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Shining Star

DAIMLER'S AWARD-WINNING CITARO IS FINALLY HERE! INTERVIEW: Nikki Brouwers

NEWS: Volgren Double-Deck

EVENT: 61st UITP Milan, 2015

TECH: Solar Roads Concept

HIGER’S NEW BUS & COACH RANGE

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Combine this with an extensive dealer and service network and extended driveline warranty,* and it’s easy to see why more people are getting on board with Higer. *Optional 2 year driveline warranty extension available (4 years total). Conditions apply.

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001Driver’s Seat

Fabian Cotter “...the strength and growth and perseverance, really, of our industry in an ever-changing transport world.”

W

E MIGHT BE still six months from Christmas, but in bus terms it sure feels like it now mid-year with the 2015 BusVic Maintenance Conference and Exhibition in Melbourne attracting some of the latest and greatest coach and bus vehicles and tech to our shores, for us all to sink our collective and figurative teeth into.

As its new home, the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre is a stunning backdrop for the event, the highlight for our industry this calendar year. The extra space is ideal not just for the physical presence and presentation of exhibitor stands and displays, but also for representing the strength and growth and perseverance, really, of our industry in an ever-changing transport world.

And changing it is. Sometimes for worse, some will say, be it because of increased regulation and compliance or such, while others will have noted the rapid advances in technology that is helping shape the buses of the future that we’ll be driving, operating and selling. More fuel-efficient engines or enhanced batteries and hybrid or electric powertrains, right the way through to cleaner alternative fuels and the latest telematics improvements and developments.

Yet one of the biggest areas that underpins much of it is safety. When something goes wrong it is the first thing examined and called into question: what happened and why? How could it have been minimised or avoided?

What do we need to do in future to ensure it doesn’t happen again?

Yet here’s the thing: for as many experts that earn their living running through these scenarios and hypotheses before such oftentragic incidents occur - all in the endeavour of helping shape and guide directives and preventative measures - there’s potentially a whole stack of us who may well not give the issue the fullest attention and respect it

absolutely deserves.

And, unfortunately, that’s easy to do.

Complacency has a nasty habit of giving us a false sense of security in so many things in life, sneakily stepping out of the picture right at the time it’s too late and we getting bitten on the bum.

Shows like the BusVic Conference, or any of the massive global ones like 2015 Busworld Kortrijk coming up this October in Belgium, or even the just recent biennial 61st 2015 UITP World Congress and Exhibition for Public Transport (see page 30 this issue) in Milan, showcase a raft of new safety features, devices and ideas that really are worth your time and attention, if you get the chance. And it’s always a good idea to be open-minded about these things, especially if they are in their infancy. ‘Don’t knock it ‘til ya try it!’ And ‘give peace a chance’ kind of thing.

Now, this safety issue is that crucial that Mercedes-Benz pushed hard to get one of their leading vehicular custodians of safety onto our roads for public use: the Citaro, our coverstory this issue. The multi-award winning European bus is finally here and in Euro6 guise no less.

But it’s not just imported vehicles that feature the latest safety considerations and standards; the amount of development that local companies like Bustech, Custom Bus Australia and Volgren put into their bodies in terms of protecting occupants while trying to minimise impact and injury to the outside is world class. The latter particularly invoking such a mindset most recently in the development of its Aussie-designed, Optimus-derived new double-deck unit.

On show in Melbourne, it’s quite an achievement for Volgren and Volvo to get that baby into service finally, so ensure you check it out if you get the chance.

Now in this, the 20th issue (and we are bi-monthly, so that’s like 40 in dog years, or something) of your favourite magazine – yes, it’s even better than the 1970s crossword puzzle mag you have hidden away under your work desks – we have a stack of interesting stuff for you.

We check out the emerging trend of what can only be described as ‘mega artics’ coming out of Germany, plus we get the 60-minute lowdown on bus driver health and wellbeing with resident expert in the

field Nikki Brouwers. We take a look at the thought-provoking Iveco Ellisup Concept bus and investigate the intriguing issue of solar-powered roads. Yep, you read that right. Solar-powered roads. There’s stuff going on in that field that could prove mighty useful in future. And as a special treat, we’ve also prepared a quick guide for operators on bus refurbishment where we check out a few companies for where to go and what they do.

Too easy.

And finally, speaking of new tech and onroad safety from a commercial vehicles point of view, I was fascinated to read recently about the Samsung Safety Truck – which has a camera up front and a massive screen on the back, so that drivers behind it can see what’s in front of it, ideally for potential overtaking situations on open highways. I’m sure there are still things to work out on it to make it foolproof and super effective, but I think it’s a great idea and one that needs further consideration for buses. Yes, it would be expensive and loads of engineering needed and yes, blah, blah – but please just hear me out.

I mean, modern buses and coaches are just visual dead spaces at the rear nowadays, so I’m wondering if there’s any enhanced safety feature of having such screens on engine bay covers or above there (heat insulated and dissipating, of course), but not just for overtaking purposes. Maybe we could have cameras set up so that any drivers behind the bus could see, for example, school children up in front before they randomly dart out onto the street and into oncoming – or in this case, ensuing - traffic.

I don’t know. I’m just putting it out there.

You don’t ask, you don’t get. I’m not saying it’s a perfect idea, just one that needs further consideration if there is indeed a worthy safety aspect to it for pedestrians and all modes of transport.

Until the next thrilling instalment … see ya’ll at the show.

Issue 020

Contents Regulars

CONTACT DETAILS PO Box 3294 Erina, NSW 2250 www.truckandbus.net.au

01 04 18

Enquiries Tel: 0411 099 091 Follow us on Twitter #truckandbusnews Managing Editor/Editor Fabian Cotter fabian@truckandbus.net.au Art Director Luke Melbourne www.groeningdesigns.com.au

60 62 63 64

Senior Designer Adelle Chang www.groeningdesigns.com.au Advertising Sales E: advertising@truckandbus.net.au T: 0411 099 091 Contributing Writers Chris Smith, David Meredith, Sven-Erik Lindstrand, Allen Matzel Contributing Photographers Mark Bean, Cristian Brunelli, Jan Glovac, David Meredith, Chris Smith, Paul Jakubicki, Matthew Everingham Coach & Bus magazine is produced under license by the Truck Power Media Group Pty Ltd. ABN 85 122 374 547 six times per year and is distributed to bus and coach operators, business professionals and the industry throughout Australia.

Driver’s Seat

With the BusVic Show 2015 upon us, editor Cotter soaks it all in and gas-bags a bit about safety. Can’t shut him up, seriously.

Up Front

We wrap up the key local and international bus and coach news that affects us as a global industry and where we are heading.

In Depth - The Doors

TECH TREND: Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is still the modern commuter transport system of choice in many cities around the world, relegating light rail initiatives to the realm of needless expense. With articulated buses seemingly key to BRT, we check out two latest interpretations from Germany.

Hot Stuff - Gadgets on the Go

If you are past Lego and Meccano then these trick gadgets on the go are hard to resist. You may not need them, but you’ll certainly want them. Or is that vice-versa?

Working Wheels

It might not be here yet – if at all – but the new LHD Hyundai H350 van debuting recently in Europe means the RHD market is more than a bit teased. Hey, good looker? Fabian Cotter susses it out.

Company Car

With pricing for the sexy new Jaguar XE announced, the smallest, lightest and stiffest Jaguar saloon is gabbing the attention of more than a few executive buyers. Fabian Cotter reports.

Money

Long-term investment isn’t just based on how long we live, but how and where we invest our funds to finance our retirement. On average living longer, we need to be smarter. Paul Clitheroe explains.

All material contained herein including text, photography, design elements and format are copyright and cannot be reproduced by any means without the written permission of the publisher. Truck Power Media Group is a member of the Copyright Agency Limited (1800 066 844).

Editorial contributions are welcome for consideration. Contact the Editor for guidelines, fees and level of interest.

All unsolicited manuscripts must be accompanied by a stamp, addressed envelope for their return. We will not be held responsible for material supplied electronically.

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CLASS ACT

MB Mini-buses Green-lighted

Aussie Pride!

Volvo's First Euro6 Articulated Bus

Artic Fox LEARNING SPANISH VOLVO’S B8RLEA HITS WEST OZ

IRIZAR - AT HOM E IN OZ

OPERATOR: AAT Kings NEWS: UBC Take-over TECH: Air-powered Vehicles? INTERNATIONAL: Wrightbus Streetdeck OPERATOR: Buslink VIVO

CBT19_p000_COV.indd 1

CBT18_p000_COV.indd

NEWS: Scania Poo Bus?

INTERNATIONAL: Volvo

12/05/2015 10:40 am 1

Hybrid Electric INTERVIEW:

HVA-King Long’s Anthony

Fisicaro

25/02/2015 2:19 pm

coach&bus 49

“The relationship between mental health and the workplace is a complex one for bus drivers ... understanding and demystifying depression and anxiety is important.”

Features

22

State of the Smart

30

Milanese, If You Please!

37

COVERSTORY: It didn’t happen overnight, but it did happen – the multi-award-winning Mercedes-Benz Citaro is finally here and ready for business in Australia. And with its smart safety capabilities, could this be the local gamechanger Daimler seeks? Fabian Cotter reports.

EVENT: The biennial 61st UITP World Congress and Exhibition for Public Transport got under way in Milan, Italy, recently and it featured a range of the latest buses and bus bits on display. Bus fans loved it! Fabian Cotter had a quick look around.

Back to the Future

GUIDE: Bus and coach refurbishment isn’t just big news for a few key ‘aftermarket’ players, there’s a slew of OEM-type ventures worldwide that are actively involved in the enterprise. We take a quick look at some of the domestic entities specialising in bus refurbishing. Fabian Cotter reports.

44

Highway to Cell

49

60 Minutes With...

56

TECH: Harnessing solar power successfully, efficiently and practically is still the holy grail for energy aficionados, but we are getting closer each day. Solar-powered roads? Why not, say those who dare to dream. Fabian Cotter investigates this most intriguing of techie transport concepts.

INTERVIEW: The modern bus driver has a heck of a task responsibly transporting thousands of commuters each day safety and on time. But there’s a whole host of issues affecting their bodies and minds at play. The Interact Group managing director Nikki Brouwers talks about crucial driver health.

By Design

INTERNATIONAL: The Iveco Ellisup Concept bus wowed onlookers at the last Busworld 2013 show, so who knows what’s coming at the 2015 one? If the boundary-pushing Ellisup is anything to go by, it should be a doozie. Fabian Cotter takes a closer look.

UpFront

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SYDNEY AIRPORT is investigating the addition of electric buses to the

and follows recommendations of the Sustainability Report.

bus tender in a number of publications in Australia, the USA, the UK, Europe and Asia,

“This is a busy shuttle route, and optimum operational efficiency and

airport’s parking and ground transport operations, following publication of its first Sustainability Report, it was announced recently.

The airport thus invited Expressions of Interest from manufacturers in Australia and overseas to take part in an open tender for the supply of electric buses, to be used on the shuttle route between the T2/T3 precinct and the Blu Emu Car Park.

The electric bus tender was part of the airport’s commitment to sustainability

“We are always looking to improve the efficiency of our ground transport operations and to do so in a sustainable way,” Sydney Airport general manager Parking & Ground Transport, Craig Norton, explained.

“Finding sustainable transport solutions is a priority for the airport, and advances in electric vehicle technology in recent years mean we can now look seriously at the feasibility of introducing electric buses.”

Sydney Airport advertised its electric

with interested parties required to register Expressions of Interest by 12 June.

“We’re looking for a manufacturer who can deliver first-rate electric vehicles to replace the six diesel buses that currently transport passengers and staff between the Blu Emu Car Park and the domestic terminals,” Norton said.

In 2014, more than 1.6 million passengers and airport workers were transported on the Blu Emu Car Park’s buses.

passenger comfort will be two of the key criteria we’ll look for from any manufacturer,” Norton said.

Electric shuttle buses operate in Manchester and Nottingham in the UK and at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, while electric bus trials have taken place in cities as diverse as Los Angeles, Bangalore and Kuala Lumpur.

Coach & Bus magazine will keep abreast of the situation and will announce any results and or developments in due time.

004 www.truckandbus.net.au

Photo courtesy of BYD

ELECTRIC BUSES WANTED FOR SYDNEY AIRPORT - REPORT

BusVic Show 2015 – Bring It On! INDUSTRY EXCITMENT is at fever pitch for the 2015 BusVic Maintenance Conference and Bus Expo, being held this year at its new larger venue the: Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC), this July 8-9.

AS THE ONLY bus and coach expo to be held in Australia in 2015, BusVic anticipates there will be unprecedented demand from the Australian and international bus industry for access to the event, which states it will be offering unprecedented quality and value for those that attend.

Key features of the event include: * 15,000m2 of event space all under

to interact with over 150 leading industry suppliers and be brought up to date with the latest products, services and developments; * Catering and networking events held within the exhibit; * Premium keynote speakers and entertainers as part of the two-day conference programme including Mark Donaldson VC, Mark ‘Bomber’ Thompson, Kate Ceberano and James Galea; * Industry gala dinner held at Crown Palladium on July 8 and networking dinner at Munich Brauhaus on July 9; * and an event app available to enable

learning and development experience, it’s stated.

At the time of print registrations were still open, so delegates and exhibitors are encouraged to visit the BusVic website at www.busvic.asn.au to check out the Exhibition flyer including floor plan and registration form, as well as the Exhibitor Handbook. This includes useful information and terms and conditions.

A comprehensive technical maintenance conference programme is being run alongside the exhibition, offering delegates the opportunity to hear about the latest technologies and

the exhibition hall.

The MCEC is a stellar venue on the banks of the Yarra River in Southbank, on the doorstep of Melbourne city centre and a short 20-minute taxi from the airport.

