Private Bus Observations 2020

[Centralian]

I notice Australia Wide Coaches have put their Bustech CDi decker up for sale with Rodd Hood's Bus Sales.
Only acquired new in 2016. Likewise Bonlucks demonstrator decker is advertised for sale there as well.

[Swift]

They should be snapped in milliseconds.

[marcnut1996]

I saw a Transdev Melbourne bus in PTV orange livery. with desto 903 Box Hill, heading east along the M4 near Wet n Wild/Raging Waters. Did not get the fleet number or rego. What is it doing in Sydney?

[Campbelltown busboy]

I saw a Transdev Melbourne bus in PTV orange livery. with desto 903 Box Hill, heading east along the M4 near Wet n Wild/Raging Waters. Did not get the fleet number or rego. What is it doing in Sydney?

Maybe it's going to it's new home witch sounds like a western Sydney charter operator if it was on the M4 at Eastern Creek

[jixuqianjin]

This week I was excited to operate the Volgren Optimus on one of its first runs in revenue operation (SMBSC14). This body is available in rigid (10.8/11.9/12.5/14.5m), articulated (18m) and double-deck (12m) versions and has been sold around Australia and exported to Nara, Niigata and Tokyo, Japan.

https://youtu.be/cVRP4d1KMLs

[SimCube]

Interline Leppington's m/o 7041 (Volvo B8RLE Bustech VST) was seen at Charles McIntosh Parkway before The Northern Road (terminus/starting point of Busabout's 896) not in service around 12:50pm on the 1st of March. It shortly after drove back up to Oran Park Town Centre and commenced an 840 to Campbelltown Hospital. Seemed like a weird place to lay up with an Interline bus, seeing they normally wait between runs at Oran Park Town Centre (the closest terminus point to Charles McIntosh, being the terminus for the 840, 858 and a stop for the 850).

[Fleet Lists]

Does Transdev run any services in Armidale??? See https://transportnsw.info/routes/detail ... /av1/36AV1
There are two current timetables - the first one https://transportnsw.info/documents/tim ... 191002.pdf started on 2 October 2019 and without a finishing date in the URL it is still considered current.
The second one https://transportnsw.info/documents/tim ... 200219.pdf started on 19 February 2020 and has footnotes
r1098 from 19.2.20 to 28.2.20, School Days only
r1095only 22.2.20, 29.2 (my comment - these are Saturdays)
with every trip having either of the footnotes it seems to have finished yesterday 29 February - Also none of the trips in this timetable show any operating times -very strange.

[LB608]

yes they operate the driverless bus trial, that started in October, there was or is photo of it on facebook

[ScaniaGrenda]

Does anyone know if the Accreditation on Grace Coaches of Coolah has always been displayed as Branxton and not Coolah? I've seen one of their coaches today and the accreditation has Branxton written under it's number. Not sure if it's always been like this or if it was a recent change.

Edit: I've got an older photo from 2018 when 7002 MO was sold to Grace Coaches from Sexton Coaches and it had Kitchner written on it.

[Glen]

Does anyone know if the Accreditation on Grace Coaches of Coolah has always been displayed as Branxton and not Coolah? I've seen one of their coaches today and the accreditation has Branxton written under it's number. Not sure if it's always been like this or if it was a recent change.

Edit: I've got an older photo from 2018 when 7002 MO was sold to Grace Coaches from Sexton Coaches and it had Kitchner written on it.

They are based in Branxton.

https://www.gracecoaches.com.au/

[marcnut1996]

http://www.coastalliner.com.au/about-us.html

Seems like the Coastal Liner brand exists but as a division of Hunter Valley Buses. The CDC NSW Facebook also had a post in January that "Coastal Liner is offering coach transfers from the Central Coast to ANZ Stadium" in support of the Fire Fight Australia Concert, meaning CDC NSW acknowledges that the Coastal Liner brand exists.
The Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/CDCNSW/posts/796422867505926

[Fleet Lists]

I was on a weeks tour of the Snowy Mountains area a couple of weeks ago operated by Coastal Liner. The driver told me that staff had been told that until further notice the Coastal Liner brand would remain.
He also told me that vehicles were now much better maintained than before the takeover.

[ScaniaGrenda]

AFAIK the fleet get's maintained at CDC's Thornton Hunter Valley Depot, not sure who or where they went to before being purchased by CDC but the Thornton blokes usually do a nice job of maintaining vehicles

Identity unknown but I saw an Ex Transdev MAN 15.220 CB30 heading towards Newcastle Direction this morning at Maitland around 8:20 AM, bus appears to have had some curtains fitted to it, only caught a quick glimpse of it and it was wearing the half done orange and light green livery.

[LB608]

Temora Buses, have they changed ownership in recent years, as the accredition seem a recent issue

[Ben O]

Temora Buses, have they changed ownership in recent years, as the accredition seem a recent issue

It's P.J. (Peter) & K.M. Harper re-accredited as a company. One would assume his 1997 Metrotec has been replaced under the seat belt scheme.

