Southlink bus numbers

Adelaide / South Australia Transport Discussion
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Madbus
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Southlink bus numbers

Post by Madbus »

Hello everybody, I am interested in what the southlink bus numbers mean. Just by learning I already know that a few things about about them bust I would like to know more. Here's what I already know (I think):

4-digit numbers starting with 2 or 3 > Southlink
4-digit numbers starting with 1 > Torrens Transit
Any 3 digit numbers > Light City

---Southlink numbers---
MAN HOCL NL > 27?? ?? = I don't know what the last 1/2/3 numbers mean.
MAN NL202 > 22??
Scania K230UB > 25??
Scania K230UA > 28??
Iveco > 24??
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Re: Southlink bus numbers

Post by Fleet Lists »

For Torrens Transit see http://fleetlists.busaustralia.com/adm.php?search=TOR11
Can be thee digits or four digits starting with a 1.

For Southlink see http://fleetlists.busaustralia.com/adm.php?search=SOU
Any four digits starting with 2 or 3 - those starting woth 3 are ex Transit Plus which was taken over by Southtrans.

For Light City see http://fleetlists.busaustralia.com/adm.php?search=LCB
Same as Torrens Transit Can be thee digits or four digits starting with a 1.

Subsequent digits do not have any particular meaning - they are normally sequentially allocated and continue on from bus type to bus type.

Historically Serco had three digit number with Torrens Transit having four digits starting with a 1 but that has fallen by the wayside since Serco has gone and subsequently Light City came into the picture.
Living in the Shire.
TA3001
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Re: Southlink bus numbers

Post by TA3001 »

I might mention that Southlink still use the original TransitPlus/Hills Transit numbers internally (as in via radio, face to face convo etc). When on a hills bus, you'll usually hear something like 203 to Aldgate, not 3203. Even the 2012-2016 stuff is referred to without the 3. 3401 is just 401 out that way. So in a way, it's like another number range...

I'm not sure how it works on Sundays/weekends (when the radio calls are done through Lonsdale) though.

Regarding the Southlink Lonsdale and (now Edinburgh North) contract areas, around 2001 it was 2201-2215 (Diesel NL202s) , 2301-2320 (Volvo B58Hs) 2401 - 2415 (Volvo B10M, with 2416 to 2442 (approximately, can't remember exactly) being Volvo B58s. The current 2401-2418 are Scania K280UBs, with a few later ones being K320UBs).

2501 and onward was originally occupied by a small number of Dennis Dart vehicles, but this changed after their withdrawal. 2510-2511 were Volgren L94UBs (same as 3201-3222). 2520-2521 are Mercedes-Benz O405 rigids. 2530-2558 are Scania L94UBs with CB60s bodies, and the rest are basically K series rigids numbered within any part of the range that was still available, until the numbering of the current 2401.

2601 and onward is used for Rosas/mini buses

2701-2750 (+2751, ex 2724) are MAN 18.280s. They are a little bit under powered in my opinion.

2801 is the 'Zone Cruiser' (Volgren L94UA), with 2802-2823 being Custom Coaches bodied L94UAs.

2831 -2850 are K320UAS. 2831-2836 are CB60 bodied, with the rest being CB80s. 2851 - 2857 are K360UAs, but they remind me of Dennis Darts a little bit with their insanely high revs at just 60kph.

It's basically an example of what occurs when you allocate a vacant range to one company, whilst forbidding another company (or two) to utilise it at all. Hence number ranges that are not ethically supposed to be used by TT whilst LCB vehicles are using it, and the reverse. It's a mess in my opinion. 1007 should be renumbered to 964.
Skexis
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Re: Southlink bus numbers

Post by Skexis »

IMHO the fleet numbers mean nothing as in theory an operator could be kicked off a contract at any time and their fleet taken over either by one of the other operators or a new company entirely. They're just AdMet numbers and are grouped together for ease rather than necessity. As an example if Southlink were kicked into touch and their buses and contract area given to Light City you wouldn't expect any renumbering to take place.
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