When you step onto a bus or coach, you might not think twice about the seat beneath you. But behind every well-cushioned ride is a carefully engineered partnership that makes it possible.
In the case of Sege Seats, its partnership with Irizar Asia Pacific is one that’s quietly reshaping how comfort, safety and innovation come together on wheels.
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What started as a single collaboration in 2018 has evolved into one of the most trusted and collaborative relationships in the local bus and coach sector.
Today, Irizar and Sege are not only delivering seating solutions across school, charter, and luxury transport, they’re showing the rest of the industry what’s possible when two companies share a vision.
“The partnership between Irizar and Sege Seats began in late 2018, marked by our first collaboration on seat supply for Greyhound buses,” Irizar sales and marketing manager Laoana Mendes told ABC.
“This initial engagement laid the foundation for a strong relationship, which quickly extended to other operators purchasing Irizar school buses with Sege seats as the standard fitment.”
According to Irizar, the choice to work with Sege was no accident. The seating company ticked all the right boxes from the beginning.
“Our decision to partner with Sege Seats was driven by their flexibility, commitment to quality, and responsiveness to customer needs,” Mendes says.
“Sege demonstrated a strong ability to customise seat designs and colours to suit individual operator requirements – an essential factor that aligns closely with Irizar’s philosophy of delivering tailored solutions for our clients.”
Sege’s focus on tailoring seats to customer needs comes down to one core belief: no two operators, or their passengers, are the same. By customising seat designs, materials, and features, Sege helps operators deliver a more personal, practical, and premium experience.
“We want our seats to feel like a natural extension of the operator’s brand and service,” Sege Seats managing director Lance Taskin told ABC.
“That might mean a specific colour scheme for a school fleet, luxury finishes for a long-distance coach, or just smart, functional layouts that make life easier for drivers and passengers alike.”
From upholstery colours and fabrics that reflect fleet branding to tailored seat widths and layouts, Sege adapts to meet diverse needs.
Optional features like USB ports, tray tables, magazine nets, and footrests can be added for enhanced comfort and convenience. Operators can also specify foam density, ergonomic shaping, and other modern amenities.
“It’s all about giving operators the ability to design for their customers,” Taskin says.
“We make sure the seating fits the service, not the other way around.”
From daily school routes to luxury interstate trips, Sege delivers versatility and modern features that support Irizar’s wide product offering.
The two companies collaborate to align seat designs with Irizar’s vehicle specifications, branding, and passenger experience goals. For operators seeking a streamlined option, Sege and Irizar developed the “Irizar Stock Seat”, a pre-approved, ready-to-go seating solution that reflects Irizar’s high standards while allowing faster turnaround and consistent delivery across its fleet.
Safety is a shared priority for both companies and is central to their ongoing collaboration.
“Sege plays an important role in supporting Irizar’s objectives for comfort and safety,” Mendes says.
“Their seats are ergonomically designed and fully compliant with both Australian Design Rules (ADR 68) and European ECE safety standards. This ensures our passengers benefit from a safe, comfortable ride – consistent with Irizar’s reputation for quality and reliability.”
The two companies are currently working together to update and enhance seating solutions to meet the evolving requirements of ADR 68. Irizar also regularly shares customer feedback with Sege to inform product improvements, ensuring that vehicles continue to meet and exceed passenger expectations.
“Every seat we produce is engineered with safety at its core. It’s not just about meeting regulations, it’s about giving passengers and operators real confidence that they’re protected,” Taskin says.
“Working with Irizar means we can align our designs with their safety goals from the start. It’s a partnership where safety is expected at every turn.”
Beyond product innovation, the strength of the pair’s relationship reflects the long-term value of supplier collaboration in an industry driven by service quality and customer satisfaction.
“We see our relationship with Sege continuing to grow stronger in the years ahead,” Mendes says.
“As Irizar expands in Australia and across the Asia-Pacific region, we look forward to deepening our collaboration, co-developing solutions, and driving innovation that supports the evolving needs of our customers and the industry.”
For Sege, being part of that journey is a point of pride.
“Our job is to support OEM’s like Irizar in delivering vehicles that make a difference for operators, drivers, and passengers,” Taskin says.
“That means more than just meeting a spec and instead understanding what they’re trying to achieve and working together to deliver something great.”
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