster and more frequent bus services,” said Michael Ferguson, Minister for Infrastructure and Transport in Tasmania. “The package of integrated projects includes a dedicated transit lane on the Southern Outlet and clearways and bus priority measures on Macquarie and Davey Streets to improve the flow of buses to their destination; and park-and-ride facilities at Huntingfield and Stage 2 at Firthside, which will start construction soon. “When complete, they will provide the growing population in the Huon Valley and Kingborough regions, with real choice on how they travel and an attractive alternative to private cars. Our plan is to not only increase the use of public transport by commuters travelling to work from 6.4 per cent to 10 per cent, but to also reduce single occupant car 42

This is all about encouraging more people to use public transport and managing traffic flow along Hobart’s southern corridor.

Above: The latest two Scania buses were the last of an order for eight delivered to Tassielink during the past two years.

journeys travelling into Hobart,” the Minister said. The express service between Huonville and Hobart began operation in July, 2021, with four

services each weekday morning departing Huonville at 6.05am, 7.05am, 8.05am and 9.05am, returning from Franklin Square in Hobart in the afternoon/

Right: Tassielink is hiring new drivers to operate the Huonville service, as well as others. Opposite, Top: Tassielink managing director Shane Dewsbery says the company worked closely with Scania to make the buses suitable for Tasmanian roads.

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early evening at 3.17pm, 4.17pm, 5.17pm and 6.17pm. The service stops only eight times and the trip takes approximately 45 minutes to complete, which is a saving of 20 minutes per trip compared with the all-stopping route, it says.

NEW BUSES The two new Scania buses, delivered to Tassielink earlier this year, operate on the Huonville– Hobart weekday express service. These are the final two of an order for eight buses delivered by Scania to Tassielink over the past two years, comprising four 320hp (239kW) 4x2 Euro 6 and four 310hp (231kW) 4x2 Euro 5, five-cylinder nine-litre vehicles. The express service was designed to help to reduce traffic congestion in the Greater Hobart area by promoting and encouraging public transport options. Commuters have been demanding more express routes and greater comfort. Huonville is located southwest of Hobart in the picturesque

Huon Valley and is a burgeoning dormitory suburb for Hobart, 38km away, as well as being a popular tourist destination. The Express buses are low-floor accessible, which means easier access for mobility-impaired people, and also offer plenty of underfloor luggage space, designed to accommodate electric scooters or folding bicycles, as well as suitcases and backpacker rucksacks. The interior fit-out includes coach seats, seat belts, parcel racks, luggage bins, USB chargers and air conditioning appropriate for Tasmanian weather conditions. Featuring Scania Euro 6-compliant diesel engines – the most advanced diesel engines available – the low-floor urban buses will be highly fuel efficient and have

TASSIELINK TRANSPORT HISTORY In July 1985, Invicta Group (John Usher) purchased Morse’s Bus Service in Devonport in its first step into the Tasmanian bus industry. The operation expanded with further purchases focused on servicing remote wilderness areas, such as Crandle Mountain in the north, Tag Along Tours in Hobart and Mountain Stage Line in Launceston, with the company renamed Tasmanian Wilderness Travel in 1989. The ’90s and 2000s saw the purchase of further services before Tassielink Transit separated from Invicta Group in 2001. Shane Dewsbery took over operations in 2020, alongside the opening of new routes and timetables to improve the communities it serves. Throughout the years, Tassielink and its predecessor Tasmanian Wilderness Travel have won several Tasmanian Tourism Awards and have both been inducted into the Hall of Fame for their services to the Tasmanian bus industry. As well as operating public transport buses, Tassielink also operates a range of charter services, with buses ranging in size from 12- to 57-seat. These service private group and school trips, shuttle services, half- and full-day tours, track and bushwalking transfers and cruise ship visits.

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OPERATOR

TASSIELINK TRANSIT

Above: The interior includes coach seats, seat belts, parcel racks, luggage bins, USB chargers and air conditioning suitable for Tasmanian conditions. Right: Underfloor luggage space has been designed to accommodate electric scooters or folding bicycles, as well as large luggage. Opposite, Top: The express run between Huonville and Hobart shaves 20 minutes off of the journey compared with the all-stop service.

cleaner exhaust emissions. Tassielink now operates 30 buses and employs more than 50 people and is recruiting additional drivers to operate the new Huonville service and other services across regional Tasmania, it says.

FIT FOR PURPOSE Dewsbery says his team had put a lot of work into the design of the new vehicles. “We have designed them to cope with our local roads 44

and climate, and we worked closely with Scania and the body-builder,” he explained. “Most of our fleet is Scania-powered and the drivers are very familiar with how they drive. Feedback from patrons has been very positive, particularly regarding comfort. “We selected Scania as the supplier of the chassis and powertrain because we have had a long and successful relationship with them, and

to us these relationships are very important. “We have worked with Julian Gurney, Trevor O’Brien and Jamie Atkinson for many years and we trust their advice. We have open and close communication with them, they give us excellent back-up with parts and maintenance information and we see them as a critical part of our ongoing operations. “When we wanted changes to the specification to meet our needs, Scania was flexible enough to meet our requirements. They understand our working environment and so they know when we need parts to have them ready. Scania also works well with our nominated bodybuilders.”

STRONG PARTNERSHIP “We anticipate the buses will cover around 120,000km a year, and will be serviced according to Scania’s schedule,” Dewsbery said. “We anticipate covering

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We have designed them to cope with our local roads and climate, and we worked closely with Scania and the bodybuilder. around one million km over the next decade and, if our experience with Scania to date is any guide, the new buses will do this easily. We have 10-year-old Scania-powered buses on our fleet now and they haven’t needed refurbishment and they are still good on fuel. “We get the weekly fleet reports from Scania as to how the vehicles are performing. Every Monday I look at the charts. It’s good to have a snapshot of performance that we can compare week-to-week and be able

to see any exceptions, and it provides good information for the workshop in terms of identifying any issues before they become problems,” he said. Scania Bus and Coach national sales and contracts manager Jamie Atkinson says the strength of the relationship between Scania and Tassielink was indicative of how the company does business and uses its full resources to ensure the customer gets what they want. “We are always pleased to support our customers with

technical assistance when they come to plan new vehicles, and we have a strong, experienced and stable team in our bus division, who are able to leverage their knowledge for the customer’s benefit. “When we take on a project such as these new buses for Tassielink, we not only want to ensure uptime through robust engineering, but also ease of maintenance and economy of operation,” Atkinson said. “We’re confident that not only will the residents of Huonville enjoy the convenience of an express service into Hobart, but also the comfort of a chassis that has been engineered to suit the roads on which they’ll travel. If they never notice what’s going on below the floor of the bus, our job will have been done.” busnews.com.au December 2021 ABC