Please note current BusVic and BIC supplier members and partners will have access to discount benefits for the Event. Should you wish to become a member or partner of BusVic or BIC, please access the BusVic Associate Member information here at www. busvic.asn.au/public/membership/ membership-application-forms, or BIC Member information at www.bic.asn.au/

the one roof; * Maintenance, technical and management conference sessions and workshops delivered within the exhibit; * Ample amount of time for delegates

all exhibitors to further engage with event delegates.

The Committee has developed an exciting programme that will address current issues and provide a great

innovations in buses and workshop maintenance, plus best practice and “How-To’s” in operational management.

There will also be various technical workshops being convened throughout

membership-centre/how-to-join-bic Should you have any queries, please contact event organiser Craig Spurr on +61 (0)3 9914 7011, +61 (0)3 9914 7011, or email cspurr@busvic.asn.au

VOLGREN-VOLVO DOUBLE-DECK DEBUTS IN MELBOURNE A NEW double-deck design is being trialled by Public Transport Victoria (PTV) in connection with the new Regional Rail Link, with the view more of the Volgren-

was on offer for months to Transport for NSW for use, but State regulations and other delays prevented the new double-decker from being trialled or put into service.

has routes in Melbourne’s west, Geelong and Ballarat, all of which will be served by the Regional Rail Link.

The double-decker carries the equivalent of two

Volvo bus will be produced depending on public demand, Volgren states.

Making its show-stopping debut at the recent AusTech

The bus is the first of four units that Volgren is producing this year and touted as a leading-edge example of the capabilities of the local transport

standard route buses, is about two-thirds their cost and half their running cost, Volgren states.

Expo at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre – and on display also at this year’s 2015 BusVic Maintenance Conference and Bus Expo at the same venue – the Volgren Optimus-derived body on Volvo B9TL chassis has passed all approvals required for on-road use

manufacturing industry.

Australian body builder Volgren, based in Dandenong, Victoria, employing around 250 staff there (around 500 Australia wide), designed and manufactured the body for the imported Volvo chassis.

in Victoria – though not NSW, it would seem.

Confidential industry sources reveal such a vehicle

With a total capacity for 111 passengers, it’s claimed, the 88-seat bus will be operated by CDC Victoria, which

UpFront

2000

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VOLVO HYBRIDS WORLDWIDE

SALES OF Volvo hybrid buses passed 2000 units globally in the second

the need for large investments in new infrastructure.” says Håkan Agnevall,

of regular operations using the first all-electric Volvo buses in Gothenburg.

commuters into the city,” said Agnevall.

Compared to a conventional diesel

quarter of this year. Volvo Buses has now sold these hybrid buses in about 20 countries since their introduction in 2010. Fewer exhaust emissions,

president and CEO Volvo Buses.

Among the newly added markets for Volvo’s hybrids are Denmark, Hungary and Poland. The largest single market

These buses are part of ElectriCity – a broad-based cooperative venture between the corporate sector, research institutes and public agencies on the

bus, the hybrid utilises energy otherwise wasted during braking. The stored energy is used to charge a battery, allowing the bus to run in electric mode,

low energy consumption and quieter operation are appreciated by increasing numbers of cities the world over, the company states.

is Great Britain. Colombia, Sweden, Germany, Brazil and Switzerland are other countries that have purchased large numbers of hybrid buses. Most

development of new solutions for public transport.

“With our comprehensive range of electrified buses we meet a wide variety

which saves fuel. The Volvo B5RLEH hybrid chassis uses a parallel hybrid system combining the electric and diesel engine. This assists the vehicle

“With this on-going success we are reinforcing our global lead in hybrid buses. Cities all over the world now regard electrified bus traffic as a costefficient way of reducing the problems of poor air quality and noise. Our solution makes travel more attractive and improves the environment without

of the models sold are two-axle buses, while just over 60 are articulated versions. The total sales figures include Volvo Buses’ new electric hybrid, which was launched in 2014 and has so far been introduced in Hamburg, Stockholm and Gothenburg.

June this year will see the start

of customer needs. The way we see it, urban public transport will require a mix of hybrids, plug-in hybrids and full-electric buses. Full-electric buses are highly suitable in the city centres, electric hybrids are excellent for somewhat longer routes, and hybrids are perfect for feeder traffic bringing

when the battery is low or when extra power is needed for acceleration.

Volvo recently delivered a Hybrid Bus to Brisbane City Council, which meets their vision to make Brisbane a sustainable city. Volvo has also delivered hybrid buses to both Perth and Adelaide with promising results, it’s claimed

006 www.truckandbus.net.au

MAN217R C&B

The future will be rolling on Lion’s Chassis.

Lion’s Chassis form the ideal basis for coaches, city buses and school buses that combine premium quality with innovative engineering. The electronic stability program ESP is a series feature of the coach and school bus versions.

The modular two-and three-axle chassis give body manufacturers great freedom and flexibility in designing individual solutions with five module groups available:

is standard. A stabiliser is fitted for increased stability and optimum safety, especially for high bodies. An actively steered trailing axle is available for three-axle coach Chassis.

Driver’s work-place module: The ergonomically designed driver’s workplace offers body manufacturers flexible integration options.

This, along with the EBS electronic brake system and a body friendly electronic structure are all standard features of the Lion’s Chassis.

Front axle module: Highly convenient independent wheel suspension is now standard for coach and school bus. An optional rigid axle is also available for two-axle coach and school bus chassis. The Low Entry chassis is fitted as standard with the proven rigid axle.

Driveline module: The driveline can be perfectly configured with efficient common-rail engines for low-entry, school bus or coach chassis. The engines meet exhaust emission standards Euro 6 – well ahead of the statutory deadline. Available gearboxes include manual, automated manual (MAN TipMatic®) and automatic.

Wheelbase module: A short transfer wheelbase lowers transport costs and the final wheelbase can be individually specified by the body manufacturer.

Rear axle module: A low-noise hypoid drive axle with low weight, high load capacity and long oil-change intervals

Engineering the Future

To find out more, contact your local MAN Sales Representative.

VIC, SA & TAS: John Dernaj M: 0419 329 636 QLD, NT & WA: Russell Bayfield M: 0421 613 143 NSW: Les Atkins M: 0418 293 077 www.man.com.au

www.truckandbus.net.au 051

UpFront

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Australia’s Deadly Diesel?

A PUBLIC HEALTH report has revealed that around 3000 Australians die each year as

hospitalised each year if particulate matter levels rose to just below the

Maribyrnong Truck Action Group (MTAG) also made a submission on the Working

regard to on-road emissions standards, there are no off-road diesel emission

a result of diesel particulate emissions, almost three times the annual road toll, prompting Gas Energy Australia to call for urgent government action to displace the

National Environment Protection Measures standards for air quality,” he said.

“We should be transitioning to cleaner fuel alternatives, such as Australian LPG

towards a National Clean Air Agreement Discussion Paper. It highlights a number of ways that diesel pollution could be significantly reduced, including through

standards at all,” Mr Carmody said.

“Groups like MTAG prove that everyday Australians are worried about the impact of diesel pollution on public health, and

use of carcinogenic diesel fuel.

This alarming statistic was published in a 2014 paper by the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, It’s safe

and natural gas, to significantly reduce harmful particulate emissions and carbon emissions.”

In studies of heavy-duty vehicles, a

a funded programme for alternative fuels such as Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).

MTAG’s submission also recognises that, “Australia is lagging behind the rest

numerous studies support their position.

“We welcome the agreement by Australian Environment Ministers to work towards establishing a National Clean

to say there’s no safe level of air pollution.

Gas Energy Australia referred to the findings of the paper in its submission on

United States Department of Energy review found that the use of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Liquefied Natural

of the developed world on reducing the impact of on-road diesel emissions”.

News out of the UK just recently

Air Agreement, and urge them to support increased use of gaseous fuels to help improve air quality and address the

the Working towards a National Clean Air Agreement Discussion Paper.

Gas Energy Australia’s CEO Mike Carmody said the impact of particulate pollution on human health will only worsen if government supported efforts to move away from diesel don’t start now.

“According to this public health paper, in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne alone, another 6000 people would die and a further 20,700 people would be

Gas (LNG), when compared to diesel, reduces life cycle particulate matter from 85 per cent to near 100 per cent (that is, undetectable levels), emissions of nitrogen oxides by 17 to 80 per cent and emissions of GHGs by at least 16 to 23 per cent.

An Australian community group concerned about harmful pollution from diesel-powered vehicles in Melbourne’s inner west has also argued for the need to consider alternative fuel options. The

solidifies that point.

The UK Supreme Court ruled that the government must act now to cut nitrogen dioxide pollution, which diesel vehicles emit. According to the BBC, the Government is now required to prepare new air quality plans for the European Commission by the end of the year.

Mr Carmody said it’s time Australia made clean air a national policy priority.

“Not only is Australia trailing behind with

human health threat posed by diesel.”

MAN Competition Winner Announced DONNA JOHNSON of South Australia is the winner of MAN’s recent Fraser Island competition.

Johnson and her family won five

prize includes return economy airfares, island ferry transfers, accommodation and a 4WD coach tour.

enjoyable nature-based experience on Fraser Island whilst creating minimal impact on the stunning environment.

nights at Kingfisher Bay Resort on the unique, World Heritage-listed Fraser Island, Queensland. Her

Kingfisher Bay Resort is a fully-integrated ecotourism resort, designed to give guests an

Congratulations to Mrs Johnson and MAN would like to thank everyone who entered.

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Call or email us for further information NSW, QLD, WA & NT

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UpFront

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SCANIA IN INDIA SCANIA COMMERCIAL Vehicles India inaugurated the company’s first bus

we had an idea and a vision of what we wanted to build here. So I hope you can

initiative to encourage companies to manufacture their products in India).”

need for clean fuel and sustainability, to build our Smart Cities (Indian

manufacturing plant in Asia recently, in the presence of 1500 guests including ministers, ambassadors, customers, suppliers and employees,

appreciate that it is exciting for us to see it being realised.

“We keep on growing and now that we are opening our second industrial

The inauguration was also the unofficial kick-off for Scania’s work with sustainable transport solutions in India.

The Indian Transport Minister, Nitin

Government initiative to improve the environment and transport systems in India’s 100 largest cities) and a quality of life for our citizens.

The new bus production plant is located at the Scania Narasapura facility, in the Indian state of Karnataka, 40km east of Bangalore.

facility with bus production we are further expanding Scania’s ambition to offer stateof-the-art sustainable transport solutions.

“We have entered the Indian market at

Gadkari, praised Scania’s work to develop sustainable fuels such as biogas in India in his speech, adding: “This is not only an opening of a new bus factory,

“Public transport in India has to be redefined as sustainable and clean.

Scania’s strategy for India helps reduce India’s dependence on fossil fuels. The

Investments of EUR 40 million in the first phase of the facility mean that Scania will be able to manufacture 1000

a pace never seen before in the history of Scania. Our ambition is to sell 2500 trucks and 1000 buses per year in the

it’s also the opening of a new clean technology for India.

“Our Government is recognising the

Scania model also provides a viable option to create local fuel from local waste and use it for local transport.”

buses and 3000 trucks there annually.

Since Scania first started assembling trucks at the Narasapura facility in October 2013, the workforce has grown from 30 to 650 employees.

Scania’s president and CEO Martin Lundstedt attended the inauguration, stating: “Less than five years ago I came here with a team from Scania and we bought this piece of land that we are standing on today. At that time

Indian market within the coming years and employ 1200 people at this facility.

“I am convinced that together with our customers, our partners and our colleagues we will contribute to developing not only our own position here in India, but also in making a contribution to the industrial base, the sustainable transportation system and the economy of India, in the true spirit of Make in India (an Indian government

g director India, Anders Grundströmer, managin t and CEO. and Martin Lundstedt, presiden

010 www.truckandbus.net.au

ia Hundreds attend the new Scan facility opening in India.

hino.com.au

50 Years on, still legendarY our legendary buses and coaches are custom made to your specifications and wear the Hino badge, so you know you’re getting quality engineering. so trust a brand with its roots in home soil, 50 years on and Hino is still producing legendary transport solutions.

ROLL WITH A LEGEND

UpFront

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New NZ Bus Shelters AUCKLAND BUS shelters are set for a new design following public feedback.

comfort, durability, and ease of construction.

Back during July and August 2014 Auckland Transport asked for public feedback on three new bus shelter designs that were being trialled on

Shelter A is the final choice.

Mr Lambert says it’s attractive, adaptable, innovative, safe and comfortable.

Symonds Street in the city.

Auckland Transport’s group manager AT Metro Mark Lambert says the level of interest in the trial

The new shelter will help to create a more recognisable bus network and it will make life much more pleasant for everyone who uses the buses.

shelters was very encouraging with 856 feedback responses received.

“Public feedback helped us gauge

The shelter is a modular system so it can be configured to reflect local settings by using different sizes and

how the community felt about the trial designs and gave us some ideas how to make Auckland’s new bus shelter even more appealing to bus users.”

The designs were assessed against a range of criteria, such as public feedback, value for money, customer

layouts, building the shelter out of materials that reflect local character and attaching or inscribing art work on the shelter.

The new shelter will gradually be rolled out across Auckland from the middle of the year.

BUS CONSOLE BATTERIES REPLACED CONSOLES ON Auckland’s bus fleet are being modified after an incident recently in which a driver was taken to hospital with facial injuries.

A malfunction within a console, which is used to store ticket and route

Thales Australia, which installed and maintains the machines, recommended they be replaced with upgraded batteries, which have a short-circuit fail-safe. Technicians are being flown in and the new batteries will be fitted

Incidents involving faulty batteries of this type are rare worldwide.

“We don’t believe this is a systemic issue but rather a freak accident.

Thales have never had any experience of an incident like this and they

David Warburton.

