(^12) ABC July 2019 busnews.com.au
AUSTRALIAN BUS manufacturers
Bustech and Precision Buses have
formalised their alliance with a
national joint venture (JV), focusing
on both capacity increase and
technical collaboration.
This official JV means the
companies are combining
capabilities to address opportunities
emerging from market-driven
changes to driveline technology,
they explain.
The organisations first formed
their alliance late 2015 to bring to
market Australia’s first designed,
engineered and manufactured
electric bus along with the first
low-carbon Euro 6 ‘Integrated Bus
Architecture’, the XDI.
Initially focused on the South
Australian market, the alliance
BUS-MANUFACTURING
JOINT VENTURE
ANNOUNCED
has since matured into a focus on
national volume with the combined
production capacity of Bustech’s
Burleigh Heads, Qld, facility and
Precision Buses’ Edinburgh Parks,
SA, facility in excess of 300 buses.
Luke Gray, director of Bustech, says
the formalisation of the joint venture
was an obvious next step.
“We have been working with
Precision Buses for over three years
now and the relationship has gone
from strength to strength. The closer
we worked together the more we
started to appreciate how formally
bringing the two companies
together would make perfect
sense,” he said.
CLOSER COLLABORATION
Christian Reynolds, managing
director of Precision Buses, says
he is looking forward to closer
collaboration with the Bustech
management team.
“We have constructed a product
road map which sees our collective
capability focus on both client and
passenger expectations and how
public mobility will transform over
the coming years,” he explained.
“We understand how market
adoption can increase very quickly
and this relationship allows us to
build an operational capability
to address these needs as the
market demands are addressed
and fulfilled.
“When you add to that the desire
for governments to increase falling
patronage through technology
enhancements and connectivity, the
timing of this joint venture could not
be any better.
“This is a great example of what
can be achieved when innovative
companies work together, and the
result will be the creation of value far
in excess of what could have created
working independently,” Reynolds
said.
CONTRACTS
Bustech currently delivers buses into
Queensland, Victoria, New South
Wales, Tasmania and the ACT, the
company confirms.
Precision Buses is working with
Scania to deliver buses into South
Australia, it states.
The joint venture has tendered for
the bus supply contracts in South
Australia and Canberra, which will
be announced soon..
Above:
The joint venture
has tendered for
the bus supply
contracts in South
Australia and
Canberra, it states.
FATAL COACH COLLISION IN VICTORIA’S WEST
DETECTIVES from the Victoria Police Major
Collision Investigation Unit continue to
examine the scene of a fatal collision between
a coach and a rolled-over B-double trailer in
the state’s west, it’s reported.
Despite the efforts of emergency crews
unfortunately the Firefly coach’s driver died at
the scene of the crash, which occurred on the
Western Highway on July 11.
“Officers have been told a bus carrying a
number of passengers was travelling along the
Western Highway near Pimpinio about 2am,”
Victoria Police state.
“It is believed the trailers of a B-double
truck travelling in front of the bus
dislodged and blocked the highway
in both directions.”
The roll-over blocked the highway
completely and the bus crashed into the
trailers, it’s reported.
At least two people have suffered serious
injuries and have been taken to hospital, the
police say.
Anyone who witnessed the incident
or with dash-cam footage is urged to
contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000
or submit a confidential report online at
http://www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.
NEWS
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