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EVENT

QOCS HERITAGE BUS EXPO

RETRO COOL

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The largest ever display of heritage buses in Queensland helped the Queensland Omnibus and Coach Society Inc (QOCS) celebrate its 25th anniversary in style, held 16 October 2021, organisers report. WORDS FABIAN COTTER IMAGES COURTESY QOCS

HE HERITAGE BUS EXPO had no fewer than 27 retrocool buses and coaches and more than 300 eager bus fans and participants attend the premises of Bus Stop Sales and Service at Rocklea, in Brisbane, between 9.30am and 2.30pm. This included in excess of 100 Queensland past and present bus operators and industry personnel, as well as transport officials like chair of Brisbane City Council’s Public and Active Transport Committee, councillor Ryan Murphy, and Queensland state minister for Transport and Main Roads, Mark Bailey MP. The Expo proved very popular with punters and organisers alike – and even featured on the local television news that night, broadcast throughout the state, organisers confirm.

WELCOMED GATHERING The event was a rare opportunity for

This included in excess of 100 Queensland past and present bus operators and industry personnel.

Above: A total of 27 buses and coaches ranging from 1917 to 1997 models featured at the Expo. Left: The oldest bus on display belonged to Jimmy Hill of Gatton Bus Service with his 1917 GMC. Opposite, Bottom: QOCS 1948 AEC Regal III operated joy rides from the Expo for eager transport enthusiasts.

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EVENT

QOCS HERITAGE BUS EXPO

Queensland bus industry colleagues to get together in an otherwise uncertain period due to the pandemic. A number of past bus operators also attended the expo, including Kevin Doyle, who owned Doyle’s Bus Lines near Ipswich between 1973 and 1998; Russell Penfold, whose father started Greyhound Coaches in Toowoomba in 1928; and

Tony McCafferty, whose father started McCafferty’s Coaches in Toowoomba during 1940. A number of Translink bus operators attended the expo as well, including Ian and James Mitchell (Brisbane Bus Lines); Adam Pulitano (Bus Queensland); Grant and Lachlan Craike (Caboolture Bus Lines); Reg and Yvonne Clark (Clark’s Logan

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Right: Tony McCafferty (McCafferty’s Coaches), John McCafferty (McCafferty’s Coaches), Michael Dempsey (Bustech) and Nick Wilson (QOCS president) in front of a 1938 Bedford WTB owned by Greyhound Australia. Below, Right: The official reception featured speeches from Pete White (Bus Stop Sales), Ryan Murphy (Cr Ryan Murphy, Chair of Brisbane City Council’s Public and Active Transport Committee), Mark Bailey MP, (Minister for Transport and Main Roads), Rolf Mitchell (representing the Queensland Bus Industry Council), and Nick Wilson (QOCS president). Bottom: The Haidley family of Warwick brought three magnificently restored coaches and one minibus 150km from Warwick to the Expo.

City Bus Service); Rolf Mitchell (Hornibrook Bus Lines); Daryl and Darren Webster (Kangaroo Bus Lines); and Shane and Jack Thompson (Thompson Bus Services). The official reception featured speeches from Pete White (Bus Stop Sales dealer principal), Cr Ryan Murphy, Mark Bailey MP, Rolf Mitchell (representing the Queensland Bus Industry Council) and Nick Wilson (QOCS president).

As part of the celebrations, QOCS unveiled a refurbished 1970 Brisbane City Council Leyland Panther bus.

PANTHER UNVEILED As part of the celebrations,

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EVENT

QOCS HERITAGE BUS EXPO

Top: A total of 27 buses and coaches ranging from 1917 to 1997 models featured at the Expo. Above, Left and Right: More than 300 people attended the Expo. Right: Shane and Jack Thompson of Thompson Bus Services with their 1987 Leyland Tiger, which they have owned since new. Opposite, Top and Underneath (L-R): Daryl and Darren Webster of Kangaroo Bus Lines with their restored 1958 Leyland Worldmaster, which was fitted with a new body by Domino Industries in 1979; Unveiling of restored 1970 Leyland Panther Bus; A number of TransLink bus operators attended the Expo including Ian Mitchell (Brisbane Bus Lines), Yvonne Clark (Clark’s Logan City Bus Service), Reg Clark (Clark’s Logan City Bus Service), and Rolf Mitchell (Hornibrook Bus Lines).

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QOCS unveiled a refurbished 1970 Brisbane City Council Leyland Panther bus, which is in fact the very last of the 340 buses the council purchased to replace Brisbane’s tram and trolleybus network between 1968 and 1970. “This was the very first bus acquired by our organisation for preservation in August, 1998, and we were very pleased to have unveiled its new council colours as part of our 25th birthday celebrations,” QOCS president Nick Wilson stated. “It is another magnificent restoration by the team at RoyansCoachworks,” he explained. “The 340 Leyland Panther buses hold great historical significance to the people of Brisbane because they signify the end of one transportation era and the evolution of another,” he said.

HERITAGE LOOP Asked about what lays ahead for the future, QOCS President Nick Wilson stated: “I’m currently working with Brisbane City Council and Translink on a proposal for QOCS to regularly operate part of their heritage bus fleet one weekend a month in the Brisbane CBD. “Our initial discussions have been very promising and we are grateful to have the support of both levels of government through Ryan Murphy and Mark Bailey,” he said.

The 340 Leyland Panther buses hold great historical significance to the people of Brisbane.

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INTERVIEW

ANNA WESTERBERG – VOLVO BUSES

SUPER VISION

A new electric bus product to launch with massive global implications for the brand’s future push into electro-mobility was as good a time as any for ABC magazine to chat with Volvo Buses’ relatively new president Anna Westerberg. With Volvo Bus general manager Australia and New Zealand Mitch Peden popping in for the online link, too, the intense bus talk began... WORDS FABIAN COTTER IMAGES VOLVO BUS AUSTRALIA

ABC: Hello, Anna. Nice meeting you and thanks for your time. Firstly, how did you get to this position today – what’s your career background?