Since the machines were installed last year, Auckland’s 1150 buses have travelled an estimated 46 million kilometres (or approximately 1.9 million hours on the road).

information, caused a plastic casing to fly off, injuring the driver.

The fault was with an internal lithium

on buses by Saturday.

AT also wants Thales Australia to look at modifications to the console

advise the possibility of a similar event is extremely low, and reduced even further with the latest fail-safe

Warburton has also expressed concern for the bus driver involved whose welfare is being looked after by

battery.

casings.

battery,” said AT’s chief executive

his employers.

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UpFront

QLD AUDIO TRIAL IN AN Australian first, the Queensland State Government is trialling a new

busy public transport environment.

“The Step-Hear ® system provides

then activate the audio message using either of these devices.

possible.

“This is all part of our commitment to

generation audible information system on the bus network to improve accessibility for vision impaired persons in Brisbane.

blind and vision impaired persons with audible messages outlining bus station facilities, bus stop locations and details of which routes leave from any given

“King George Square bus station has 30 speakers installed throughout the building, including speakers at the entry and each bus stop, which provide

breaking down barriers and improving the lives of people with disability.”

Guide Dogs Queensland CEO Barb Tasker said the installation of the new

Disability Services Minister Coralee O’Rourke said King George Square bus station had been fitted with the easy-

stop,” O’Rourke said.

“The user is alerted to the location of speakers through the Step-Hear ®

information on specific stop services.

“Guide Dogs Queensland have played a key role in this process, working

system meant greater independence and certainty for vision impaired commuters.

For full details and to plan your journey,

to-use Step-Hear ® system as part of a $50,000 trial of the new technology in a

app, or by a dedicated wrist band which vibrates when in proximity, and they can

closely with TransLink on the system and messaging to ensure it is as effective as

visit www.translink.com.au or phone 13 12 30, any time

Higer Australia Appointments WMC Group has announced the appointment of Francis Burdock as the new national sales and marketing

stage of growth in the Australian market” said Burdock of his appointment. “Higer is building a strong reputation locally,

in the bus industry, having many years of experience at both body and chassis manufacturers.

manager for Higer Bus and Coach in Australia.

Mr Burdock brings a wealth of bus

with a product that is proving itself in the tough Australian environment. We have a very exciting year ahead, with some

“Higer has enjoyed class-leading sales growth over the past few years,” said Neil Bamford, CEO of WMC Group.

industry experience to the Higer brand, including several years at MercedesBenz, both in Australia and the UK. “I am very excited to be working with the Higer brand as it moves to the next

excellent new products to be launched.”

Higer has also announced the appointment of Paul Rochester as the new Victorian regional sales representative. Rochester is well known

“As the brand matures in the Australian market, we will need to rely on the experience of our sales force and build lasting relationships with both large and small fleets”.

014 www.truckandbus.net.au

s and Francis Burdock, national sale r. marketing manager for WMC Hige

follow us online at: www.truckandbus.net.au

EXEDY BUS CLUTCHES

OZ-MADE BRAKE TESTING

LEADING CLUTCH manufacturer Exedy has a range of replacement bus and coach clutches available as part of its new Truck Tuff range. The company has clutches for Hino (RN, RK & FD models), Mitsubishi (Rosa), MercedesBenz (Citaro, 0 500) and many more.

Truck Tuff clutches cater for Japanese, American and European commercial vehicle clutch needs.

As the primary OEM clutch manufacturer for Isuzu, Hino,

AUSTRALIAN HEAVY equipment manufacturer, Nepean Transport, has the only Australian-made brake testing equipment in the marketplace today, the company states.

Developed specifically for heavyduty vehicles, the VIS-Check range quickly, easily and accurately analyses the vehicle’s efficiency and roadworthiness to ensure it meets standards for road registration.

Mitsubishi Fuso and Nissan UD, Exedy supplies clutch products for over 80 per cent of the domestic Japanese commercial vehicle market.

Failures due to poor quality can result not only in costly repairs but also loss of income.

In addition, the Exedy range extends to both European and American brands.

For further information on Exedy’s clutch range, visit www.exedy.com.au/ clutch-finder

W W W.IVECO.COM. AU

Entirely engineered, designed and produced in Australia, the VIS-Check range includes in-ground, aboveground and mobile brake testing equipment. Depending on the user’s needs, the VIS-Check model can analyse a vehicle’s brakes and or steering, suspension and undercarriage components.

If you would like more information on the NEPEAN Transport VIS-Check trailer, visit www.nepean.com

REGIONAL SALES MANAGER POSITION NSW

IVECO Bus Australia is expanding its sales team in NSW and as such seeks a suitable and experienced bus sales person.

This position would be part of a 2 person sales team servicing the NSW market.

Skill levels required: • Previous Sales experience in Bus or Commercial vehicles • Proficient in Word, Powerpoint, Excel • Excellent time management • Medium rigid licence as a minimum • Technical skills

Package will consist: • Base salary (negotiable) • Commission • Volume bonus • Company car • Mobile & Laptop

All enquiry’s and applications should be sent to HR.Admin@au.iveco.com

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The successful applicant must have the ability to cold call on non IVECO customers and also service the existing customer base.

UpFront

follow us online at: www.truckandbus.net.au

VOLVO GOES HVO VEGETABLE OILS for buses? Yep! Volvo Buses’ Euro6 engines for city buses and

(certified to the paraffinic fuels CEN TS 15940 standard, which in addition

the opportunity to greatly reduce their climate impact while keeping the same

diesel, depending on the raw material.

Otherwise, HVO has the same properties

intercity buses have now been certified to run on Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils (HVO), a renewable fuel that replaces regular diesel, the company has

to HVO also covers tall oil diesel and gas-to-liquid (GTL) fuels). Volvo Buses also approves HVO as a fuel for all buses with Euro5 engines, with no reduction

high level of reliability and availability,” said Edward Jobson, environmental director for Volvo Buses.

HVO is made from renewable

as regular diesel, such as storage life and cold-resistance, and the two fuels can be mixed. HVO can be distributed by existing fuel depots using the same

announced. The fuel copes with storage and low temperatures in the same way as regular diesel, but reduces CO2 emissions

in service interval. This means that the majority of newer Volvo buses can now run on renewable fuel with very low

materials such as vegetable and animal oils, from sources such as rapeseed or slaughter waste, and is a direct

types of tanks and nozzles.

Volvo’s approval of HVO is backed by extensive field trials and careful studies

by up to 90 per cent, it’s claimed.

The engines certified to use HVO are the 5-litre and 8-litre Euro6 engines

environmental impact.

“This is an important step that gives customers who have access to HVO

replacement for regular diesel fuel. It reduces carbon emissions by between 30 and 90 per cent compared to regular

of the effects of the fuel on engine performance and reliability, the company states.

016 www.truckandbus.net.au

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Volvo Bus Service Contracts are specifically designed to give you complete peace of mind, with 24hr breakdown assistance included as standard to make sure you are never left behind. So you can relax, safe in the knowledge that your vehicle will stay where it belongs – on the road.

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In Depth

THE DOORS

Light rail the answer? Plenty will argue so, though there’s much to be said about the merits of an efficient and well-engineered Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system. In some cities they are the only logical, cost-effective solution – and Germany’s top two bus marques have just the mega-long, multi-door artics for it. Coach & Bus editor Fabian Cotter investigates.

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H

ad rocker and American poet Jim Morrison been alive today he may well be disappointed there was

no ‘breaking on through to the other side’ by passengers as they scrambled out of the latest, largest articulated buses coming out of Europe. In fact, there’d be no scrambling or shenanigans at all - just the

ordered entry and exit by passengers through one of the not two, not three, but four or more sets of ‘doors’. Yep, that’s how long the latest twin-bodied vehicles have become.

At the recent biennial 61st UITP 2015 World Congress & Exhibition, in Milan, Italy, both

MAN and Mercedes-Benz had their latest multi-door articulated buses on show. The trend towards having two or more doors on

2015 award late last year – and such vehicles form an integral part of any BRT system’s adaptability and success.

a product trend focussed on comfortably transporting as many people as possible and having them get on or off the bus as quickly

capacity of up to 142 passengers and features five double-width doors all told – making it the only five-door bus on the market, the

the trailing after-body section and seemingly ever increasing overall length all leads to

and safely as possible.

Add in either Euro6 engine emissions cleanliness as on the Mercedes-Benz

CapaCity L, or Euro6 with CNG use as on the MAN Lion’s City GL CNG – which incidentally garnered the highly respected Bus of the Year

The MAN Lion’s City GL is an 18.75m-long articulated bus that boasts a transport

company states. Such innovations ensure optimal passenger flow and reduced waiting time at stops, it’s stated. The vehicle is also

fitted with three fold-out chairs, which the driver can control, meaning more standing room can be made available in the event of a

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ATC The unique ATC (Articulated Turntable Controller) system on the CapaCity L controls the hydraulic damping of the articulated turntable quickly and on demand, ensuring optimum steering characteristics during normal operation. If any instability is encountered – on a slippery road surface, for example – ATC stabilises the articulated bus within the bounds of physical possibility, according to MB. The ATC is thus the only system of its type to achieve anything like the effect of an electronic stability control system (ESP). This means a new level of safety for articulated buses, it’s stated.

“...transporting as many people as possible, safely as possible.”

Just like a train pulling up at the station, people can quickly and easily get on or off, given so many doors.

large influx of passengers.

This five-door concept, unique on the market says MAN, guarantees “optimal and

and pleasant atmosphere, it’s stated.

As for the new Mercedes, it’s a whopper!

At an imposing 21m long, it can hold up to

Ulrike Riedel, member of the executive board responsible for human resources and operations at Hochbahn, in Germany, said:

Manoeuvrability of such long buses is key, though, so when the MAN moves off after standing with fore-body and after-body at

makes “an important contribution towards counteracting the transport problems in inner cities,” the company states.

increase the frequency at which our buses are running in many cases, so high-capacity buses, such as the new CapaCity L, are a very

rapid passenger flow and short stopping times, even in peak periods”.

a fairly tight angle, the electric articulation control system prevents pushing over the central axle. The segmented side wall

cladding means that damaged parts can be more easily replaced, and so repair times and downtimes are thus significantly reduced.

Inside, a translucent concertina section, glass roof hatches and energy-efficient LED interior lighting (Light-Emitting Diodes) combine to give the passenger area a bright

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191 passengers as standard, it’s claimed.

The CapaCity L high-capacity articulated bus

Around 3m longer than conventional articulated buses, the idea is operators can carry far more passengers with the same

number of buses.

“It is the longest European bus with just one articulated turntable. Plus it is environmentally friendly – no other bus with a diesel engine has lower CO₂ emissions per passenger,” explained Hartmut Schick, head of Daimler Buses.

“We are pleased about increasing passenger numbers. At peak times, we cannot further

appealing option for us.”

It requires a certificate of exemption on account of its length, as it is much longer

than 18.75m - the maximum permissible length for vehicle combinations. A steered fourth axle raises the permissible Gross Vehicle Mass (GVW) to 32t, while an automatic control system called ASA (Additional Steering Axle) also ensures surprising manoeuvrability.

1

1 The MB CapaCity L holds 191

2

people throughout its length.

That’s massive.

2 These ‘mega’ artics are quite an imposing sight on the road.

Heck, and why not?

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Coverstory

C I TA RO

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STATE OF THE SMART Smarter buses mean safer journeys, or so the theory goes.

The endeavour to provide Australasian commuters the latest bus and coach technology to embellish their travel experience is secondary to saving their lives if an horrific accident occurs. And so Daimler Buses’s award-winning, feature-laden Citaro is finally here to further help champion that cause. Coach & Bus editor Fabian Cotter reports.

www.truckandbus.net.au 023

A

t its best it’s called ‘a rainy day’.

At its worst it’s the dreaded

‘worst-case scenario’. It seems that in almost everything we do as a species when it comes to planning our lives – regardless of how flippantly or seriously we approach that idea – often enough we’ll factor in considerations too far removed from good old Murphy’s Law. It’s the happier, sunnier-disposition way we look at life, or how we define the ‘everydayness’ of every day, where statistically something bad happening is so much in the realm of chance and not

inevitability that we can comfortably ignore it.

Complacently so. But usually not for long.

Traffic accident statistics tell only part of the story, in that to the layman analysing them and running the math for future policy and regulation formation – or even just mindless banter with mates later that night at the local pub – they often ignore near misses or

non-accident close calls. No prang, so did it exist? And it is here where bus drivers and the vehicles themselves are regularly put to the test on our roads daily.

Sure, there are hundreds of buses out on our roads getting on in years but still doing the job admirably, fulfilling their originally advertised service lives and often exceeding those like champions - pending appropriate upkeep and maintenance schedules. But the elephant in the room is this: advances in technology from a fuel-saving, emissions-cleanliness, structuralintegrity and, perhaps most importantly, safety point of view is out-pacing many of the engineering benchmarks previously expected and set. Indeed, a lot can happen and improve during a minimum average 10-year bus lifecycle.

And it is for this very reason not only are many companies specialising in retrofitting the latest parts and components onto older

buses, to give them some form of parity with their newer contemporaries coming onto the market, but that the leading global bus and

coach players are offering customers their latest technology-laden units so that operators are best prepared for when any unfortunate incident may occur.

Daimler’s multi-award-winning Citaro is one of the big German company’s leading market sellers and ambassador for the latest safety and performance advances on offer. And it is finally here in Australia.

Daimler Bus Asia-Pacific general manager Justin Whitford says there was significant

interest in bringing the European 2013 Bus of the Year Citaro here driven by build quality, safety specifications, fuel efficiency and also

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due to the single-invoice business model it presents.

“It is not our intention to introduce the Citaro into every segment of the Australian City Bus market and believe there is still the opportunity for both the Mercedes-Benz ‘integral’ bus, as well as the continuation of the chassis-body partnerships currently in place.

