After many years on the road running his successful bus service, Lonestar Coachlines owner/operator Les Bultitude has decided to pull the plug and sell his business to Belbaker Bus Charter.
One of Gold Coast’s most recognisable bus services, 26 Lonestar Coachlines coaches, all sporting the well-known lime green mirrors, will join the Belbaker family after sealing the deal this past month.
Over the course of Lonestar’s history, the company has operated key contracts for Department of Transport & Main Roads, NSW Trains as well as prestigious Gold Coast schools like The Southport School, St Hilda’s School and Emmanuel College.
Aside from being a significant Translink operator on the Gold Coast, second only to Kinetic, the company also operates significant charter, touring and inbound services.
The completion of the sale brings to an end more than 31 years of service to the bus & coach industry by Bultitude, who has made an incredible impact on the Queensland industry over his time.
For the last few years Bultitude was nominated and successfully voted to represent the Queensland Tourist Coach segment of the industry with QBIC, a position which he has been again invited to retain.
“After dedicating so much of my life to the industry I will continue to give my little bit back to the industry and will fight on for the good of the industry via QBIC and representations to the government,” he says.
“Buses have most certainly been my passion and I have enjoyed presenting them to the best of my ability, something I would like to think has been noticed.”
Moving forward, Bultitude says he now has a different vision of what he wants from the rest of his life.
“A big part in influencing my decision to sell Lonestar was the little 7-year-old girl in my life, Emma, whose name has always been proudly displayed above the door of the Lonestar flagship of the day,” he says.
“I intend on dedicating a lot more of my time to her and returning to the farm to build that to what it should be.”