10 inside Volvo – but I am born and raised in Sweden. Australia is actually very special for me because I was an exchange student in Sydney from ’91 to ’92, so I have a second family and lots of friends in Australia.

electromobility and zero emissions and clean product. What does Volvo pride itself on that’s something a little bit different from an operator’s point of view?

AW: I joined Volvo Buses in February, so I’ve been about seven or eight months now on the job, but I’ve been with the Volvo Group for 12 years. It’s my fourth job at

ABC: Have you been back since that time when you were an exchange student?

AW: I think it’s moving beyond zero emission. That’s an important thing, to be sustainable, but it’s really looking at the materials, how you source them, how you

the Volvo Group.

AW: I have been back several times and

manufacture [the product], how you then

with diesel engines for industrial

friends have come over to Sweden, but I

take care of it for the second-life application,

applications, and then moved to our

haven’t been back for 10 years, so a long

recycling, etc. and doing that to the highest

venture capital company, making

time now.

standards and in the best possible way.

ABC: And maybe if it wasn’t for the pandemic, the BZL launch would have been a good excuse to come down?

been one of our core values for a long, long

I started out in Volvo Penta, working

For us at Volvo, the environment has

investments in different types of tech start-ups, so very much to secure the competitive future of Volvo Group. After a couple of years there, I got the opportunity to lead a newly-formed unit

time. Sustainability for us is about resources, it’s about people, it’s about material and so on, so it’s a wide thing and really embedded into how we do business overall. We view

within Volvo Group called Connected Solutions, which had the connectivity

AW: For sure – I’m really looking forward to

that as something that is very important

platform and developed different types

coming to Australia as it’s a very important

actually: to be competitive in the future,

of connected services to Volvo Group

market for us at Volvo Buses. As soon as we

so we have a high focus on that whole

customers around the world.

can travel again I will, for sure, make a visit.

sustainability area.

ABC: Just to confirm – the BZL is just for the UK, Australia and Mexico?

ABC: When it comes to electric buses, many call them ‘silent buses’, but sometimes a bus being ‘too silent’ can be an issue. There’s been research into what pedestrians hear and whether they are too silent – is this something that Volvo has looked into? Is there a certain decibel level that you need to meet? Any alarms or whistles, driver training? Anything like that in terms of pedestrian safety around electric vehicles?

So, I have been working in Volvo with everything from diesel engines to being at the forefront of service development. And now, at Volvo Buses, it’s a little bit of all of that. The transformation towards

AW: No. In the launch video we had

electric is really obvious[ly] ... accelerating.

pinpointed those markets. They are very

Even if it has been tough times due to the

important markets for Volvo Buses, but

pandemic – the impact in the transport

the BZL is a global product so it will go

industry and other industries of course – I

wherever the demand is around the world.

see many exciting opportunities for the future. So, it’s fun to be in the middle of this transformation, now. Before joining Volvo, I worked as a managing consultant for a SwedishAmerican management consulting firm, so I was living in the US for three-and-ahalf years. After that, I was working for a company with business in the UK and France as a managing director. So, I have done various things – maybe 10 years outside Volvo and then a little bit over 52

ABC: Looking at the material that came after the launch there was a quote saying “…to be the world’s most responsible electric bus system,” in terms of what Volvo’s offering and for the whole ‘cradle to the grave’ experience for operators. How would you say Volvo’s interpretation of being ‘responsible’ is different to your competitors? As you can imagine, a lot of companies are talking about

AW: Yes, we have done tests with this and applied noises to buses as they approach a bus stop and so on. There are many things that we can do to add that to the quiet buses, if that is something that is wanted. In Gothenberg [Sweden] we implemented 150 electric city buses more or less

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overnight and some of my friends said: “Wow, it was quiet in my apartment,” and they are talking about it being a totally different feeling. So, from that perspective, the value of the quietness, of the no noise in the city, is very high. But I agree with you and I have been thinking about it myself, when you have electric cars that are super quiet and you don’t really know if someone’s coming or what’s happening. So, I think that it’s an area to further explore. But, as I said, we have announced that we have tested different types of sounds and so on that you can have. Artificial sounds, you can say, that you put on.

ABC: European cities are ahead of us in terms of the roll-out of e-buses and e-vehicles. Did Sweden have a government target to meet per year in terms of vehicles, have those targets been met and where does Volvo sit in terms of the percentage delivered of those electric vehicles out on the road? What’s the current state of play?

AW: To be honest, I don’t know what the regulations have been but, of course, we have high ambitions to be a sustainable country, which have been reinforced lately with quite high ambitions, which have been needed. You can see this in other countries as well around the world, due to the situation with climate change and so on. We have been offering electric city buses in Europe for several years now and we can see that it’s been accelerating. Not all cities or countries have taken it for granted, let’s have electric versus this or that, but we can see now, in the past year or two years, that cities will go full electric. And we support it, we think it’s very good.

ABC: Talking about BZL and recyclability – I’ve heard 90 per cent and thought ‘wow, that’s a lot of the bus’, that’s great. Are there any weird or amazing secondary lives for these components? Are they in pot plants? Is it in building tiles? What sort of stuff is the recycled material going into?

AW: We don’t do it ourselves – we work with different partners who are experts in recycling so they see if it can be busnews.com.au December 2021 ABC

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INTERVIEW

ANNA WESTERBERG – VOLVO BUSES

reused into a totally new product or can it

MP: They were dual axle on that occasion.

be used for something else. When it comes

The tri-axle is most likely coming down

to the actual battery we look at secondary

the track but, on that iteration, it was

applications. Can they be used, for example,

dual-axle. I’m glad you raised that point,

for energy storage or handle peak levels

Fabian, because we’ve had some questions

in apartment buildings, etc. We feel a big

about why the batteries are on the roof

responsibility that we have all of that set up

and would the centre of gravity be better

so we know that we take care of anything

if the batteries were lower. But, we’re very

that we have used in the best possible way.

confident with our ESP braking and our

expertise in our chassis design [and that],

ABC: Sure. I’m talking to a lot of companies and the big thing that I am asking people as we go into this is that, after the second life, third life, what’s happening to the cells? It seems to be an evolving field and that’s where my interests are. I saw another type of normal battery, not for vehicles, and they stripped it down and are trialing fertiliser with it. Any ideas like that?

