It may not be a feature you notice when a bus drives by, but the seating feature in this edition of ABC proves there is plenty going on in the Australian seating market.
As a child that would love to jump aboard public transport, be it, buses, trains or trams, seats tend to fall by the wayside. The initial excitement of seeing the bus pull up and looking in wonder as you climbed the steps up captured my attention as a young kid. A friendly greeting from the driver and the jolt as we took off from the stop made the rides such a thrill. In all of that nostalgic thrill of going on an adventure in a bus, it only comes through clearly now just how integral a comfortable and safe seat is, and was, to an enjoyable bus trip.
It’s what makes this seating feature so important. For this year’s look into the unique Australian bus and coach seating market, we’re lucky to present five different companies that all specialise in their own way of making high quality bus and coach seats.
It starts with our cover, courtesy of StyleRide. It’s been a big year for the seating manufacturer after moving everyone into their new premises a year ago and eliminating the inefficiencies of two separate factories. From page 18, read about the benefits StyleRide is enjoying in its new headquarters in Brisbane’s Acacia Ridge (including a surprise movie appearance for its seats).
While StyleRide continues to go from strength to strength, McConnell remains a powerhouse in the market. A deep dive into its improving factory on page 23 highlights the manufacturing prowess the business is wielding.
Sege Seats is providing a unique point in the market on page 26. While its competitors boast manufacturing capabilities, Sege is pleasing its customers by offering a wide range of designs, colours and choices to make buying bus seats more fun than ever before.
To finish the seating feature, Camira is making the most of its moquette on new fabric designs while ISRI’s NTS2 model is set to be brought down under soon.
After finding out about the latest innovations in the seating game, there’s still plenty of heart-warming tales in the industry to share.
I was lucky to attend the QBIC Conference in April, where the industry gave a fitting farewell to outgoing executive director David Tape. Following the event, I sat down with ‘Tapey’ to talk about his interesting way of getting into the bus and coach industry and the resulting memories that he has created in the years since. Bravo ‘Tapey’ on a wonderful career serving the Queensland bus sector!
The rest of the magazine proves that there’s more wonders to be discovered outside of the seating market. On page 35, United Safety’s Child Check-Mate product features some incredible ways of helping to keep young passengers safe on buses. Bus Stop’s Pete White recently took his King Long electric buses on the ultimate test on page 43, while Capral is continuing to forge a fruitful partnership with bodybuilder Volgren on page 48.
With more state associations in TasBus and BusSA hopping onboard with wonderful introductory columns, and the latest announcement of National Parts & Product’s expansion into HVAC systems, the May edition of ABC magazine is as diverse as any I have been involved with in recent memory. I hope you enjoy this variety of stories too!
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