ADDING VENERABLE BUSES as a unique old-school shuttle service to the annual Brisbane Open House event has proven a huge success, according to the vehicles’ provider, recently.
On the weekend of October 12 – 13, the Queensland Omnibus & Coach Society (QOCS) partnered with the Brisbane Open House organisers to provide visitors with complimentary bus shuttles to help them get around the Brisbane CBD more easily – the first time these services were provided in the event’s history.
This was a rare opportunity for the public to ride on the fleet of preserved Brisbane City Council buses, offering a unique experience and enchanting atmosphere for many using such buses for the first time in their lives.
A total of 144 services were operated across the weekend carrying a total of 1300 passengers. These services all departed from Adelaide Street (Stop 21) between the hours of 9:00am and 5:00pm, organisers confirm.
“The events always been held in October, but this is the first time the event has run buses,” said Nick Wilson, president of the Queensland Omnibus & Coach Society (QOCS).
“We approached them and they were immediately thrilled to have a transport option as they are a kindred, non-profit organisation with limited funds. They have been unable to afford to pay for shuttle buses, so that’s why we ran for free.
“It was a brilliant weekend and everybody loved having the buses return to their former stomping ground,” Wilson explained.
The event garnered some solid interest and event made the Channel 7 Brisbane news that the Friday night.
FINAL DESTINATIONS
As per QOCS confirmation, the services comprised:
* City Centre Loop: Replicating Transport for Brisbane’s clockwise free city loop, connecting Adelaide Sreet, Eagle Street Pier, the Botanical Gardens and George Street. It ran every 15 minutes;
* South Bank Loop: Starting at City Hall and connecting Roma Street Fire Station and GOMA. It ran every 20 minutes;
* Spring Hill/Valley Loop: Connecting St Pauls Terrace, the RNA Showgrounds and Gregory Terrace. It ran every 30 minutes.
The services were operated by a fleet of former Brisbane City Council buses on set routes as follows:
* Bus 498 (1968 Leyland Panther): City Centre Loop
* Bus 722 (1969 Leyland Panther): South Bank Loop
* Bus 827 (1978 Volvo B59): Spring Hill Loop
QOCS says it looks forward to operating these services for Brisbane Open House in October, 2020.
ABOUT QOCS
The Queensland Omnibus and Coach Society Inc. is a not-for-profit charitable organisation, whose members actively restore and preserve historic buses, research public transport history, and conduct and participate in community events across the state of Queensland, Australia, it states.
It formed in 1996 and has grown since that time to possess a fleet of 17 heritage buses and incorporate a membership base of more than 130 Australia wide, it confirms.
Photography: courtesy QOCS