AW: I agree with you, it is an emerging field and we need to be in the forefront for understanding that, so monitoring the batteries with connectivity, etc. and understanding how they are performing, how they are evolving – that is an area where we have invested quite a lot in, in order to understand that. But, as you say, everyone has still a lot to learn about what will be the best secondary applications or how do you match a certain battery, depending upon how it has been

both with our partners, that we are very well placed [to show] that we do double-deckers well [in order] to have a single decker with batteries on the roof. I think we can showcase our abilities in this area to have a higher centre of gravity but to still have an extremely safe bus outcome.

ABC: Absolutely, and I think somebody asked that question of Dean Moule about the batteries and they said that, if they were on top of the bus, they were out of the way. That’s how I interpreted it, yeah? So that’s a good thing. These things happen in life, so it’s always best to plan in advance. So, Volvo in your homeland, when you’re making your own full units you’ll have your own body design. When you’re working with external body partners throughout the world, to what extent does Volvo have a say or get involved with the design and

Of particular interest with the BZL are all of the entry points that we have for servicing the bus. used, into different types of applications. So, it’s a very exciting area. Within Volvo Group we have formed a separate unit – I think we announced it earlier this year: Volvo Energy – with which we will work very closely and their whole focus is to find this out: where Volvo Group batteries can be used in the best possible way for their second life.

look of the body from a partner? Is it a case of just seeing final designs or, throughout the process, do you guys get involved? Or are you so selective of choosing a partner that you say: ‘I’m sure you’ll come up with something, I’m sure it’ll be fine’? How does that work with how Volvo rolls its product out?

structural integrity required for building on our chassis. Of particular interest with the BZL are all of the entry points that we have for servicing the bus. When you get to look at it, there’s a lot of little hatches and all these sorts of things to enable very quick ease of servicing of the bus for just maximising uptime and limiting the time

ABC: That’s good to hear and I’d be interested in pursuing that further – to chat to someone to see what we can come up with. The BZL in single and doubledeck form – there was a video of the chaps in London in front of the bus. So, are they tri-axle or dual-axle the double-deckers? 54

around the weights and the like and the

MP: Dean, who you know, and Mark

required for technicians and the like to be

Fryer, who works with him, are our body-

digging around within and under the bus,

build specialists. They work hand in hand,

let’s say.

in an engineering sense, with our body

That’s been very clever and it’s a different

partners. Yes, the body partners come

solution that we’ve been presenting with

with their aesthetics and designs for the

this. And that’s all come down to just

exterior of the bus, but we have a very big

meeting in the middle with our body-build

hand in guiding them on how to build

partners and understanding how we can

a chassis, what’s required – particularly

marry up. But they can do what we need.

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ABC: So, when you say ‘special solutions’ for remote areas or mining, what sort of technology’s involved and being able to commute with a vehicle out of a city – is that something other than satellites?

AW: We have to have the satellite communication so it goes through that, which is of course more expensive than if you use the normal 4G network for example.

ABC: And it’s still good enough reception through a satellite – no issues with that? Ever lost a vehicle?

AW: There can always be issues but, overall, we have very good experience. We send so much data, because our customers want it for various reports and how are they driving, what is the fuel consumption, etc. Now, we are we monitoring the batteries, what is the useable energy, how can they see the status of all of their assets? So, we send enormous amounts of data to look into that and, in most cases, it is working very well with the new buses and trucks.

ABC: The 20-year energy guarantee for the BZL – was that just specific to Australia?

MP: The context of that was that obviously we’ll be selling buses with batteries, but we are able to take positions with customers out to 20 years. Some customers may only want to be talking to us for the next five years, let’s say. We are offering a very flexible business solution – in no way a one-size-fits-all approach – to taking very

ABC: You’ve talked about Volvo Connect, which I’m assuming in Europe in terms of connectivity and geofencing, is much more advanced than how it is here. But I got the impression that you’re still offering it in this region imminently. To what extent is that reliant on actual government rollout of infrastructure and GPS and all that kind of stuff? Or, is this Volvo Connect something that you can do independently with your own communications from the bus to your own head office and setting that speed and design on your own mapping thing? Is it independent or is it needing to do with cities and governments and the infrastructure that they have put in place?

AW: My previous job was actually

bespoke offers to our customers to meet

developing the Volvo Connect product.

their various needs, their contracts, their

We have the Volvo Group Connectivity

particular lengths and terms that they

Platform, which means that our trucks,

want, and be able to provide them some

buses and construction equipment are

surety around the energy that they need

connected from the factories when they

from our bus solutions to meet their

go out and then the customers decide

routes, based on their requirements. And

what type of services to subscribe to. But,

we have already put a tender in around

of course, for telecommunication – for

that sort of timeframe, but we’ll really

sending that information from the bus to

be able to take conversations between

the cloud solution that we operate – we

three [years] and out to that period,

are dependent of course on there being

and everything in between, and be

telecommunications providers.

very flexible around our approach,

We also have the satellite partnerships. So, if you’re in a very

which I think is fantastic and has been welcomed by customers.

remote location – sometimes it happened to our construction equipment, for example – then we have special solutions in order to accomplish that.

ABC: In this transition to electric around the world for so many companies and people, for Volvo, busnews.com.au December 2021 ABC

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INTERVIEW

ANNA WESTERBERG – VOLVO BUSES

for your latest diesel product, what’s going to happen to that? Are there still markets for that? Is there a phase-out happening? Is there waste? What lessons are we learning? What happens with all this stuff?