“Our customers, and in particular our passengers and our drivers, deserve to have

access to the safest buses and coaches in the world. Such specifications include driver crash protection, electronic stability control, roll-over full compliance, ABS, cornering assist and a range of other options that deliver the highest in safety standards,” he said.

The Citaro nameplate first rolled off production lines in 1998, with the latest design iteration shown here launched in 2011, at the Mannheim Daimler factory in May that year.

To date, with sales in excess of 40,000 units

during 17 years of production, the MercedesBenz Citaro is the most successful regularservice bus of all time, the company states.

While it’s taken a while to get here to Australia – though our appetite was whet with an initial assessment model showcased in Melbourne late 2013 – the various ADR compliance and general feasibility tests in the ensuing months have been well worth it, judging by the excited folk at Daimler Bus Asia-Pacific. And the best bit? It means we get the Euro6 version, baby, straight off the bat. Result!

When the Citaro came out in 2013 in Europe it was the world’s first series-production urban bus to comply with the Euro6 emissions standard - about a year before it was mandatory there.

The raw facts are as follows: the new OM 936

six-cylinder, 7.7-litre, Euro6 inline motor delivers 220kW with a maximum of 1200Nm. And its ‘state-of-the-smart’ technology also brings

big fuel savings. Global reports state the latest Citaro is said to be 3-5 per cent more efficient that its predecessor (which we did not get here), which all adds up to about 1000 litres of diesel saved every year. That’s massive. In turn, this reduced fuel usage contributes to a claimed

drop in emissions by more than 2 per cent.

In terms of power consumption efficiency, the additional energy storage supplies power to the on-board network as needed. So, for example, when the bus is coasting or driving downhill it is actually generating electrical energy and that is stored in a type of super-capacitor. That stored energy is channelled back into the onboard network to power things like the interior lights and the information displays.

A very cool optional feature is the electrically

1 2

1 A stylish and modern interior

offering commuters award-winning ergonomic design.

2 Drivers will love the fully adjustable and comfy seat in the new Citaro.

“Daimler’s ... leading [bus] ambassador for the latest safety and performance advances.”

PRIZE FIGHTER At the IAA 2014, the ‘world’s most successful urban bus’ and Daimler’s top seller scored 85 per cent of total points in the IBC international comparative test to win the coveted IBC trophy outright.

The Mercedes-Benz Citaro, which beat no fewer than four competitors to emerge triumphant in the year’s toughest comparative test for buses, featured a newly developed design and met the high expectations of industry insiders, according to Mercedes-Benz in Europe.

It recorded the lowest fuel consumption levels of all, as well as raising the bar in its segment with “exemplary active and passive safety features”.

The ‘almond’-shaped headlights of the latest Citaro are equally functional as they are gorgeous.

“It means we get the Euro6 version, baby, straight off the bat. Result!”

The new Euro6 Citaro is making its mark in many cities around the world.

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A light and airy feel inside and invitingly austere and svelte seat design. Love it!

operated cassette ramp that can be deployed at the press of a button at the rear door, which can handily hold up to 350kg on it. Its application seems seamless, like some clever synchronised swimming display, with the doors only opening for the ramp to hop up to secure itself into place for wheelchair use. It was unconfirmed whether this option will be available for the Australian models immediately, but we sure do hope so.

Inside, passengers are greeted by a luxurious interior with a modern feel, arguably exceeding what people would normally expect in many modes of public transport. The beautifully styled seats add a special touch and the silver material on them in the Citaro pictured here is very cool-looking, indeed. It will be interesting to note how it handles passenger use and

abuse over time (You know how it is with some elements of uncouth youth these days. Bloody ratbags!)

New mums with prams, though, will love the folding-up seats, giving ample room for

prams away from other passengers, from what we could determine (NOTE: No prams were injured in the testing of such spacing), with

the door-open button conveniently located in this ‘wheelchair friendly’ area just perfect for convenience’s sake.

Reports are that the seamless ride is impressive and the bus doesn’t jump around too much on bumpy roads, so we can’t wait to

experience this ourselves soon too. And with comfort being an important consideration for many elderly passengers over a vehicle’s looks, it should strike a chord with that segment of the intended commuter market. That said, it’s

just as well the new Citaro – which makes its proper Australian debut at the 2015 BusVic Conference and Exhibition in Melbourne this July - is a bit of a looker, too.

Getting on or off the bus looks to be a doddle, with the centre hand-railing between the front doors well placed and non-restrictive for giving passengers a good gripping point for their own stability and safety. It should also enforce orderly alighting of passengers.

As for the drivers who may spend hours on end in the Citaro, they’ll surely be impressed with the seat and its adjustability in all directions – plus there’s plenty of legroom. And in some buses where you can only change steering wheel height, the distance from you to the tiller here can be adjusted too for optimal reach. The surrounding dash buttons are easy to get too as well while the instrument cluster – which meets the requirements of the Association of German Transport

Operators (VDV) – is now more informative and ergonomic, it’s stated. And radio controls on the steering wheel? Bonus! It means both

hands stay always on the wheel – unless you really, really have to scratch your nose. Come

on now, we’ve all have those days. Anyway, it’s just another nice little safety consideration.

Speaking of which, the improved driver’s cockpit area means the door – with clear partshield attached above – enhances driver safety in the event of an attack, where it seems they

HEY, BIG SELLER! With more than 40,000 units produced to date, the Citaro is the Mercedes-Benz bus with the highest production output of all time. It has now even overtaken the previous No.1 bus bearing the threepointed star. At the end of its career, the Mercedes-Benz O 303, in production from 1974 to 1992, was the bus with the highest production output worldwide, at more than 38,000 units.

With a total of 3027 units in 2013, the Citaro achieved a market share of 37 per cent in Germany and 16.4 per cent in Europe.

The Citaro here in Australia will be a ‘Tier 2’ product and it should be priced below AUD$390K.

can push the assailant back with it and thus block them in the bus, while it aids the driver’s escape through the front. Hmmm - not a bad little trick that!

On the road, the Citaro prides itself in

www.truckandbus.net.au 027

The ESP stability control of the new Citaro gives drivers better control by reducing lateral sway when forced to corner hard.

“...the key is to look so good that people want to get onto urban public transport.” handling well in emergency situations and

company states.

or swerving hard, imbuing it with commanding steering control for the driver. Which you would hope so, given Mercedes-Benz was one of, if

its launch: “The new Mercedes-Benz Citaro city bus will enable us to play a key role in shaping the future of local public transportation and it

has won global acclaim for just that. With its standard-fitted ESP function, there’s a dramatic reduction any real lateral sway while cornering

not the, earliest contributors to evolving such safety-enhancing technology over near 20 years. And that’s got to be good for drivers, passengers and other road users alike.

Like many of the modern buses and coaches coming out, the key is to look so good that people want onto get on urban public transport, and the Citaro – from its

attractive, low-slung integrated almondshaped headlights to its distinctively striking tail-lights and its subtle, uncluttered and stylish wheel-arch and body-defining lines between – accomplishes that with aplomb.

Yet it’s not all for looks; underneath the skin there is also frontal impact protection, as well as an even more rigid body structure, the

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Andreas Renschler, Daimler Board of Management member responsible for Daimler Trucks and Daimler Buses said at the time of

once again demonstrates that Daimler’s bus business expertise is unsurpassed.”

“The new Citaro uncompromisingly focuses on economy, comfort and safety, and its design will be an attractive sight in any urban

environment.”

Said Hartmut Schick, head of Daimler Buses, in Europe: “Besides being equipped with state-

of-the-art technology, the new Citaro is the result of tremendous dedication and passion.

I’m convinced the new Citaro will be even more successful than its predecessor and once again set new benchmarks.”

Well, it’s here in Australia now and so Coach

& Bus magazine will be keen to watch and find out. Stay tuned... Bis später, tschüß!

BUS SPECS MAKE: Mercedes-Benz MODEL: Citaro ENGINE: OM 936 7.7-litre Euro6 Bluetec diesel. Power – 220kW@2200rpm. Torque – 1200Nm@1200-1600rpm.

TRANSMISSION: ZF Ecolife automatic transmission (Voith optional) SUSPENSION: Front axle - ZF RL 75 E, independent; Rear - ZF AV 132, ratio 5.77:1 BRAKES: Electronic braking system (EBS); Antilock Braking System (ABS); Electronic stability programme (ESP); Acceleration slip regulation (ASR) WHEELS: Steel 22.5-inch wheels; Tyres - 275/70 INTERIOR: City Star Eco seats with La Plata fabric upholstery; reading lamps above every seat and above the standing section.

MISC.: Electronic Stability Program (ESP), bi-xenon headlamps, LED entrance lights, video monitoring of the cash register, entrance areas and passenger compartment, as well as a fire detection and extinguishing system.

BUILT TO LAST ANY CONDITION, ANY TIME, ANY PL ACE

FOR SERVICE AND SPARE PARTS: Melbourne:

New South Wales:

221-243 Hammond Rd Dandenong VIC 3175 Phone: 03 9791 4255 Fax: 03 9794 0336

3-13 Kilcoy Drive Tomago NSW 2322 Mob: 0409 767 910

Queensland: 20 Amy Johnson Pl Eagle Farm QLD 4009 Phone: 07 3243 5300 Fax: 07 3243 5399

8 Enterprise Cir Prestons NSW 2170 Phone: 02 9426 6500 Fax: 02 9826 9403 Western Australia: 47 Beringarra Ave Malaga WA 6090 Phone: 08 9248 8055 Fax: 08 9248 8066

FOR SALES & CUSTOMER ENQUIRIES:

+61 3 9791 4255 www.marcopoloaustralia.com.au

Showtime

MILANESE, IF YOU PLEASE!

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Better known as a high-fashion capital of the world, Milan, Italy, played host to the biennial 61st UITP 2015 World Congress & Exhibition for public transport. And here some of the latest and greatest buses strutted their stuff on the catwalk - so to speak. Coach & Bus editor Fabian Cotter reports.

Driver’s area of latest MercedesBenz CapaCity L ‘artic’ [pictured below] looks pretty sweet.

The Volvo Bus Europe stand was quite impressive.

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Y

ou could just imagine the high quality of the cappuccinos around

the venue, couldn’t you? The juicy, sensual fresh coffee aroma wafting up each nostril as you surveyed a slew of high-tech and super-smart-looking buses on

display at one of the world’s biggest and most important public transport events. For global bus fans, it truly sounds like La Dolce Vita.

Ahhh...

More than 2200 delegates from 83 countries and 284 exhibitors from across the industry (attracting more than 15,000 single-entry visitors to the Exhibition) gathered in the Italian city of Milan and the mood was one of ambition faced with the challenges of:

financing; the arrival of new mobility services; infrastructure needs in smart and growing cities; the impact on cities of new vehicle and IT technologies; and focusing on customer service, organisers say.

In 2009, the public transport sector set itself a goal: double its market share worldwide by 2025 to make cities more liveable and more productive, states UITP. By 2015, at the Congress & Exhibition held 8-10 June, UITP presented a report to illustrate the urban policies that are moving cities closer to that goal, as best and fastest possible.

The plenary session demonstrated the drive within the sector to continue developing the

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market share of public transport and shone a light on some of the successful urban policies

that are already showing results in some major cities, such as Vienna, Oslo, London, Paris and Geneva. Successful measures to control urban sprawl and reduce private car transport in these cities led to an increase in public transport modal share of more than 20 per cent, it’s claimed.

While the event is about public transport

issues as a whole, buses and coaches make up a key component of that mix, and this year’s award winner – a Bus Rapid Transit

system (BRT) in Rio, de Janeiro – goes some way to highlight such segment importance as well as vindicating such a system for moving

U WHO?

An international jury of public transport experts from very different countries and backgrounds evaluated the projects and narrowed the hundreds of applications from all around the world down to a short-list of 25 finalists.

The FEDERAÇAO DAS EMPRESAS DE TRANSPORTES DE PASSAGEIROS DO ESTADO DO RIO DE JANEIRO FETRANSPOR (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) got top

The International Association of Public Transport (UITP) is “a passionate champion of sustainable urban mobility and is the only worldwide network to bring together all public transport stakeholders and all Supporting Organisations Local Hosts’ sustainable transport modes,” it states.

It has 1300 member companies giving access to 14,000 contacts from 92 countries. Its members are public transport authorities and operators, policy decision-makers, research institutes and the public transport supply and service industry.

large amounts of commuters around efficiently and expediently. All entrants, though, were deemed to be successfully contributing towards meeting the sector goal of doubling the market share of public transport by 2025.

1

2

“...to double the market share of public transport worldwide by 2025.”

3

1 And the show gets under way! Yeeha!

2 MAN’s Lion’s City G artic boasts a

whopping five doors...

3 ...and it was decked out to celebrate

100 years of MAN Truck and Bus.

www.truckandbus.net.au 033

World premieres aplenty in Milano. The Citea SLFA Electric was a huge hit.

“...buses and coaches make up a key component of that mix.” honours for the project ‘Reshaping mobility demand in Rio with a BRT network’. The recognition was for the completion of two BRT lines by 2014 and the 157km BRT network by 2016, based on a long-term strategy which will allow the city to meet

to live and work,” said UITP Supporting Organisations Local Hosts secretary general Alain Flausch. “Our data shows that cities with a higher public transport market share use less of their urban space for transport. This space can then be used

SOLARIS BUS & COACH S.A. (Owinska, Poland), for the project ‘The new Solaris Urbino’. This was for recognition of the

highlight the work that still needs to be done in terms of increasing urban density and managing private car use in order to reach

the challenge of a growing economy and demographics in the years to come.

Also of note was the Design Award to

original exterior style and carefully designed interior details of the new Solaris Urbino, a standard bus that enhances the customer experience, it’s stated. The new Solaris Urbino is the result of an outstanding design management process, the judges found.

