The A to Z of the local bus industry will be on display at this year’s Australian Bus + Coach Show this October
By David Goeldner | September 14, 2011
The A to Z of the Australian bus and coach industry have come on board for this year’s show at Rosehill Gardens, ranging from smaller ancillary suppliers to leading heavyweights delivering new chassis and bodies.
More than 100 exhibitors will pack out the upper and lower Grand Pavilion, Betting Ring and Grand Avenue car park at Rosehill Gardens for Australian Bus + Coach Show 2011 from October 5-6.
High on the list is Asia Motors, reporting strong sales leading up to the Bus + Coach Show and a fast-filling order book for the next six months, particularly for the popular Daewoo BH117L used extensively in the mining industry.
Check the betting ring to see Asia Motors’ latest Chiron-built vehicles from Malaysia at this year’s show.
A Rosehill eye-catcher will undoubtedly be Bustech’s innovative double-decker bus, creating discussion about whether there could be a return of the high deck buses to Sydney’s streets.
Already a hit in Melbourne earlier this year, the Gold Coast-built Bustech CDi double-decker was conceived and constructed within 18 months, carries 96 people, and is now in route service between Coolangatta and Surfers Paradise.
The drivers are given a high priority with Custom’s CB80 urban bus based on front end structural protection for driver within a three horizontal tubeless steel cage, as well as enhanced visibility and driver climate control.
Custom claim the CB80 driver’s area is the most advanced of its type in a city bus in terms of safety, ergonomics and comfort.
Bodies built in China feature prominently at this year’s show, with Higer proving to be an emerging ‘tiger’ of the industry, and King Long gaining popularity with school, charter and low floor options in Australia.
Higer has continued to expand its product range over the past few years, now with six models offered to local operators, including the handy 28-seat Munro to complement its school and charter range of buses.
One of the largest builders in China, King Long is distributed locally through Heavy Vehicles Australia in three product groups, a midi-coach in both 35 and 45 seat configurations, a 57 seat school or charter bus, and a low floor as a single 12 metre chassis or 18 metre articulated ‘bendy’, proving a workhorse in route service operations, particularly as a domestic airport shuttle.
A taste of the exotic is offered in low floors from MAN, unveiling the recent arrival of the C130 low floor city bus from Egypt.
Already the talk of urban route operators across Australia, the C130 provides a low cost option, and the team from MAN Automotive Imports will be on hand to go through the specs and offer a price that should appeal.
Australia’s biggest chassis and body supplier Volvo takes centre stage with a preview of its B11R. Volvo will be holding twice daily workshops which also feature a new telematics system, ITS4Mobility.
Volvo’s recent ‘powerhouse’, the B13R will be on show, already proving to be a worthy long distance tourer packed with 460hp of highway muscle.
Rounding out the bus and coach alphabet is new product from Chinese makers Yutong and Zhong Tong, again reflecting changing times through broader choice in the Australian market.
While there are vast vehicle choices to select from to suit a bus or coach operation, the maintenance and ancillary side of the industry is also on show, from cleaning to cooling, spare parts to transmissions.
Sweepex Australia will be on hand with the latest from the world’s largest cleaning equipment manufacturer Karcher, promoting the TB Bus and Truck Wash Machines.
Bus suppliers are keen to demonstrate that backing up with available spare parts is a critical side of any business deal.
Since BCI opened its Sydney distribution centre earlier this year, its ‘one stop shop’ approach has become a critical feature of BCI’s success in eastern states, with a centre now handily located in Australia’s ‘bus central’ at Milperra.
Fry’s Spare Parts also have a solid Sydney base, specialising in the Euro-made automotive trade, extending to buses, trucks, mining and agriculture.
In the people moving business, seating stands out on its own, and this year sees Australia’s leading seat maker McConnell with its product range backed by the latest technology, but steeped in almost 60 years of family business experience.
After making a vehicle selection and calculating the cost, the final decision often comes down to finance.
Bus and Coach Finance Australia will be on hand to discuss the financial needs of bus operators, many with gleaming eyes after checking out the southern hemisphere’s biggest range of new buses all in one place at Rosehill Gardens for this year’s Australian Bus + Coach Show.
For the latest show information check www.busshow.com.au