AW: We are, right now, in this

the road for top-up-type charging.

transformation phase to cleaner,

And we’ve got a very flexible bus offer.

sustainable, safer types of public transport

We can be putting our CCS2 charging

and it’s very much enabled by technology,

on the left or right or rear and we have

and we feel that we have a very strong

the opp charging roof solutions as well,

technology heritage and background. So,

so we can very much tailor our solution

together with our customers and other

to every different customer’s needs,

AW: With the city and intercity segments,

partners, [we want to] make sure that we

which is pretty cool.

we believe a large part will become

really drive and lead this industry in this

electric in the coming years. When it

transformation towards more sustainable

comes to the modern coach segment,

public transport because we are convinced

it will remain diesel for a bit longer but,

that this is needed. We need to travel

step by step, we also believe that there

together in order to handle situations and

will be a transformation to battery electric,

be able to also create an attractive society.

and when it’s needed to get the range, in

So it is to be in that game, to be in the forefront, working close to our customers to drive that transformation, which will be very much the electro-mobility race, but also [developing] different types of services and solutions to better support our customers. We will continue to leverage, from the Volvo Group, developments. It’s a big group and we invest a lot in into these new technology areas, but we will also tailor it to our specific customer demands. So, we will take the best that we can get

combination with a fuel cell. So, we will look at different solutions depending on what is the segment demand and the application demand. But, for city applications, in most areas of the world, it will be electric in the coming years.

ABC: Internally, if you had diesel specialists, they would be retrained and ‘re-homed’ into the whole electro-mobility thing, right?

ABC: That’s obviously at the ordering stage for what someone wants. So, the operator just says ‘I prefer it on the right’ and you’ll do it? Is that’s what happening there with that decision making?

MP: It’s more so that – we like to think of ourselves as experts and being able to deliver expertise on the bus, but when it comes down to understanding each individual operator’s depot sites and the like, there’s a lot of effort that goes into mapping out the traffic flow and modelling, then the charging stations and infrastructure, and then we can begin to understand what’s the most optimum solution for us to

AW: We have worked on that for some time now and we have been thinking a lot about how do we do that, because there’s a lot of

When you sell an electric bus, it’s not just an electric bus, it’s actually a system that you’re selling.

competence that we need, not only on the engineering side but also when it comes to sales because, when you sell an electric bus, it’s not just an electric bus, it’s actually a system that you’re selling because you have to optimise it together with charging, etc. So, we are working on that and we have it as a very high focus, but when it comes to our engineers, we have really been seeing how they are able to learn new [skills] and I suppose that’s in the nature of being an engineer. I myself am an engineer, actually. And some of the more traditional technology areas are coming back in importance when you transfer to electric. For example, thermal management and understanding that, so it’s a mixture, actually. It’s not so dramatic [a change] as we might have thought a couple of years back.

ABC: In this role, where do you see yourself and this company within the next year, five years and 10 years? How do you want to evolve the company? How do you see the company evolving? If I were an operator making predictions about my fleet, what is happening at Volvo? What exciting things are coming? Any concerns? 56

from the Volvo Group together with what we can find with our own development, or with our partners, to provide those most attractive offers, and continue to stay focused on that track. That’s important for us.

provide on the bus for them to get the

ABC: In Europe, and other countries, you have opportunity charging. In Australia, it seems that we don’t need that or we’re avoiding that and just have depot charging. Have you had any feedback from operators asking about opportunity charging here in this region? Is there any avenue for that to come here or us needing it?

quality outcome, which is great. And we’re

MP: Absolutely. Particularly, let’s say, Sydney – they’ve got a number of depots and a continually growing population. Their bus

best flow, and to get the best layout of their charging. It might be a range of different solutions for different buses housed within the same depot that makes it flow correctly. And we’re working with partners to help drive a starting to have these conversations now. We’re learning a lot – there’s often more questions than answers – but we learn a lot as we go.

ABC: How long does it take to swap out a battery? Is there a benchmark for downtime? Is it a ‘pitstop at Formula 1’ thing or a day? Is it an evolving realm or a sales pitch that ‘we can do it faster’?

numbers aren’t going to decrease, but

MP: It generally takes about an hour and

they’re very landlocked on some of these

we will be set up with our dealers to work

depots, so they’re already talking to us

from heights, so we’ll have all of the correct

about opportunity charging – pantograph

gantries and the like, but it takes about an

up or pantograph down – as their depot

hour to change out the batteries.

solution, before we even talk about out on

They’re very heavy; it’s more about the

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managing of the weight of it and the safety operation of working from heights and working with weight. The plug-and-play side of it isn’t wildly complex – it’s just a matter of getting them in and out and just making sure the system’s reading and the like, then the test phase, and then they’re good to go.

ABC: So, if an operator has a problem with a battery, are they expecting to get the bus back the next day/the same day? MP: If we’re having to change out batteries, we would anticipate buses coming in and we’ll be able to have a bus going out fully charged, to go back to operation, the next day.

AW: We don’t foresee extensive[ly] having to swap the batteries because we’re also foreseeing them to last a long time. And maybe we’ll only change part of it as well.

ABC: Finally, is there anything else you would like to add? AW: For me, we are excited to bring this product to Australia and I look forward to seeing what we can achieve together with customers and society in Australia, and [our] partners. And to transform into more sustainable public transport solutions. I look forward to being part of that.

MP: From my side, this is obviously our 50th anniversary year here in the Australian market, and we’ve been 11 years the market leader, so we have a lot of established partnerships, a lot of trust in our brand and a lot of our partners are looking for our guidance on the transition from diesel to electric. We’re extremely well placed to have great conversations. It’s very exciting to have our product now; a good plan around a timing roadmap to start to have great conversations; start to introduce partners to infrastructure providers and the like; and start to build some understanding of how we are to transition some of our key partners into the future, which is very exciting. We’re [already starting] these conversations after [the BZL’s] launch – it’s straight into it – which is pretty cool. busnews.com.au December 2021 ABC

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OPERATOR

KANGA COACHLINES

HIT THE Bus fleet and business diversification proves the key to lockdown survival during the past two years, but now Adelaide’s Kanga Coachlines and Farnham Roadlines see blue skies ahead.