“Our strategy to double the market share of public transport worldwide by 2025 is about cities: making them better places

for recreational as well as economically productive functions. The results so far show great cause for optimism but also

our ambitious 2025 objective”.

With the closing of the event came other news: to reflect what is already the biggest event in public transport’s growth in stature, the World Congress & Exhibition

will become the ‘Global Public Transport Summit’ in time for the next edition in 2017 in Montreal, Canada: the same event but with even larger ambitions, it’s stated.

Scooping the Design Award was the Solaris Urbino ‘artic’. Bonus points for using green, maybe.

030 www.truckandbus.net.au

This Iveco gas-powered bus got plenty of attention.

“Two tickets, please, to Funkytown.”

www.truckandbus.net.au 035

2015 2015

MAINTENANCE MAINTENANCE CONFERENCE CONFERENCE AND ANDBUS BUS EXPO EXPO

AUSTRALIA’S COACHEXPO EXPO 2015!

AUSTRALIA’SONLY ONLYBUS BUS AND AND COACH IN IN 2015!

MELBOURNE JULY8 AND 8 AND 9, 2015 MELBOURNEEXHIBITION EXHIBITION CENTRE CENTRE JULY 9, 2015

Register now for the Australasian industry’s leading exhibition, conference and networking event, combined all under one roof at Australia’s premier expo venue. The exhibition space is almost full and the programme has been released; this event will deliver unprecedented quality and value for all that attend.

• 15,000m2 of event space.

• Maintenance, technical & management conference sessions and workshops delivered within the exhibit.

• Ample amount of time for delegates to interact with over 150 leading industry suppliers and be brought up to date with the latest products, services and developments.

• Catering and networking events held within the exhibit.

• Premium keynote speakers and entertainers as part of the 2 day conference programme including: Mark Donaldson VC, Mark ‘Bomber’ Thompson, Kate Ceberano and James Galea.

• Industry gala dinner held at Crown Palladium on July 8, and networking dinner at Munich Brauhaus on July 9.

Technical • • • • • • •

Programme Highlights

Fuel and fuel injection systems.

General OEM workshop education panels.

Safe workshop operations and manual handling.

Workshop manager and mechanic open forum.

Kangan Automotive Centre of Excellence Tour.

Air conditioning maintenance and service.

Transmissions: Technology; diagnosis; servicing; and repair.

• How to systematise electric fault finding.

• BIC Technical Update: Bus Fires, Vehicle Mass and Tyres.

Management

• Network service planning: Transport’s role in enhancing productivity and liveability in Victoria by 2050.

• Completing your Accreditation application.

• Data and information management and use.

• Chain of Responsibility.

• IR: The PVTA 2014.

• Mental health workplace initiatives.

• Fatigue management for supervisors.

• Using telematics to your advantage.

• Economic and financial services update.

For registration and further information, visit www.busvic.asn.au or contact Craig Spurr on (03) 9914 7011 or cspurr@busvic.asn.au

Bus Advice

BACK TO THE FUTURE

Bus refurbishment is still a logical and viable option for keeping vehicles at peak operational standards, for many operators. Retro-fitting uprated gear, or repairing ‘minor’ damage potentially adds up to cost savings and vehicle longevity, with a range of companies targetting this niche.

Coach & Bus editor Fabian Cotter has a quick look. www.truckandbus.net.au 037

“...just what the doctor ordered to get it back on the road and doing business safely and efficiently again.”

W

hile some global bus markets are happy to have vehicles in

quick repairs are just want the doctor ordered to get it back on the road and doing business safely

was the idea there. After all, it’s all good revenue and PR.

service for an average of 10 years or so, before on-selling it if still in great condition - or wanting to drive it

and efficiently again.

Traditionally the realm of ‘aftermarket’ specialists and product manufacturers, the

Around 1000 visitors from more than 25 European countries attended the international used-bus show, with some 71 buses of all

off a cliff Thelma and Louise style if it turned out to be an absolute dog’s breakfast - in Australia our tough bus-build standards means buses and coaches can kick on for ages. And depending on how you look at it, that’s no bad thing.

refurbishing area is not untouched by new bus makers themselves, which are still keen to look after their brand name during a bus’s life and ensure it’s all part of their past, present and no doubt future customer service philosophy.

application types and a range of brands changing hands, indicating how big and important the busrefurbishing industry is, from a global perspective.

How major manufacturers like MB handle the issue in Europe, the US, Asia and elsewhere

Now while there are a few buses that have seen better days and still doing the rounds but should be put out of their misery – and fast –

So much so, that in Europe the industry witnessed Daimler’s BusStore concept – it’s used-bus brand sales and service, refurbish and

is something to keep a discerning eyeball on, but the many companies doing quality bus-refurbishment work in Australasia offer

there are a stack which have been blessed by decent operator ownership and a disciplined maintenance schedule throughout the years, so

repair facility. Heck, a year after MB started it they made a whole big show out of it – cleverly ensuring customers were always welcomed into

operators here ‘something for everyone’, with a geographical spread that makes the idea of giving used buses a figurative up-to-date kick up

these just need a refurbish.

Often enough, it’s just a case of a long-mileage major engine service and rebuild, or gutting the interior for updated gear instead, but other times day-to-day damage means some quality but

the fold and not feeling disenfranchised in the ‘used’ market, where many would probably look elsewhere to fix or service their older vehicles. If there’s a demand there then expediently adjust and meet it – don’t just ignore it, it would seem

the bum a usually cost-viable option.

The following is just a brief listing of a few of the key players in the ‘local’ bus-refurbishment game. If you are looking at getting some busrefurbishment work done, check them out!

038 www.truckandbus.net.au

CUSTOM CARE CUSTOM CARE is one of the largest bus repairers in Australia, an Australian bus-

and articulated buses.

Custom Care has worked closely with clients for

manufacturing icon since 1955 and service provider to support the bus industry since 2001.

Buses that are built by Custom Bus Australia are built with a design life of 25 years. With this

over 10 years to ensure the optimal running life of its buses. From interior refits to renew the life of a hard-working city bus, to structural conversions of buses to motorhomes, the Custom Care team

25-year life comes a level of engineering that ensures strength and reliability in the bus, the company says. It needs to be sure that in the event of an accident the safety of the passengers

has the knowledge and know-how to meet your needs, the company says.

Better still, working from dedicated facilities located in Sydney, the Gold Coast and Adelaide,

is paramount.

As evident in some of these photos, you will note damage of a route bus that was hit by a

each member of the Custom Care team brings a diverse array of skills and knowledge. The team can can look after all your refurbishment needs

truck last year. The impact was intense; the truck was fully laden and hit the bus at approximately 60km/h. The strength in the frame work on the side and floor of the bus ensured that the damage inside the cabin was minimised.

In the event one of your buses is damaged, Custom Care has a highly qualified workshop team ready to assist you. Custom Care has a vast pool of resources at its disposal with a stateof-the-art engineering department. This capability provides you with the comfort that Custom can handle every repair, no matter how big or small, the company states.

It also specialises in mid-life refurbishments, ensuring that your fleet always looks great, no matter the age. Custom Care has two spray booths, both capable of holding double-decker

including: Conversions to lap-sash seat belts and seating installation or modifications; Modification and fitment of wheelchair ramps, mirrors, windscreens, air conditioning, TV/video, etc.; Full interior and external refurbishments; State-of-theart paint booths for repaint, signwriting and fleet refinishing; Chassis repairs and modifications; and Installation of full-body security grille driver’s safety screen.

— A minor bingle? No chance.

The impact was intense; the truck was fully laden and hit the bus at approximately 60km/h.

CONTACT

CUSTOM CARE WHERE: Sydney & Adelaide WEB: www.custombus.com.au PHONE: (02) 9914 3800

www.truckandbus.net.au 039

ROADTREK ROADTREK OFFERS its customers all the benefits of having a one-stop shop for its entire requirement pertaining to bus refurbishment and repair services in Australia. RoadTrek has the resources to do the job and to do it right, the first time, the company states.

Bus Refurbishment services include, but are not limited to: Corrosion both structural and body panel refurbishment; Complete body panel replacement; Re-modelling and modernisation

customer or insurance company.

STEP 3: Both parties agree to the work that will

be completed.

STEP 4: Quality repairs are done in minimum turn-around.

STEP 5: The vehicle is back on the road without complications.

RoadTrek has a reputation for providing quality repair services of buses in Australia with all the

of front and rear fibreglass; Glass delimitation, reseal and bonding; Interior trim refurbishments – fabrics, floor coverings; ADR68 Seat body

major insurance companies. It is a major supplier of spare parts to the bus/coach and Motorhome/ RV industry. It employs only qualified and

modifications for seat replacement; Stratal modifications including VASS Certification; Retrofitting of all major components including

skilled tradesmen, and it’s equipped with all the necessary equipment to do any job. Please note. at the time of print, RoadTrek was moving into

– TV / video/ sound systems, air conditioning; ADR seating; wheelchair access equipment; and 25-year inspection.

In terms of accident repairs and insurance work, RoadTrek prides itself on quality service.

massive new premises at 39-49 Longview Court.

The process in the event of all bus repair and insurance work is simple.

STEP 1: A thorough assessment of the vehicle is conducted.

STEP 2: A genuine quotation is provided to the

CONTACT

ROADTREK WHERE: Thomastown, VIC WEB: www.roadtrek.com.au PHONE: (03) 9465 4511

BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE...

NB PASSENGER SEATING NB PASSENGER SEATING is a wholly owned Australian company based in Melbourne Victoria. It is the proud supplier of high quality ‘low floor route bus seats’.

Backed with 20 years of transport

seating experience, it provides all Australian and New Zealand bus, tram and train operators with a real alternative for their seating needs, the company states.

NB Passenger Seating also provides a full spare parts and

installation service and is supported by professional and friendly staff. It also has NB Trimming.

N.B. PASSENGER SEATING PTY LTD WHERE: Somerton, Victoria WEB: www.nbpassengerseating.com.au PHONE: (03) 9303 9996

“...indicating how big and important the busrefurbishing industry is.”

040 www.truckandbus.net.au

Bus repair and refurbishment should be all about quality solutions done on time and for safety, to get your bus back to tiptop condition and on the road.

There’s nothing like a new lick of paint to update things fast. Choosing quality refinish paint is paramount.

Coachworks uses PPG.

COACHWORKS COACHWORKS is a “One-Stop Bus & Coach Body Specialist”. The business currently employs 50 people and provides the following services: • Repairs and refurbishments; • Refinish; • Accident repairs; • Mini-bus conversions; and • Special projects such as contract vehicle manufacturing.

Based in Acacia Ridge, Queensland, Coachworks is proud to service operators, manufacturers and chassis suppliers Australia

the heavy vehicle industry a national network of repairers to support the PPG paint products.

Within the New Vehicle / Manufacturing section, Coachworks is currently making some new vehicles with local manufacturer Coach Design and also have many projects in the area of mini-bus conversions, including everything from seating upgrades to mini coach fit-outs and the addition of components such as bull-bars and other mine-spec items.

wide.

“We believe our biggest strength is our employees and the company is proud that the

The versatility that its workforce and facility offers allows Coachworks to support the areas mentioned above and, in most recent years, to

majority have been with us long term, which only adds to the collective experience of the team,” said Coachworks general manager, Scott Isaacs.

support the many imported vehicle options with pre-sales and after-sales support.

“Having completed our 25th year in the

In the Repair and Refurbishment section, the company is currently completing many repair and refurbishment jobs including things such as: QLD Transport Frame inspections; accident repairs and retrofitting of air-conditioning units; wheelchair

industry in 2014, Coachworks is very proud of this achievement and is grateful to our many stakeholders including customers, suppliers staff and friends who have and continue to support us,” added Isaacs.

lifts; seating and many other components to both stock local and imported vehicles.

Coachworks’ spray-painting section continues to be a big part of the business and, along with the repaired and refurbished vehicles, it is proud to supply quality OEM Refinish services to its local manufacturers. The company is also a member of the PPG Fleetpool group, which is a group of PPG-preferred repairers offering

CONTACT

COACHWORKS WHERE: Acacia Ridge, Queensland WEB: www.coachworks.com.au PHONE: (07) 3344 4544

BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE...

FLEETPOOL Fleetpool is a global initiative from PPG Industries, which offers substantial advantages to commercial transport fleets and

operators at a local level, whether they run a single vehicle or a large national fleet. Fleetpool’s purpose, values and commitment to the commercial transport and heavy vehicle industry is focused upon quality, on-time delivery, integrity and value for money, it’s claimed.

FleetPool Network members specialise in the painting, repair, re-livery (branding change) and

refurbishment of heavy vehicles, ranging from trucks, vans and buses, to trailers and other large

commercial and industrial vehicles.

PPG INDUSTRIES AUSTRALIA PTY LTD WHERE: Clayton South, VIC WEB: www.ppgrefinish.com.au PHONE: 13 24 24

www.truckandbus.net.au 041

BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE...

WALES BUS REPAIRS Wales Bus Repairs offers bus repair and refurbishment using

a fully trained and specialised team of tradesmen including: mechanics, body builders, panel beaters, fabricators, fibreglassers,

Volgren’s qualified tradespeople offer a comprehensive bus repair and refurbishment service, the company says.

VOLGREN VOLGREN offers comprehensive after-

and design, its buses are fitted with the latest

sales services in Victoria, New South Wales (Prestons in Sydney and Tomago in Newcastle), Queensland and Western Australia. Its bus repair

aluminium technology, resulting in lighter, stronger and more energy efficient vehicles, it says. With an aluminium bus body, its vehicles are cheaper

facility includes the very latest spray booths and its specialised team of tradespeople offer quick and efficient solutions for your entire bus repair,

to run during their lifetime, resulting in minimal bus repair. Substantial savings can be achieved with any Volgren bus and customers can avoid

body maintenance and spare part requirements, the company states.

