Australasian Bus & Coach – May 2019

(^30) ABC May 2019 busnews.com.au
COVERSTORY V/LINE COACH
Territory, it explains, and that: “Private
sector coach operators provide all V/
Line coach services.”
And one of those operators is Gold
Bus in Ballarat, Victoria, part of the
Donric Group.
FLEET ADDITION
Typically, the Scania-chassis, Coach
Design-bodied coach gracing our
cover this issue is a classic example of
a modern V/Line coach that is servicing
the needs of sundry regional travelling
communities.
The specs on the Scania are
impressive. The K440 EB chassis is in
a 6x2*4 configuration, with a steerable
tag axle and bogie distance of
1, 500mm.
In terms of power, it’s running a
13-litre six-cylinder 440hp (328kW)
Euro 5 SCR engine that can run on
biodiesel, says Scania. The gearbox
is its own-branded GRS0895R (non-
overdrive) with Scania Automated
Opticruise gear-changing featuring
Economy, Standard and Power modes.
Plus it has Ecocruise and a Scania R
4100 D retarder. The rear-axle gear
ratio is 3.07:1.
Rolling stock consists of aluminium
wheels and Michelin tyres, with disc
brakes, Hill Hold and bus stop brake
on all axles. All ‘round air suspension
(four springs at rear) aid a smooth and
convenient ride, with independent
front suspension with kneeling
function, of course.
Other mod-cons include: an axle
load display on the dash; LED daytime
running lights; leather steering wheel;
electronic stability control; cruise
control; and a Scania Communicator
(aka ‘black box’).
Yet while that will provide travellers
with a lot of the safety and comfort
they may not truly appreciate
underfoot, it’s the Coach Design
bodywork and interior fitout their eyes,
arms, bums, backs and feet will most
remember.
BODY BEAUTIFUL
As Coach Design legend Chryss
Jamieson explained to ABC magazine
recently, this bus – the first of two
ordered – is similar to other builds
from the company, yet equally unique
to meet V/Line stipulations and other
aesthetic enhancements.
“Front bull bar is a bit different and
not for any real reason. We made
the change as it looked a bit more
fitting for the shape of the headlights,”
Jamieson said.
“As this is a Victorian-based
customer, the Scania sales coordinator
in Melbourne usually gets the graphics
fitted there, but in recent times a
Brisbane-based company called
Label Concepts have been fitting the
art work. It helps Scania speed up
the delivery time as most operators
getting a new coach always wanted it
yesterday,” he explained.