WORDS ANJALI BEHL IMAGES NIC BENN

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GROUND RUNNING

ith the charter business severely hit due to the pandemic, 38-year-old Kanga Coachlines and Farnham Roadlines CEO and owner Julian ‘Jules’ Roeger took a chance to invest in a number of new specialised buses to take on a rail-replacement project. What was meant to be a three-to-fivemonth venture, however, has lasted for more than a year. Now, with borders opening soon, the team is eagerly awaiting resuming its charter services. Roeger almost didn’t become a bus and coach operator. While studying

management at university, he worked part-time at a hotel where he was offered a management role, he says. The prospect was exciting for him, but when he told his parents about it they mentioned they wanted to offer him a role in their bus and coach business, which he ended up taking. It was a major pay cut for him, but he preferred to have a more 9–5 job and - since it was in the days when smoking in venues was permitted - he was admittedly sick of constantly reeking of second-hand smoke and having red, irritated eyes. “Although I hung around the depot on weekends and school holidays as a

child, I started full-time the day I turned 21,” he explained. “I started at the bottom and worked my way through every aspect of the business including driving buses, working with the mechanics, doing admin work. Two years in, my parents told me they wanted to sell up as they’d had enough. They tried to sell, but couldn’t. I then decided it was my time to take control and take it on – the rest is history.” For more than 10 years, Roeger worked 12–15 hours per day, seven days per week, giving up a lot of social and family time to build the business, keep clients happy and get more work.

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OPERATOR

KANGA COACHLINES

Years ago, if I happened to wake up one day and find myself where I am now, it would have been hard to believe; I don’t know if I would even have been able to cope.

Above: Julian ‘Jules’ Roeger is CEO and owner of Kanga Coachlines and Farnham Roadlines. Opposite, Top: The company operates predominately in the north and northeastern suburbs of Adelaide, as well as across South Australia. Opposite, Bottom: The Farnham Roadlines side of the business mostly handles school runs. 60

It was exhausting for him, but it built the foundation for what he has today: a business that has quadrupled in fleet size and staff numbers that have gone from 15 to 110. Kanga Coachlines operates 65 buses – 40 large and 25 mini buses, in addition to coaches, school charter (with 28 daily school services) and low floors (25 buses on daily rail-replacement service currently). The operations predominately cover the north and north-eastern suburbs of Adelaide, also travelling across South Australia. “We run 24/7 and pre-Covid, we had buses across Australia

all the time. Sending a bus interstate back in the day was a huge deal. Now, we can have 10–15 buses away and it is just the norm. We’ve grown and adapted into the position we are now in. Years ago, if I happened to wake up one day and find myself where I am now, it would have been hard to believe; I don’t know if I would even have been able to cope. However, as it has been a steady growth, I have been able to grow into the role.” In 2019, Roeger purchased Farnham Roadlines from John and Maureen Farnham, who were operating a dedicated

school service and school charter business next door. “Farnham Roadlines was a good fit for us,” he explained. “We took over their school work, along with 18 buses, rebranded, knocked down the fence and boom – we were away. Today there is only one of the original fleet left as it is on a dedicated DECD service.”

CURRENT RUN Kanga started operating in the mid-1980s as a self-drive business with approximately 10 vehicles. Roeger’s family purchased the business in 1994

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and the operations grew from there to include charter work and school bus services. While Kanga continues to serve a lot of its long-term self-drive clients, the business is mostly a charter service these days. The team operates out of the huge depot in north Adelaide, where they have combined three yards to form one big site in Mawson Lakes – 20 minutes north of the CBD. Kanga’s large fleet mostly features Volvo chassis with Coach Concepts and Marco Polo/Volgren bodies. It also has some King Long and Mercedes-Benz coaches. The minibus

fleet is predominantly made up of Fuso Rosa. “We used to have a very old fleet early on. Then we started buying newer models and brand new, where possible,” explained Roeger. “We are now turning over vehicles at three to five years; however, with the uncertain times they will be kept for eight to 10 years on average. “The rail replacement fleet of low -floor buses averages around 15 years. “I’m happy with my current fleet. The after-sales service and support we get from Volvo is second to none. We feel like a part of a big family and know we can always rely on the brand and its reputation of safety and quality. It has won us a lot of work over the years.” As a huge majority of the fleet is new, there is not a significant need for an in-house workshop, so the team relies on the services of a local workshop, Spectrum, for any mechanical needs, and scheduled maintenance at the dealerships. Roeger has been running the operations of the business by himself since 2012, buying out the family interest in 2016. He continues to be very hands-on, still sharing the after-hours support work and even helping out in the wash bay when needed.

THE ’C’ TURN When Covid first hit in March 2020, Kanga had coaches all across Australia that had to relocate home mid-tour. While the pandemic wiped out a lot of its business, the school services and rail-replacement work kept it going. Late last year, Kanga was approached busnews.com.au December 2021 ABC

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OPERATOR

Top: Kanga’s large fleet predominately features Volvo chassis with Coach Concepts and Marco Polo/ Volgren bodies. Above: Kanga Coachlines and Farnham Roadlines operate 65 buses . Opposite, Top: The minibus fleet is mostly Fuso Rosa Opposite, Bottom: The rail-replacement fleet of low-floor buses averages around 15 years of age. 62

KANGA COACHLINES

by the government to assist in the rail closure service, which the business took on. “It was at a time when there was little work and very little income,” said Roeger. “I took the gamble to risk what we had in reserve and buy a heap of low floors to assist with the requirements of the project. "It was meant to be a three-tofive-month-long venture, but it is now in its thirteenth month. Ultimately, it has meant we are able to excel and build, rather

than just idle through. It was a huge risk, but we adapted and changed to suit. "Whilst I don’t like running five-star coaches on rail runs, at least the wheels are turning and all our staff have work; it is absolutely great. “JobKeeper saved us. It gave us the chance to upskill and train staff in areas they otherwise wouldn’t have had the chance to learn. We had over half of the staff on JobKeeper, so we rotated as we could to maximise who we had available to us. There were a lot of very quiet periods, but ultimately we knew we were not the only ones, so we simply had to ride it out.” As the business does a lot of international inbound work, the prospect of things getting back to where they were before might take years, he thinks. However, with borders opening up, Roeger

hopes soon they can start doing what they love most: running tours within Australia, corporate events, concerts and shows.

NEXT STOP Although Roeger is always looking at fresh opportunities,

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The after sales service and support we get from Volvo is second to none. We feel like a part of a big family and know we can always rely on the brand and its reputation of safety and quality.

he plans to drive the business in a phase of consolidation for a bit. “We are at a very good size, while still being manageable. I don’t wish to get too big that I lose the quality and level of service we provide,” he said. “I love what I do. Although some days are very challenging, building relationships and working with amazing staff make it great. "We work hard, but also have fun. We know how to turn it on, but then reflect on it and take pride in what we’ve achieved. Whilst it isn’t a job where you can ‘switch off’, I enjoy the challenge of what the next phone call or email may bring – it could be good, bad or ugly – but that’s why I keep coming here every day. It is always something new.”

