Ventura Systems Australia’s latest outward rapid-sliding door design allows operators to increase the seating and standing passenger capacity of their buses
Ventura Systems is a manufacturer of electric and pneumatic door systems for buses, trams and metro. Its products are designed for use in public transport systems and specialised vehicles including wheelchair access.
Managing director Jeroen de Nooijer started Ventura Systems in the Netherlands in 1994.
Its customer base soon spread to Belgium and Germany and, after the many international conferences and trade shows, business started to grow.
The company employs about 100 people globally at offices in London, New York, Japan, and Hong Kong.
It opened an office here in Australia in January last year – Ventura Systems Australia on the Gold Coast.
“In Australia, we have been supplying Custom Bus for many years,” he says. “We have also been supplying to Alexander Dennis [ADL] and Kiwibus and Designline in New Zealand.
“All new buses in Auckland are supplied with Ventura door systems. We are excited to have Wolter Meijerhof looking after the Australian and New Zealand market, including the imported vehicles with Ventura doors.
“Every customer is important to us, big or small.”
Australian expansion
“Operators are becoming more discerning when it comes to door and wheelchair ramp design,” Ventura Systems Australia account manager Wolter Meijerhof says.
“It used to be overlooked, but now I think operators are starting to think more carefully about the safety and quality of the systems they use. Besides that, the total cost of ownership/life cycle costs are becoming more and more important.
“Ventura Systems Australia can also source hard-to-get or obsolete parts for other door systems that are made by other manufacturers.
“By partnering with our specialist door part manufacturer in the UK, we can offer quality alternative options for existing products that are regularly used for door maintenance.
“Our aim is to introduce more advanced pneumatic and electric European door systems into Australia and New Zealand, like the Plug Sliding Door and Rapid Sliding Door system.
“They give more passenger space and access because the doors slide parallel to the body, which can create room for standing or seating.
“They are fast opening and closing and have exceptional good sealing.
“We have doors that are specially designed for fully electric buses, an increasing market around the world.”
The organisation supplies traditional inward swinging doors and all components that
are commonly found in buses down under.
It also supplies manual wheelchair ramps, with a new electric ramp model to be made available in Australia and New Zealand in the near future.
The current design is manufactured from a lightweight flexible composite with a hard-wearing, anti-slip finish and is intended for (super) low-floor buses.
It can be manually operated with a key lock and ring-pull handle; it has raised edges along each side for enhanced safety and is Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) compliant.