Its qualified tradespeople will offer a comprehensive bus repair service encompassing: accident repair; bus refurbishments; customised

expensive corrosion repairs and achieve lower costs for accident repairs, it states.

work; spare parts; rust repairs; warranty repairs; re-sprays; on-site work and breakdowns.

Volgren’s service centres currently has three field service and 11 employees operating in other states to ensure its customers receive the highest level of service, the company says.

As for cost-effective bus repair, as Volgren is committed to leading bus manufacture

042 www.truckandbus.net.au

spray painters, chassis aligners and electricians. It has in-house operations for quality assurance, cost control and faster completion, the company states.

Plus there’s real-time computer monitoring and management of all work, and an ongoing investment into the latest equipment and technology - including custom jigs and a 100-tonne ‘cold press’ chassis alignment system.

Wales Bus Repairs has a national recovery service and administration support team; a fast and accurate digital quotation system; in-house specialists in all mechanical repairs, body re-building (minor dents to major collision damage), chassis re-alignment / modifications, and body refurbishment. It offers high-

quality, fleet-specific PPG paint refinishing and signwriting. Plus there’s in-house reassembly, quality control and road testing; genuine after-repair customer service; an

environmental policy to reduce the

carbon footprint of your repair; and a lifetime warranty, it’s stated.

CONTACT

VOLGREN (BUS REFURBISHING) WHERE: Dandenong, VIC; Prestons, NSW; Tomago, NSW and Malaga, WA WEB: www.volgren.com.au PHONE: (03) 9791 4255, (02) 9426 6500, (02) 4913 7100, (08) 9248 8055

Wales Bus Repairs is a member of the M.T.A and founding member of the A.H.V.R.

WALES BUS REPAIRS WHERE: Smithfield, NSW WEB: www.walesbusrepairs.com PHONE: (02) 9725 3143

EAST COAST MASTER BLASTERS East Coast Master Blasters was established to cater for clients that wanted a superb quality

Coaster-sized bus with no problems while we have plenty of extra space to take larger coaches

metal finish using low-abrasive blasting materials.

Situated at Ourimbah, on the NSW Central Coast, the business is 2km off the M1 Motorway exit, making it ideal for any coach and bus owner

as well,” he added.

on Australia’s east coast to get to.

Owner Steve Turner explained what makes this unique process so much better than traditional blasting methods: “When traditional sandblasting was first introduced it was hailed as the new way to restore and repair damaged or rusted items.

As time went on more innovative blasting media were discovered that not only did a better job but actually were ‘kinder’ to the articles being worked on. We now use a Class 3 blasting process - which is crushed glass blown at very low pressure to provide an intricate and non-metalhardening process. This grade is suitable for everything from aeronautical to automotive and is a very low abrasive”.

“Our new blasting booth can take up to a

CONTACT

EAST COAST MASTER BLASTERS WHERE: Ourimbah, NSW WEB: http://ecmb.biz PHONE: (0450) 308 454

BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE...

KIWI BUS BUILDERS

Kiwi Bus Builders understands that sometimes a new bus is

not the best financial option, but your current bus isn’t quite up to scratch. That’s why it offers a full refurbishment option.

This could include a large number of things to make your bus look new again without the price tag of a new build, the company states. The sort of things it commonly does is new interior trim – which can include floors, walls, seats etc. It also offers a full paint facility to make the outside of your bus shine, it claims.

KIWI BUS BUILDERS LTD WHERE: Tauriko, Tauranga, NZ WEB: www.kiwibus.co.nz PHONE: +64 7 5710100

“...giving used buses a figurative up-to-date kick up the bum.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL US NOW: 07 3344 4544 OR VISIT: WWW.COACHWORKS.COM.AU BODY MAINTENANCE • FLEET REFURBISHING & REFINISHING ACCIDENT REPAIRS • SPARE PARTS • SEATING RETROFITS

Future Proof

044 www.truckandbus.net.au

HIGHWAY TO CELL

Solar-powered roads? It sounds as amazing and logical as it does impractical and otherworldly. Not to mention expensive. The concept might be just the dumbest idea kicking around, or a landmark stroke of genius. Either way, there’s a lot more support for making it work than you might think – with an equal amount of debunkers.

Coach & Bus editor Fabian Cotter investigates.

I

t is an intense debate. Two tribes going to verbal and psychological war online mostly, as they choose their side upon which they want to hedge their bets: will solar-powered roads work, or won’t they? And if so, are they cost viable?

Long story short, on an intensely massive scale and put in its simplest terms – if you remember racing slot cars around a track as a kid, or watched others spend hours on end fanging their little cars around such a track then the idea of an electrified road, one that can ‘conduct’ or transport electricity, is essentially what it is all about. With one minor twist: the electricity is generated by solar power.

Fast forward to today where electric and hybridelectric vehicles are seemingly all the rage, be they cars, buses – and given recent trials by Scania –

even trucks, and the value in investing in or at least entertaining the idea of solar-powered roads to generate the power to somehow and somewhere recharge them in future is obvious.

The conundrum for any vehicle using electricity for motive power is how long the charge lasts, how often it needs to be charged and how or where does it get the next top-up? And while the

automotive industry is grappling to somehow cost-effectively encourage the infrastructure to make that happen – so that it’s as easy as filling up gas in a regular vehicle at a petrol station – others are looking to see how the very road itself can

www.truckandbus.net.au 045

somehow be incorporated into this ‘charge it quickly, safely and cheaply’ equation.

and cut greenhouse gases by 75 per cent.

Their company, Solar Roadways – and

believing like some repetitively aggravating TV shampoo ad that ‘it won’t happen overnight, but it will happen’.

So who’s involved and what’s the state of

in 2009 and in 2012 the idea even got the endorsement of U.S Republican Senator for Idaho Mike Crapo.

For many, though, like online Australian

If it were just one mob having a go at doing this then it might just be too laughable to take seriously, but with others trying various derivations of the idea there are many punters

play? In 2006, two US engineers and husband and wife team Scott and Julie Brusaw started developing solar panels for road use, trying out a range of shapes and ‘glass’ casings so that the actual solar panel wasn’t crushed when taking the weight of a vehicle – in this case, a

tractor. Today, the current incarnation of the product is a 1/4-inch thick acrylic hexagonal glass-panel ‘tile’, which interlocks to ‘pave’ a road that converts sunlight into electricity and, in theory, could be used to put power back into

a grid for street lights, housing and vehiclecharging capabilities. In fact, their design also incorporates coloured LEDS into each panel and they say this could be used to mark up the road with lane lines and other traffic and emergency signs and information. Their vision to have all roads and highways and even carparks converted is commendably ambitious, if probably impracticable. Their website claims that if all the roads in the US were converted to solar roadways, the country would generate three times as much energy as it currently uses

probably thanks to their viral video ‘Solar Freakin’ Roadways’ (www.solarroadways.com) - received a contract from America’s Federal Highway Administration to build a prototype

electronics cult-figure Dave Jones from the EEV Blog (which has over 500,000 subscribers worldwide) the numbers simple don’t add up.

Be those numbers claimed electricity power figures, or the raw maths used to calculate how astronomical it would all cost.

Yet the idea isn’t too far removed from other countries or companies tackling the issue. Only recently did Dutch firm SolaRoad. nl release the first batch of results after 6 months of trialling its SolaRoad – more a

cycle pathway really, but touted as “the first road in the world that converts sunlight into electricity” – and found that: “We did not expect a yield as high as this so quickly,” said Sten de Wit, spokesperson for SolaRoad.nl “The bike road opened half a year ago [late 2014] and already generated over 3000kWh. This can provide a single-person household with electricity for a year, or power an electric scooter to drive 2.5 times around the world. If we translate this to an annual yield, we expect more than the 70kWh per square metre per

“This can provide a single-person household with electricity for a year.”

046 www.truckandbus.net.au

year, which we predicted as an upper limit in the laboratory stage. We can therefore conclude that it was a successful first half year.”

SolaRoad was developed by TNO, the Province of Noord-Holland, Ooms Civiel and Imtech. SolaRoad is in a pilot phase for a three-year period, where various measurements and tests are being performed as input to further development. Since the opening, more than 150,000 cyclists have crossed SolaRoad.

“They hardly notice it is a special path, therefore our goal of acceptance has also been achieved,” de Wit added.

Described as a living lab of about 70 metres, SolaRoad consists of a cycle path constructed of concrete modules of 2.5-3.5 metres. In one lane, solar cells are fitted underneath a tempered glass top layer of approximately 1cm thickness, covered by a transparent and

skid-resistant coating. There are no solar cells embedded in the other lane; this lane is used for reference and to test various coatings. The solar electricity from the road is fed into the electricity grid and can be used, for example, for street lighting, traffic systems, households

and (eventually) electric cars that drive over it, it’s claimed.

This first piece of SolaRoad is located in Krommenie, along the provincial road N203, near the Texaco garage on the railway track

side (GPS data: 52.493875, 4.767134).

According to the company, SolaRoad offers a

large, effective surface area for collecting solar energy from already-existing infrastructure, with little or no impact on the landscape. SolaRoad feeds energy back into the grid and stimulates further sustainable energy innovation. With nearly 140,000 kilometres of roadway in the Netherlands – nearly twice the surface area of the rooftops – the energy that can be collected from SolaRoad could make a serious contribution to sustainable energy production.

‘Could’? With the release of these latest results, critics like the EEV Blog have been quick to – and justifiably so on paper, thanks to the comprehensive mathematics worked out in his videos – knock the results. Sure, it’s making energy, but perhaps not enough of it. Maybe just under half what comparative

roof-mounted panels might make – for a range of reasons (roof-mounted panels are on an angle, they stay cleaner, cooler) – all affecting a cell’s ability to trap solar power and convert maximum electricity.

So where does it all leave buses and public

transport, you might ask?

In a very interesting place potentially. It seems while many are quick to highlight the mammoth expense and inefficient cost-viability because of the sheer amount of roadway to potentially

replace, others can still see its ‘lesser’ use in specialised tracts of area, like car parks and bus lanes. And this latter idea could be ideal in terms of how well electric-dependant buses of the future recharge and operate.

Roads that collect solar power and convert it to electricity - cost effectively - might not be too far off. Or are they?

A BELIEVABLE SOLAR ROAD? Is this solar-panel-covered bike-way in the middle of a South Korean highway the most practical and implementable idea of a true ‘solar road’? Built between the cities of Daejeon and Sejong, 2-3 hours from Seoul, this 20-odd-mile stretch of solar-panel-covered bike-way provides electricity to nearby areas – as well as shade and protection from rain for the bike riders underneath.

Hmm … solar-powered bus lanes in the middle of our freeways one day, maybe? Just a thought.

www.truckandbus.net.au 047

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Interview

60mins with...

Nikki Brouwers Managing director, The Interact Group

Bus driving as a career has myriad rewards, but it isn’t always easy street for many - and that’s aside from the cars parked illegally in narrow streets blocking a bus’s way! The daily stresses and physical and health challenges add another often under-appreciated dimension to the role. Coach & Bus editor Fabian Cotter recently caught up with The Interact Group’s Nikki Brouwers in Sydney to learn how crucial it all is. www.truckandbus.net.au 049

Q

Hi Nikki, thanks for taking the time to chat with Coach & Bus

magazine, glad to have you on board. Nikki, please tell us a bit about yourself and how you got to where you are today. What was your background and influences that lead you here to The Interact Group?

NB: “I started The Interact Group 21 years ago and it has grown to its current size of

100 staff. I graduated from the University of Sydney as an Occupational Therapist in 1992 and attained a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from the Macquarie Graduate School of Management in 2012. Our team of experienced health

professionals operate on the ground with local communities to deliver services that make a ‘real-life’ impact for those we do work with.

I’m a current member of the Australasian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (AFOEM) Health Benefits of Work (HBOW) Signatory Steering Group (SSG) and a former board member of the National Employment Services Association (NESA). I’ve also served as member of the NSW’s Workers Compensation and Work Health and Safety Council, providing expert technical and operational advice to the Minister for Finance and Services and have served on a number of committees under the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations’ Disability Employment Services program.

I specialise in the field of disability management, workers compensation

and risk and safety management at work.

This includes having presented at, and

participated in, International Disability Forums on Disability Management (IFDM) in London, Los Angeles and Berlin.

traditional family-owned business practices with modern, innovative and at times confronting new-age workplace pressures.

In March of this year, we delivered the results of an industry-first Health & Wellbeing Study to the industry, which revealed a new benchmark in driver health and wellbeing best-practice for the bus and coach industry. The Study revealed an industry thriving on innovation, leadership and core family values. The Study highlighted that drivers often face frequent occurrences of bullying, harassment or

discrimination in the workplace (consistent with Safe Work Australia’s statement on the Psychological Health and Safety and

Bulling in Australian Workplaces released in 2014) and that by empowering them with appropriate response techniques and behavioural management tools, they are better able to manage incidents at the time they occur, instead of after the fact.

We are seeing an improvement in Driver resilience. For example, our ‘Day In The Life Of A Bus Driver’ case study used during the Bus & Coach Health & Wellbeing Study showed us that almost all study participants (96 per cent) completed the Interact Group’s bullying and harassment training with 96 per cent of participants indicating that they had not experienced bullying or harassment since the trials.

There has been a 10 per cent increase in the number of participants (previously 86 per cent) who said that they had not experienced bullying or harassment since a NSW Bus Operator Health and Wellbeing Survey was conducted by The Interact Group in 2012.”