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Scania, along with many other brands, showed improved numbers on previous months.

Onwards and upwards for November November sees some top figures for the year and a welcome monthly boost, exclusive ABC data reveals.

here’s some good news in the bus deliveries arena with, if not quite a return to form, at least a positive upturn in November’s figures: a total of 76. This is 11 more than last month’s 65 and the highest we’ve seen so far in this financial year. In the chassis sector, Volvo once again is leader of the pack, up six on last month’s number to reach a total of 21. Following behind are Scania, BCI and Mercedes-Benz on 15, 14 and 13 respectively; all showing improvements on last month’s totals. The remaining 13 deliveries includes a welcome return by I-Bus to our pages after last being recorded back in February, 2020 – bringing five deliveries to the table. In the body-building sector, Volgren is still on top with a total of 21, up four on last month’s 17. Close behind is Bustech Group with 19 – showing not only a huge gain on previous months’ totals, but also recording its highest total for 2021. Not far behind is BCI on 15, also showing a return to form with its best result since June. There was good news for Irizar, which also delivered its highest total so far for 2021, with eight deliveries. The remaining 13 bodies were spread out across seven other manufacturers. Thermo King still reigns at the top of the air-con deliveries board, showing a gain of 10 deliveries on last month, with a total of 41, and its best result since July’s 50. There’s quite the gap still between first and second, with MCC nipping in ahead of Hispacold by

just one, recording 14 and 13 deliveries, respectively. However, congratulations to Hispacold for also recording its highest total in 2021. The remaining air-con deliveries include the first entrance of King Long to the deliveries table, with four. In terms of states, there was a switch in first and second place compared to October, with Western Australia taking the lead in November on 23. Victoria dropped slightly to record 18 units, with NSW and QLD not far behind on 15 and 11, respectively. South Australia doubled its October total with six deliveries in November while Tasmania makes its first appearance since April with three. Turn overleaf for comprehensive bus and coach delivery information for November. Please note all data is as supplied from manufacturers, at their discretion. *NB: In the table overleaf are two entries from BLK dated October. These were erroneously not included in ABC issue 411’s printed deliveries table – though the data was included in the analysis section and the total number of buses stated for October did include these deliveries. We apologise for this error.

This is 11 more than last month’s 65 and the highest we’ve seen so far in this financial year.

ABC December 2021 busnews.com.au

ABC_412_070-71_Bus Deliveries column FC.indd 70

7/12/21 3:40 pm

Volgren 21 Bustech Group 19 BCI 15 Irizar 8 I-Bus 5

SALES BY BODY

Coach Design 3

In the body-building sector, Volgren is still on top with a total of 21 - up four on last month’s 17. Close behind is Bustech Group with 19 – showing not only a huge gain on previous months’ totals, but also recording its highest total for 2021. Not far behind is BCI on 15, also showing a return to form with its best result since June. There was good news for Irizar, which also delivered its highest total so far for 2021, with eight deliveries. The remaining 13 bodies were spread out across seven other manufacturers.

BLK 1 Coach Concepts 1 Express Coaches 1 P&D Coachworks 1 TOST 1

4% TAS

30% WA

14% QLD

Units by

REGION 20% NSW

SALES BY AIR-CONDITIONER Thermo King still reigns at the top of the air-con deliveries board, showing a gain of 10 deliveries on last month, with a total of 41, and its best result since July’s 50. There’s quite the gap still between first and second, with MCC nipping in ahead of Hispacold by just one, recording 14 and 13 deliveries, respectively. However, congratulations to Hispacold for also recording its highest total in 2021. The remaining air-con deliveries include the first entrance of King Long to the table, with four.

Thermo King 41 MCC 14 Hispacold 13

24%

King Long Coachair Spheros

4 3 1

VOLVO 21

VIC

SCANIA 15

BCI 14

MERCEDES-BENZ 13

MAN 6

Sales by chassis

I-BUS 5

In the chassis sector, Volvo once again leads, up six on last month’s number to reach a total of 21. Following behind are Scania, BCI and Mercedes-Benz on 15, 14 and 13, respectively - all showing improvements on last month’s totals. The remaining 13 deliveries includes a welcome return by I-Bus to our pages after last being recorded in February 2020, bringing five deliveries to the table.

BLK 1

HINO 1

busnews.com.au December 2021 ABC

ABC_412_070-71_Bus Deliveries column FC.indd 71

7/12/21 12:24 pm

DELIVERIES

NOVEMBER 2021

BCI

BLK (OCT)

ENGINES

TRANSMIS

UNITS

MANUFACTURER, OPERATOR & LOCATION

CHASSIS

Go West

Fleetmaster

BCI

320

Euro 5

Adams Coachlines

Proma

BCI

210

Euro 5

Go West

QLD

Proma

BCI

210

Euro 5

(Model)

BODY BUILDER

HP*

Rear / Front

Emissions standard

A: Autom M: Manu AS: AutoO: Opticr

Polleys Coaches

QLD

President 2

BLK

320

Euro 5

Legacy Club Services

NSW

Cooper MK2

BLK

210

Euro 5

BLK

Coolum Coaches

QLD

President 2

BLK

360

Euro 5

BUSTECH GROUP

Busways (SBM)