[LB608]

the metrotec is on gumtree today

[Linto63]

Seems like the Coastal Liner brand exists but as a division of Hunter Valley Buses. The CDC NSW Facebook also had a post in January that "Coastal Liner is offering coach transfers from the Central Coast to ANZ Stadium" in support of the Fire Fight Australia Concert, meaning CDC NSW acknowledges that the Coastal Liner brand exists.

There seems to be a myth on this board that all CDC operations in NSW will be rebranded under a common brand, presumably based on what happened in Melbourne. Yet historically ComfortDelGro has usually retained the branding of the operations it has acquired. All that has happened with Coastal Liner is that the old operating licence was cancelled and the vehicles transferred to the Hunter Valley licence, in much the same way that both QCity and Transborder operate under the former's licence in Queanbeyan. The route and school buses also continue to be signwritten for Coastal Liner and operate out of the same depot, the only visible change is that the legal signwriting that has changed.

[Ben O]

the metrotec is on gumtree today

Link please.

[LB608]

Ad id 1242833301

[Fleet Lists]

https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/temora/ ... 01?ref=ais

[m/o 6234]

AFAIK the fleet get's maintained at CDC's Thornton Hunter Valley Depot, not sure who or where they went to before being purchased by CDC but the Thornton blokes usually do a nice job of maintaining vehicles

Identity unknown but I saw an Ex Transdev MAN 15.220 CB30 heading towards Newcastle Direction this morning at Maitland around 8:20 AM, bus appears to have had some curtains fitted to it, only caught a quick glimpse of it and it was wearing the half done orange and light green livery.

You need to learn your facts before commenting.
Fleet has always been maintained at Halloran depo, there are reasons they go to thorton that doesn’t concern you or the general public.

Almost 2 years now they have gone under the hunter valley banner Halloran on accreditation.

The fleets on a transition of being upgraded simple as that.

[BAMBAM]

As of last Friday 28/02/20, Transdev has operated its last Gore Hill Shuttle Bus service. The bus 711 will now have its decals removed and be on sale.

[ScaniaGrenda]

You need to learn your facts before commenting.
Fleet has always been maintained at Halloran depo, there are reasons they go to thorton that doesn’t concern you or the general public.

Almost 2 years now they have gone under the hunter valley banner Halloran on accreditation.

The fleets on a transition of being upgraded simple as that.

I said AFAIK which meant as far as I know, it doesn't mean I was 100% correct, also there are nicer ways you could've put this to me without coming off with a snappy attitude.

Also I've seen plenty of CL vehicles at the Thornton depot since the take over, who was I suppose to know that it wasn't the case that they weren't being maintained there? Yeah sure seems like a long way to go for maintenance and all from Halloran to Thornton but the reason for them being there could've been anything, since there wasn't really any other reason I could think of for them being at Thornton temporary I associated it with vehicle maintenance. If in the take over I'd only seen CL vehicles there once or twice I probably wouldn't have said anything but I've seen them there too much not to make a comment on it. I'm sorry that I'm not 100% perfect and don't have insider knowledge like everyone else has.

Also I am aware thank you very much that they've been going under the HVB accreditation for the last two years now.

[Ben O]

Thank you. Here's a shot I took 10/2/17 at Temora West Public School where the run starts. On the previous trip (February 2009), the bus was out of action with previous owner Mueller dry hiring another operator's 1975 Bedford YRT3 to perform the contract. That was a lucky catch!

[m/o 6234]

You need to learn your facts before commenting.
Fleet has always been maintained at Halloran depo, there are reasons they go to thorton that doesn’t concern you or the general public.

Almost 2 years now they have gone under the hunter valley banner Halloran on accreditation.

The fleets on a transition of being upgraded simple as that.

I said AFAIK which meant as far as I know, it doesn't mean I was 100% correct, also there are nicer ways you could've put this to me without coming off with a snappy attitude.

Also I've seen plenty of CL vehicles at the Thornton depot since the take over, who was I suppose to know that it wasn't the case that they weren't being maintained there? Yeah sure seems like a long way to go for maintenance and all from Halloran to Thornton but the reason for them being there could've been anything, since there wasn't really any other reason I could think of for them being at Thornton temporary I associated it with vehicle maintenance. If in the take over I'd only seen CL vehicles there once or twice I probably wouldn't have said anything but I've seen them there too much not to make a comment on it. I'm sorry that I'm not 100% perfect and don't have insider knowledge like everyone else has.

Also I am aware thank you very much that they've been going under the HVB accreditation for the last two years now.

Sorry if I came of as snappy wasn’t my intentions I’ve just noticed a few things of late you have posted which aren’t entirely correct.
As for thorton as stated there are reason they go there which I can’t say.