Who Were The Bus & Coach Companies That built Their Own?

[Denv12]

Over the years there have been some bus and coach companies that would build their own vehicles.Mee's Bus Lines in Melbourne was one of them.Can anyone name other companies that also built vehicles for themselves at least then might have built for others too. I've added 2 photos of Mee bodied buses.

[Fleet Lists]

Parramatta Ryde in Sydney. There are a number of photos of such buses in the photo gallery.

[paulgersche]

Lewis in Adelaide

Paul.

[system improver]

Both Cheetham & Borwick and Symons & Fowler ran services (both route and charter) in Melbourne in the 40s and 50s and built the buses that were used.

Of course Ansair ( part of the Ansett group of companies) built most the buses that were used on Ansett road passenger services e.g. Pioneer, Mildura Bus Lines, Ansett Roadways, etc.

[burrumbus]

Dions Bus Service in Wollongong and Saints Bus Service in PEakhurst ,through their Coachmaster company.

[boronia]

Don't forget that Bustech is an off-shoot of Surfside Bus Lines, so could come under this category?

[burrumbus]

The Grenda group of companies,through their Volgren business.

[Reo]

Mercury Roadlines, Kempsey

[Trevor 062]

SBCW, owned by the Bosnjak family

[boronia]

Back in the days before "engineering standards", there were probably a few operators who built for their own use.

Stone Bros od Auburn?
Hills of Wollongong?

[boronia]

Alnor, part of Seven Hills Bus Co?

[Denv12]

Thank you for the replies so far.Some big names there.

[GM]

Parramatta Bus Co built for themselves as well as Try's Merrylands Bus Co, Watson and Hulme.
Try's Bus Service - mo 425 Ford PBCo 33 - Military Rd Guilford 00.00.1948
Try L I - mo 35.03 AEC PBCo 42 - Depot 00.00.1948
Watson and Hulme - mo 593 Ford PBCo 33 - KM
Parramatta Bus Co - mo 770 Chevrolet PBCo 31 - Argyle St Parramatta 1948
Parramatta Bus Co - mo 671 White PBCo
Parramatta Bus Co - mo 157 AEC PBCo 53 - Nth Parramatta Depot 1948

[burrumbus]

Alnor, part of Seven Hills Bus Co?

Alnor was actually part of the Delfs family Toongabbie Transport Services business.Delfs previously purchased Seven Hills Bus Co from Webb Brothers.Hope this helps,Boronia.

[Denv12]

Thank you to GM for posting the b&w photos.There's some interesting buses.Thank you for contributing.I had no idea there were so many who built their own.

[Denv12]

Alnor, part of Seven Hills Bus Co?

Alnor was actually part of the Delfs family Toongabbie Transport Services business.Delfs previously purchased Seven Hills Bus Co from Webb Brothers.Hope this helps,Boronia.

Thanks boronia.Great information.

[boronia]

Alnor, part of Seven Hills Bus Co?

Alnor was actually part of the Delfs family Toongabbie Transport Services business.Delfs previously purchased Seven Hills Bus Co from Webb Brothers.Hope this helps,Boronia.

Thanks, I got the two confused.

[burrumbus]

Stewart and Sons in Bundaberg who bodied buses for the own fleet as well as range of mainly QLD operators.
See www.stewarts-coaches.com.au and there is a beautifully researched article by Nick Wilson about this companies long history.

[boronia]

The DGT in Sydney built a couple of their own, MMTB in Melbourne, BCC in Brisbane(??), including trams.

Black & White, Sandgate

[VIKing]

Bathurst Coaches TV1398 MAN coach, which was named "Bathurst Made". I remember the lady in the office apologised to me about about the naming of the coach, she felt the signwriter had made a mistake and it was meant to be "Bathurst Maid"

[burrumbus]

Interesting story Peter,that I hadn't heard before.The late and great Warren Bremner was a bodybuilder by trade who used his skills to create some fascinating buses for his Bathurst operation.Warren did a great job in his business,which was essentially short town school services with a good charter business.

[burrumbus]

There was also a school bus operator ,Flakemore in southern Tasmania who built a couple of school buses for his operation.

[GM]

Miers Motor Service, Murwillumbah - MO 685 Atkinson Miers Body

[VIKing]

Sonters of Laurieton built a couple of bodies, those that I saw were a full size bus plus a steel framed body on a Morris LD5. They were proud of how they managed to roll the steel to create the roof curve on the LD5.

Laurie Pappalardo (Taree - Forster) built bodies for his vehicles

Brighton Bus Lines (almost) built a body, it was finished off to become Bass Hill m/o 4184 Ford

[Red and Cream]

Leslie of Junee Ex MO 4059 a Leyland TD5 at Junee.

1040.jpg (90.58 KiB) Viewed 6669 times

Leslies of Junee produced this beauty. Ex MO 4059 which has the chassis of ex DGT m/o 1599 a Leyland TD5 double decker which had a Waddington body originally.