OPERATOR: Next year Glynn Ross will mark his 50th work anniversary in the bus and coach industry. We chat with the veteran operator and driver about his successful business, Coolum Coaches, and how he found his true calling behind the wheel and never looked back - adapting to a new life and new business on the Sunshine Coast, far away from his roots in Toowoomba, Queensland.
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TRUE BLUE AUSSIE – BLUE BUS TOURS
OPERATOR: Blue Bus Tours director and founder Geoff Jacob loves driving coaches and sharing his love of the Australian outback. He and his wife, Sandra, run a school bus and tour charter business in Queensland. ABC magazine caught up with the couple to talk about what it is like running a bus company in the present environment.
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DRIVIN THE DREAM – KERTON INVESTMENTS
OPERATOR: Trevor Kerton runs a small school bus operator service in East Gippsland, Victoria. Coming from a farming background, Kerton’s move into the bus industry was a decision made out of a yearning for a new pace of life. He truly found his calling here.
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PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST – BAXTERS BUS LINES
OPERATOR: We caught up with Baxter’s Bus Lines’ semi-retired MD Garry Baxter, who has been working in the bus industry for decades. He shared glimpses of his business journey with us while discussing the current issues facing the public transport sector in New South Wales.
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FROM THE ASHES – ST MARY BUS NSW
OPERATOR: Many small bus and coach companies have been reeling under the repercussions of the pandemic, but there is something good that is happening too. Ehab Ibrahim found an opportunity in this otherwise hard-hit market to realise his long-standing dream of starting a coach business in Australia.
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HERALD OF THE FUTURE – Mahu City Express, NZ
OPERATOR: Ten years ago Julian Ostling moved to New Zealand from the UK and started a car pool to Auckland’s CBD from a neighbouring town. The experience was such a success he expanded the idea with a luxury daily commuter service and, six years later, his business is continuously expanding, recently taking delivery of a new luxury JW Group electric coach.
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THE RIGHT MOVE – Tinonee Bus Company
OPERATOR: ABC magazine spoke to the men behind Tinonee Bus Company and Watsons Bus Company. Here Mathew Maidens speaks about how he and co-owner Nik Hauser are liking their new life and new business ventures in regional New South Wales.
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LIGHT IN THE DARK – GLENORIE COACHES
OPERATOR: Two hard-working blokes from different segments of the bus and coach market have come together to give a new lease of life to an MAN double-decker. With Covid hitting the industry hard, having the time to spruce up this piece of history has been a positive outcome for owner Glenorie Coaches and refurbisher Coachcare.
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WHEREVER YOU ARE – NEAR OR FAR BUS AND COACH, NSW
OPERATOR: Husband and wife duo Rod and Justine Williams are doing their best to weather the current storm that has hit the bus industry so hard. Despite their four-year-old business being severely affected by the restrictions brought on by the pandemic, they remain upbeat and are using the time to refurbish their fleet.
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SUNNY SIDE UP – CABOOLTURE BUS LINES
OPERATOR: Over three decades on, Grant and Janette Craike’s family run business, Caboolture Bus Lines, is continuing to expand its footprint in Queensland. The recent purchase of Bribie Island Coaches is yet another feather in the cap of the business that was first established with just two buses.
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