Q. You’ve made mention of an ‘aging Australian workforce’ in terms of bus

Q. You use the terms ‘strengthen’ and ‘build our resilience’ when it comes to the role

drivers. Are negative interactions with younger commuters solely generational based as regards to communication

for various reasons. From what you’ve seen and heard about, how bad is the situation would you say? And are things improving or getting worse and why?

across the board regardless of age? How hard is it for the modern bus driver to deal with this stuff day to day. What can they do to avoid or diffuse it?

of the modern-day bus driver. Sounds like they are pretty much getting hammered by various segments of the public each day,

NB: “Through my extensive experience in working with the industry, I am impressed to see how bus operators balance their

050 www.truckandbus.net.au

misinterpretation and techniques between the two, or is it just disgruntled and antisocial behaviour of some passengers

NB: “At a recent BusNSW seminar I discussed this topic at length and simply put to the audience that perhaps we cannot

“... 96 per cent had not experienced bullying or harassment since the trials.”

change our passengers, but we can build our resilience. The audience strongly agreed.

For any driver facing a diverse range of passengers each day it can be challenging to adapt and manage different scenarios that occur with passengers; however, given the appropriate responses and behavioural techniques they can be empowered to manage incidents as they occur.

The bus and coach industry attracts and

retains Australia’s aging workforce; therefore, we should be celebrating and encouraging the employment of mature-age workers within the industry and acknowledging that their culture and values may be different to that of their passengers.”

Q. We hear about bullying in school and in the workplace. Have you heard of much of this stress-inducing activity happening in busy environments? What are some of the tips and techniques drivers can invoke to deal with such?

NB: “The relationship between mental health and the workplace is a complex one for bus drivers both in terms of the significant proportion of time they spend at work, as well as the contribution the workplace has on the development or worsening of depression and anxiety conditions through a number of notable factors.

An understanding and demystifying of depression and anxiety is an important way to build the skills and knowledge of

bus operators. We know that anxiety and depression is prevalent in our workplaces; however, the skills and confidence to address these issues differs across organisations and we need to build competence in this area.

For drivers trying to deal with incidents of bullying and harassment, often all it takes is applying a good fair common-sense approach to prevent the incidents from occurring, or taking some time to think through their response before reacting.”

Q. From a bus owner/operator’s point of view, what kind of stuff can they do to

fix, or enhance, or at least monitor any negative occurrences involving their bus drivers? Some organisations are of the size that makes these things manageable and

monitorable, but would you agree that some organisations are so large that it’s hard to detect how their fleet drivers and sundry bus

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operational staff are dealing with stresses and problems? What can they do?

NB: “In my experience, an organisation of any size can make a positive impact on the mental health and overall health

and wellbeing of their staff. Typically, workplace mental health issues come to the attention of management or colleagues when everything reaches rock bottom.

This is simply too late. Early intervention and prevention is critical. Building trusting

relationships where issues and concerns can be discussed in confidence to prevent any escalation into something bigger is a great first step for bus operators.

Refer to these seven habits of a healthy bus company, in terms of what bus operators can do to detect mental health issues:

1. Promote and support healthy lifestyle choices; 2. Have a zero tolerance for bullying or harassment; 3. Understand that work is good for your health and promotes remaining at work following injury, illness or disease to promote recovery; 4. Support staff through strong supervisor soft skills; 5. Provide access to Employee Assistance Program (EAP) counselling for staff and family;

6. Build the resilience of drivers to deal with passengers through training; and 7. Understand the needs of an ageing workforce and adapt accordingly.”

Q. What kind of things does The Interact Group offer both bus drivers and bus operators, in terms of making their

workplaces better? What percentage of ‘the message’ is positively received or is it largely falling on deaf ears, so to speak? How can this be addressed?

NB: “We are working with operators and their drivers daily to actively promote the Health Benefits of Work. We offer

services that complement our HBOW philosophy “work is a tonic that makes you well”, including workplace rehabilitation; employment services; corporate health and wellbeing; and Employee Assistance Programs and training and assessments.

We find the bus and coach industry to be

052 www.truckandbus.net.au

“Typically, workplace mental health issues come to the attention of management or colleagues when everything reaches rock bottom.”

extremely responsive in their understanding of the HBOW, as well as the importance of

these programmes in maintaining a long and healthy future for their businesses – for every $1 spent there is an $8 saving.

For us it’s simple, if someone is sick or injured,we get them back engaged with work as soon as possible and recovery at work is a key message that is being heard by the industry.”

Q. Are problems faced by drivers solely a

bi-product of their working environment, or does the individual often have their own deeply seated mental health issues that need to be addressed? How is it both detectable and manageable by both the individual driver and the operator employer etc? Is a stressful work environment independently and exclusively bringing these issues to the surface, or is it a much bigger contributor to such? And who and how should the issue be approached upon discovery?

NB: “Workplace harassment can have significant human and financial costs for a business and can lead to the breakdown of teams and individual relationships, poor worker health and reduced efficiency, productivity and profitability. For bus operators it makes good business sense to ensure workplace harassment is prevented or controlled.

Building trusting relationships, where issues and concerns can be discussed in confidence to prevent any escalation into

something bigger, is a great first step for employers. Operators should foster an open, transparent and safe communication, so that their drivers feel comfortable in reporting what they experience - or see others experience - without fearing judgement or consequences.

Earlier this year we developed a 24-hour, 7 days per week, confidential telephone counselling service for drivers to give

them instant access to a team of health professionals to discuss issues, incidents or trauma they are experiencing at work or at home. What we can then determine from each confidential phone call is if psychological treatment is required and, if so, connect them with our registered

psychologists. This service forms part of our Employee Assistance Programs and feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.”

www.truckandbus.net.au 053

Q. Bus drivers spend many hours behind the wheel, and sleeping odd hours between

shifts often. How can and does this affect their personal health and what sort of stuff can they do to help alleviate such inactivity?

What are some of the simple things that they can do themselves during the day to stay fit and healthy?

NB: “Both drivers and operators need to

ensure that exercising and healthy eating choices become a daily part of their routine – both at home and at work. Operators should lead by example and implement programmes and provide support to their drivers to assist them in making healthy choices and they’ll see the flow-on effects in the health of their drivers.

Maintaining an active lifestyle, through work, physical activity and other hobbies ensures a long and healthy future.”

Q. And finally, have you noticed any trends when it comes to problems drivers face or organisations come to you with? For example, is there a commonality or theme that seems to be evident throughout all entities approaching you, or do certain sized

organisations in certain areas of Australia and New Zealand seem to have the most regular problems? Does the age of the company have anything to do with? Is it more often management’s fault or the workers or solely outside factors marring the ‘bus driving

experience’ day to day? And have these been able to be successfully addressed? If not, how and why?

NB: “I am fortunate enough to have seen, first hand, the success that bus operators

have had where, through changing culturally accepted workplace ‘norms’, they have managed to positively influence the

“Maintaining an active lifestyle ... ensures a long and healthy future.”

psychological wellbeing of their employees as well as their business. Not only are operators changing the way they manage and prevent workplace bullying, but drivers

are also adopting new skills when it comes to managing their own workplace health and wellbeing. The industry has taken a proactive stance and is at the forefront of change.”

054 www.truckandbus.net.au

Mini bus. Mighty features.

Introducing Australia’s first and only genuine Mercedes-Benz Minibus.

It may be smaller than a regular bus, but the all-new Mercedes-Benz Minibus is packed with the latest innovations in safety, fuel efficiency and performance, setting a new benchmark for minibuses in Australia.

Whichever industry you operate in, your passengers deserve the very best in safety and comfort when travelling in your care.

Give the people what they want.

HEM1971

To find out more about the unrivalled Mercedes-Benz quality features of the new Minibus, visit www.mercedes-benz.com.au/buses

We Want

BY DESIGN

056 www.truckandbus.net.au

Sometimes it’s not about thinking outside the square, but more thinking a little in the circle and ‘loopy’ to push the boundaries of conventional bus design. What the Iveco Ellisup may lack in immediate visual acceptability it sure makes up for in redefining conventional stylistic thought. Coach & Bus editor Fabian Cotter explains.

www.truckandbus.net.au 057

1

1

The Gemini 3 Style body looks pretty good in the rear.

2 A slightly edgier look, especially around the front widscreen and top window.

3 Looks like good vision for passengers all-’round. Winner, winner, chicken dinner.

1

1 The Ellisup was a quite the show-stopper;

gave many people loads to talk about.

2 It’s probably too stylish for real-world

use, but the idea is what counts.

3 Aside from the delightfully panoramic

front windscreen, it looks rather conventional from front on.

O

h, it’s out there. Way out there.

Not like some so-called mythical Nibiru planet on an apparent death-wish collision course with the Earth or something, as some Area 57type, weird-oufit-wearing space buffs might ramble on about at an unofficial Star Trek convention or such, but it’s definitely a little bit out of the ordinary for sure. Yet there’s so much to learn from the Iveco 12m Ellisup Concept plug-in electric bus.

something that sets a new benchmark that will force the various powers that be to totally rewrite or abandon them. Or at least scare them into the possibility of that. Not just embellish something old, but try something new.

With the 2015 Busworld show just around the figurative corner, it is such landmark interpretations at such an event of what will influence or be the bus of the future that for many is the thoroughly exciting part of where the global bus industry could go. A snapshot

Consider, for example, the very fact most – if not all – current bus seating designs have commuters forwards or backwards facing, with only a small area of seats running parallel with the bus. That’s fine, and in many cases legally and pragmatically the done thing. But what about people facing each other and travelling sideways throughout the bus? Totally throw their visual perception of movement around a little, keep them on their toes so to speak, break the monotony of

about breaking design rules, but in fact doing

acceptability and usability.

growth rate of people not even looking out the

Making its debut at the 2013 Busworld Kortrijk show, in Belgium, the Ellisup was a delightful reminder that it’s not so much

2

058 www.truckandbus.net.au

3

into the way things could be improved or done altogether more differently, challenging our perceptions of bus and coach design

the traditional journey with a healthy shot of cognitive variety? It can’t hurt, could it? These days and in those to come the exponential

windows as their faces will be buried in deep concentration looking at tablet and phone

(Commercial and Technical Study and Development centre for electric and electronic

exiting). The design also allows for larger windows that grant passengers panoramic

design means passengers now have the option of choosing in which direction they want to face. And if that means it engenders a greater atmosphere of friendly interaction and

bus concept able to operate in full electric mode along an entire service line and rapidly recharge in the span of a few minutes at the end of the line. Simple enough as an idea.

profitability, it’s claimed. The vehicle is a demonstration of the progress that Iveco Bus and its partners have made in terms of innovation for the future of urban transport.

screens means they’d hardly get bored at glancing at others, or watching the world rush by without twisting the neck.

Either way, the beauty of the Ellisup’s interior

communication with commuters then perhaps Iveco is looking at the whole humble bus-trip experience in an exciting new light.

Touted as “an innovative concept for tomorrow’s public transport sector”, the Ellisup Concept Bus project, led by Iveco

Bus and its partners, is controlled by the French Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME). It is directed by Iveco Bus in collaboration with Michelin; RATP (the French state-owned public transport operator); EDF (Électricité de France); the CEA (French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission); IFP Energies Nouvelles; IFSTTAR (the French Institute of Science and Technology for Transport, Spatial Planning, Development and Networks); ERCTEEL

technologies); and RECUPYL (a company specialising in the innovative recycling of batteries into strategic metals).

The objective? To develop a new electric

According to Iveco, the target total cost of ownership for this system is between that of a diesel fleet and that of a trolleybus. The

Ellisup is equipped with an electric motor developed by Michelin, which is housed within four of the eight small wheels. The motor uses an innovative combination of batteries and super-capacitors, which act as devices for the storage of energy, characterised by high power density and great durability, it’s claimed.

The small wheel size enables a new architecture, which is a total departure from that of a traditional bus, says Iveco.

The interior space has been increased and rendered more liveable, optimising the flow of passengers at bus stops (boarding and

views, it’s said.

As a concept bus, it incorporates numerous other innovations that enhance on-board comfort and safety, as well as operator

It may not suit all bus uses, but as a niche market product it raises a lot of interest into how we could travel in future and on what type of routes. It’s eye-catching internal illumination is matched by the bedazzling exterior LED screens embedded into the

roof hem, which could be used for all sorts of information dissemination – like weather, temperature and full-capacity data to immediate onlookers as they approach.

As an airport-tarmac shuttle it could prove ideal, or for inter-hotel transit needs it could be just the ticket for keeping discerning travellers enthralled and interactively involved.

We can’t wait to see what new possible design directions Busworld 2015 might bring...

“...passengers now have the option of choosing in which direction they want to face.”

AT A GLANCE...

MAIN FEATURES: - 8km Autonomy - 4-minute fast charging - Electric wheel hub motors - New space organisation (ideal passengers flow and new seat layout) - Panoramic view - Innovative electric plug-in system - Internal and external information displays - Adaptive indirect LED lightings - Emphasised door frame - Enhanced operator’s productivity due to a reduced dwell time - Large surface available for standing passengers, increased compared to a conventional bus - Full-electric mode with unlimited autonomy and high passenger capacity - A revolution in terms of passenger communication and advertising with dynamic extra-large screens

www.truckandbus.net.au 059

Hot Stuff

By Fabian Cotter

Gadgets on the go

We’ve scoured the globe for all the latest gadgets and gizmos for when you are on the go.

Lily Camera IT MAY not work exactly as well as the absolutely amazing promotional videos going around YouTube, but the Lily Camera – a personal drone that is also a camera that flies above and around you filming everything you do – is an absolutely ingenious invention.

There are all sorts of cool and practical implications for this tech.

WHAT? WHO? HOW MUCH? CONTACT?

Whether you are playing sport or just getting out and about outdoors and want to film it from above, the Lily Camera will be your new best friend as she locks onto the tracking device you are wearing and captures your every move.