NSW

MB OC500RF E6 1930

Bustech Group

–

Rear

Auto

Mackay Transit

QLD

Scania K270 E95

Bustech Group

–

Rear

Auto

Buslines

NSW

Volvo B8RLE E6

Bustech Group

–

Rear

Auto

Osborns

NSW

Volvo B8RLE E6

Bustech Group

–

Rear

Auto

HINO

N/A

NSW

RN8J

P&D Coachworks

286

Euro 5

I-BUS AUSTRALIA

Wilsons

QLD

I-Bus FRR 34

I-Bus Australia

210

–

Evans

I-Bus NQR 32

I-Bus Australia

190

–

Macplant

QLD

I-Bus NQR 32

I-Bus Australia

190

–

Geneva

TAS

I-Bus NQR 32

I-Bus Australia

190

–

Farmer

QLD

I-Bus NQR 32

I-Bus Australia

190

–

Kinetic/Surfside

QLD

LE.19.320.RC2.E5

Volgren

320

Euro 5

Kinetic Group

QLD

CO.19.360.RR2

Irizar

360

Euro 5

Kinetic Group

NSW

IC.19.320.RR8

Irizar

320

Euro 5

Fallons Bus Service

VIC

IC.19.320.RR8

Coach Design

320

Euro 5

N/A

VIC

O500RS

Irizar

428

Euro 5

N/A

VIC

OC500RF/3 E6 2543

BCI

422

Euro 5

N/A

TAS

OC500RF E5 1936

Volgren

360

Euro 5

N/A

VIC

OC500RF E5 1936

Coach Design

360

Euro 5

N/A

O500R

Express Coaches

300

Euro 5

N/A

VIC

O500RS

Irizar

348

Euro 5

CDC Victoria P/L

VIC

K 320 UB4X2

Volgren

320

Euro 6

CDC Victoria P/L

VIC

K 320 UB4X2

Volgren

320

Euro 6

Christians Bus Co

VIC

K 310 IB4X2

Coach Design

310

Euro 5

Dept. for Infrastructure and Transport

K 320 UB4X2

Bustech

320

Euro 6

Dept. for Infrastructure and Transport

K 320 UB4X2

Bustech

320

Euro 6

Dept. for Infrastructure and Transport

K 320 UB4X2

Bustech

320

Euro 6

Horsham Bus Lines/Wimmera Roadways

VIC

K 450 EB6X2*4

Coach Concepts

450

Euro 6

Ventura Bus Lines Pty Ltd

VIC

K 320 UB4X2

Volgren

320

Euro 6

Perth Transit Authorities

Volvo B8RLE

Volgren

320

Euro 6

Perth Transit Authorities

Volvo B8RLEA

Volgren

320

Euro 6

W. Thiel

Volvo B8R

TOST

330

Euro 5

Moonee Valley Buslines

VIC

Volvo B8RLE

Volgren

330

Euro 5

Hutchinson Buslines

VIC

Volvo B8R

Irizar

350

Euro 6

Grant Coach Lines

Volvo B8R

Irizar

330

Euro 5

DJ & KM Tiziani

VIC

Volvo B8R

Irizar

330

Euro 5

NSW

Volvo B8RLE

Bustech Group

320

Euro 6

MAN

MERCEDES-BENZ

SCANIA

VOLVO

Buslines

TOTAL DELIVERIES 76 72

ABC December 2021 busnews.com.au

ABC_412_072-73_Bus Deliveries Table FC.indd 72

7/12/21 12:20 pm

Opticru

NUMBER OF SEATS

APPLICATION SEATING

SEAT BELTS

WHEEL CHAIR LIFT ACCESS

issions andard

A: Automatic M: Manual AS: Auto-Shift O: Opticruise

AXLES

TRANSMISSION

BODY LENGTH

uro 5

12.3

MCC

–

Sege

uro 5

8.8

MCC

–

Sege

uro 5

8.8

MCC

–

Sege

TRANS MAKE

(metres)

AIR-CON (Brand)

Fixed Coach

Recliners

Metro

Long Distance

Charter

City or Route

School

uro 5

Allison

12.5

Spheros

–

Sege

Yes

–

uro 5

Allison

8.5

Spheros

–

Fainsa

Yes

–

uro 5

Allison

13.2

Spheros

–

Sege

Yes

–

Auto

10-12.9

Thermo King

–

Styleride

–

Auto

10-12.10

Coachair

–

McConnell

–

Auto

10-12.11

Thermo King

–

Styleride

–

Auto

10-12.12

Coachair

–

Styleride

–

uro 5

Thermo King

–

McConnell

Yes

–

Isuzu

9.1

Thermo King

–

APM

Yes

–

Isuzu

King Long

–

APM

Yes

–

Isuzu

King Long

–

APM

Yes

–

Isuzu

King Long

–

APM

Yes

–

Isuzu

King Long

–

Styleride

–

uro 5

10-12.9

Thermo King

–

Styleride

Ramp

uro 5

10-12.9

Hispacold

–

Sege

Yes

uro 5

10-12.9

Hispacold

–

Sege

Yes

uro 5

10-12.9

Thermo King

–

McConnell

uro 5

ZF Ecolife

12.5

Hispacold

–

Sege

Yes

uro 5

GO 250-8

13.2

Thermo King

–

Sege

Yes

uro 5

ZF Ecolife

12.3

Thermo King

–

McConnell

Yes

uro 5

ZF Ecolife

12.5

Thermo King

–

McConnell

Yes

uro 5

ZF Ecolife

12.5

Thermo King

–

Styleride

Yes

uro 5

ZF Ecolife

12.5

Hispacold

–

Sege

Yes

uro 6

Thermo King

–

McConnell

–

uro 6

12.5

Thermo King

–

McConnell

–

uro 5

12.3

Thermo King

–

McConnell

Yes

–

uro 6

12.5

Hispacold

–

Bustech

–

uro 6

11.7

Hispacold

–

Bustech

–

uro 6

12.5

Hispacold

–

Bustech

–

uro 6

Opticruise

Scania

13.5

Coachair

–

McConnell

Yes

–

uro 6

12.5

Thermo King

–

McConnell

–

uro 6

10-12.9

Thermo King

–

McConnell

uro 6

10-12.9

Thermo King

–

McConnell

uro 5

10-12.9

Thermo King

–

McConnell

Yes

uro 5

10-12.9

Thermo King

–

NB Trimming

–

Styleride

Yes

–

Sege

Yes

–

McConnell

Yes

–

Styleride

Yes

uro 6

uro 5

uro 6

A A A A

ZF ZF ZF ZF

2 2 2 2

10-12.9 10-12.9 10-12.9 10-12.9

Hispacold Hispacold Hispacold Thermo King

– 57 57 50

48 – – –

– – – –

X – – –

*Bustech Group comprises Bustech, Elphinstone and Precision Buses. Volgren’s count includes any units from its partnership with Supportrans. **BLK October 2021 data is included in this table but does not contribute to the November 2021 total deliveries figure.

busnews.com.au December 2021 ABC

ABC_412_072-73_Bus Deliveries Table FC.indd 73

7/12/21 12:20 pm

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