Just think of the search and rescue advantages, or other corporate filming uses! Yep,

Lily Camera Drone Lily Camera USD$619 (delivered) www.lily.camera

ultimate selfies!

The Midnight Black polycarbonate and brushed aluminium 1.3kg drone has a built-in lithium-ion battery, good for 20 minutes flight time, charging via a 5A charger for two hours. It’s waterproof to rating IP67 and its camera has video resolution of 1080p at 60 fps / 720p 120 fps, filming in H.264 codec, .mp4 file format. Pics are 12 MP. Add in digital gimballing, image stabilisation, fixed focus, GPS, lens front, lens below, 4GB micro SD slot – this thing is the business!

Batteriser THIS WILL sound pretty weird and the claims of increasing old battery power output must be grossly overrated – otherwise why hasn’t this been mass produced before? - but it seems the technology of a ‘joule thief’ is behind the Batteriser, which claims to ‘resurrect’ dead batteries and imbue them with new life.

If it does so and that helps you power something briefly in an emergency situation, only then might something like this be handy to have on you.

It seems most new batteries contain 1.5V of energy when first bought. The problem is that many devices stop functioning at around the 1.3V mark. Batteriser uses micro-circuitry that lets you instantly tap into the 80 per cent energy that is usually thrown away, it claims (probably more like 20 per cent).

Batteriser is “an intelligent voltage management and delivery mechanism device made of thin 0.1mm stainless steel that slips over your battery and fits neatly

back into your device’s battery compartment, which can extend the life of your battery up to 8x.

Batterisers are reusable on new and most “used” batteries and will be available in AA, AAA, C, and D variations. Batteriser uses no chemicals and is safe for airline travel, the company states.

WHAT? WHO? HOW MUCH? CONTACT?

Batteriser Batteroo Inc. USD$3 (approx.) www.batteriser.com

Logitech Multi-Device Keyboard WE ALL like to carry our phones and tablets with us when we are out and about on business, and the odd spurt of typing messages is fine to do when they are hand held, but what if you really have to sit down and do work? This is where you might invest in a Bluetooth keyboard, but what a hassle to just have one keyboard paired to one device, or worse – WHAT? WHO? HOW MUCH? CONTACT?

Bluetooth® Multi-Device Keyboard K480 Logitech AUD$79.95 (RRP) www.logitech.com

one where you can’t really rest the phone or tablet properly so you can see the screen as you type?

The Logitech Bluetooth® MultiDevice Keyboard K480 is perfect as a one-stop shop when it comes to allowing you to type on a range of Bluetooth screen devices – and even better it has an in-built slot or cradle where you can firmly place your device for easy reading as you type. Brilliant!

Touted as a new standard for wireless convenience and versatility, the Logitech Bluetooth® Multi-Device Keyboard K480 connects with

up to three Bluetooth wireless– capable computers or mobile devices and lets you switch effortlessly between them.

Suitable for all Windows®, Android™, Chrome™, Mac OS® X, and iOS systems, the K480 works with all types of devices that support an external keyboard.

Available in white and black, it has a Bluetooth range of up to 10m (30ft) and a rechargeable (pre-installed 2x AAA) battery life of two years (claimed and depending on use). There’s an On/Off power switch and also a battery-life indicator light. Result!

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CLASS ACT

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For all advertising queries contact: advertising@truckandbus.net.au - 0411 099 091

Working Wheels

All Eyes On Me

Aimed at the European market, Hyundai’s got the light commercial vehicle (LCV) game firmly in its sights with the H350 van making its debut recently. Will it get to Oz? Fabian Cotter reports.

L

ET’S CUT to the chase right now: the Hyundai H350 is currently only

Bus and Chassis-cab, giving it options to go against the said Sprinter, Fiat Ducato and Ford

doors. The Turkish plant will also build the flexible H350 Chassis-cab, which provides an

available in Left-Hand Drive (LHD).

Right, with that out of the way, perhaps depending on sales and demand and if a RHD version hits the British marketplace then

Transit, for example. And with the Hyundai iLoad already doing well here just behind Toyota’s Hi-Ace it all could prove to be very interesting times.

efficient, versatile and robust foundation for customised bodywork for cargo boxes up to 4.0m long and 2.32m wide, it’s claimed.

Hyundai anticipates that the all-new H350

the H350 could be well placed to make its way down here.

Manufactured in Europe for the European

“With the start of production of the All-new H350 today, Hyundai will begin to play a key role in the European commercial vehicle sector.

will have strong appeal to customers seeking a premium LCV thanks to its large cargo capacity, ergonomic design and car-like comfort.

market by Hyundai’s partner Karsan Automotive in Turkey, hopes are that the all-new H350 will play a key role in the European commercial vehicle market, according to the big Korean automotive giant.

With production started of the company’s first multi-purpose light commercial vehicle (LCV), the all-new H350 is engineered to “deliver value beyond customer expectations and will establish new standards in its class,” it’s stated.

And reminding many remarkably of a current Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, arguably half the job has already been done for it in that regard.

The all-new vehicle is built on a flexible platform that supports three body styles: Van,

This portion of the market is forecast to grow significantly over the next few years, so now is the right time for Hyundai to enter Europe’s big van segment. Built in Europe, the H350 has been developed and tailored to meet the specific needs of most demanding customers across the region,” said Byung Tae Yea, executive vice president of Hyundai Motor Company.

According to Hyundai, the 3.5-tonne (GVW) H350 Van will be available with a choice of 5.5m or 6.2m overall lengths delivering best-in-class cargo capacity (12.9m3) and the unique ability to carry five Euro-standard pallets. The 4.0-tonne (GVW) H350 Bus offers customers two 13+1seat layouts and a choice of passenger access

Designers and engineers made efforts to develop the refined ride, strong performance and high safety standards that European customers expect, while delivering Hyundai’s characteristic reliability, competitive cost of ownership and generous warranty.

Hyundai sales of the all-new H350 started in Turkey during May with availability in eight other European countries starting in June. Further expansion across Europe is due throughout 2016.

The H350 is currently only being produced in LHD; however, plans to engineer a RHD variant are being reviewed with no time-frame yet confirmed, the company states.

“...a flexible platform that supports three body styles: Van, Bus and Chassis-cab.”

VAN SPECS Cargo area up to 12.9 metres cubed; Wide 180- and 270-degree rear access for ease of loading, wide sliding side door Load floor fitted with 14 cargo anchor points High-strength bodyshell (75 per cent advanced high-strength steel) Use of 98 per cent anti-corrosion steel Vehicle Dynamic Control system Hydraulic Brake Assist, Emergency Stop Signal Lane Departure Warning System Hill-Start Assist, Roll Over Mitigation 3.5-tonne (GVW) cargo van with two/ three seats 4.0 tonne Passenger Bus with 14/15 seats

062 www.truckandbus.net.au

Company Car

Very XE Lady

The iconic Jaguar brand has had its ups and downs, but its stunning new XE is definitely helping the big cat climb back up the tree. Having teased us for ages it is now due here in September, 2015. Fabian Cotter reports.

I

t’s a tough old market the compact luxury sedan one, dominated by the likes of

Integral Link rear axle – promises an engaging drive and pragmatic fuel economy for the

F-TYPE-derived 3.0-litre V6 supercharged petrol – are offered. Outputs are as follows:

BMW’s 3-series, Mercedes-Benz’s C-Class and Audi’s venerable A4, but Jaguar’s quietly confident its new XE sports saloon redefines not just itself but the market segment

modern company car driver.

With the new Ingenium diesel engines, the XE can achieve 4.2 litres/100km and 111g/ km CO2. When powered by the supercharged

the 2.0-litre i4 turbo diesel ‘20d’ delivering 132kW/430Nm; 2.0-litre i4 turbo petrol ‘20t’ delivering 147W/280Nm; 2.0-litre i4 turbo petrol ‘25t’ delivering 177kW/340Nm; and the

as well to be the ‘driver’s car’ in its class.

A lofty goal for sure and why not? While judgement can only be really given once it

3.0-litre V6 petrol engine, from the Jaguar F-TYPE, the XE S is capable of 0-100kph in 5.1 seconds.

3.0-litre V6 supercharged petrol pumping out 250kW/450Nm. Pricing starts from $60,400 (ex. on-roads)

lands, on paper and in imagery it certain looks and sounds the goods – a definite powerslide in the right direction perhaps.

Boasting lightweight construction, streamlined styling, luxurious interior and outstanding ride and handling, the rear-drive XE is the only vehicle in its class to use an aluminium-intensive monocoque. Extremely robust yet light, this structure - together with double-wishbone front suspension and an

The low seating position and long 2835mm wheelbase engenders a streamlined and well-proportioned physique, while inside the aluminium-intensive Jaguar XE offers a range of exquisite materials and finishes. XE will be available in four trim levels: Prestige, Portfolio, R-Sport and S, offering the customer a choice of increasing luxury or sportiness.

Four advanced engines - from the all-new highly efficient Ingenium diesel engine to the

for the 2.0T Prestige right the way to the big bopper V6 S at $104,200 (ex. on-roads).

The smallest, lightest and stiffest Jaguar saloon is also the most aerodynamic Jaguar ever with a Cd of 0.26, accentuating its gorgeousness when hunkering down thanks to sports suspension (with Adaptive Dynamics) over 19-inch ‘Venom’ five twin-spoke alloy wheels with red brake calipers on the S variant.

Mmmm. Bring on September 1st!

“...promises an engaging drive and pragmatic fuel economy.”

CAR SPECS MAKE: Jaguar MODEL: XE S ENGINE: 3.0-litre V6 supercharged petrol.

Power – 250kW; Torque - 450Nm TRANSMISSION: 8-speed auto with paddle shifters SUSPENSION: Double wishbone and integral link; Sports suspension (with Adaptive Dynamics) MISC.: All Surface Progress Control (ASPC); laser projection technology; deployable bonnet

064Money Matters

Paul Clitheroe INVESTING FOR A LONG TIME

T

he Federal Government’s latest Intergenerational Report has dished up some remarkable findings about our life expectancy. It’s estimated that in around 40 years, nearly 2 million Australians will be aged 85 or more, including 40,000 people who will live beyond their 100th birthday. This exceptional rise in longevity has profound implications for the way we invest our retirement savings.

When we think about investing, the issue of ‘market’ risk often comes to mind. It’s the likelihood that investment markets will take a dip in the red leaving us with less capital and, therefore, reduced money to live on in our senior years.

But there is growing awareness of ‘longevity’ risk – the possibility that we could outlive our savings. And it’s not just something future generations of retirees need to plan for.

The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) recently released a report entitled ‘The Future of Retirement Income’.

It shows the average life expectancy of a 65-year-old female today is about a further 22 years, to 87. A 65-year-old man can expect to live for a further 19 years to about age 84.

Remember, these are averages. The same research shows around 40 per cent of women - and 26 per cent of men – currently aged 65 will live to age 90.

With potential lifespans like these, tucking all your retirement assets into term deposits and other cash-based investments that yield low returns are no longer a realistic approach to making your money last through retirement.

After all, your retirement could span 30, maybe even 40 years. Portfolio diversification and having greater exposure to growth assets, like shares, are the keys that can help retirees make their superannuation last longer.

To see how this works in practice, ASFA looked at a number of scenarios. It found that retirees with a ‘defensive’ portfolio, where the bulk of their money (75 per cent) is invested in cash and fixed income assets, could

reasonably expect their super savings to last until about age 90 (assuming eligibility for a part Age Pension).

By contrast, retirees who invest in a more diversified portfolio with 43 per cent in cash/ fixed income and the remainder spread across local and international shares, property and other investments, could stretch out their retirement savings for an extra eight years.

These projections rely on a few important assumptions - notably a lump sum of $510,000 on retirement, and a comfortable though not extravagant lifestyle. Nonetheless the exercise highlights the merits of investing in growth assets in our senior years.

Along with the potential for higher returns, growth assets bring additional risks. This

“...cash-based investments that yield low returns are no longer a realistic approach to making your money last through retirement.” leaves retirees facing some complex decisions when deciding their ideal portfolio mix. Making the right choice is important and accessing quality information plays a valuable role here.

ASFA’s consumer website – Super Guru (www.superguru.com.au) - features a range of useful booklets and fact sheets, or take a look at my book Making Money for ideas on investing in retirement. Tailored advice can be an excellent investment in retirement and many super funds offer a financial planning service, or speak with a professional financial adviser to determine the blend of investments best suited for your retirement needs.

Paul Clitheroe is a founding director of financial planning firm ipac, chairman of the Australian Government Financial Literacy Board and chief commentator for Money magazine. Visit www.paulsmoney.com.au for more information.

064 www.truckandbus.net.au

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NEW SOUTH WALES 8 Enterprise Circuit 3-13 Kilcoy Dve Prestons NSW 2170 Tomago NSW 2322 +61 2 9426 6500 +61 2 4913 7100

QUEENSLAND 20 Amy Johnson Place Eagle Farm QLD 4009 +61 7 3243 5300

WESTERN AUSTRALIA 47 Beringarra Ave Malaga WA 6090 +61 8 9248 8055

Global Technology

AUSTRALIA’S BEST SELLING BUS in its class

11 years running*

available in

Sat-nav with

3 years maps, bluetooth

manual and automatic and Reverse Camera ®

25 Seats

With Up to Including the driver’s, Rosa has up to

4 more than Coaster

Call 1300 429 134 or visit fuso.com.au to find out more. *Rosa is Australia’s top-selling bus in its class for the last ten years based on Vfacts sales volumes 2004-2014. Fuso is distributed by Mercedes-Benz Australia/Pacific Pty Ltd ACN 004 411 410. Fuso Financial is a registered business name of Mercedes-Benz Financial Services Australia Pty Ltd ABN 73 074 134 517 AFSL 247271. Bluetooth® is a registered trade mark of Bluetooth SIG.