busnews.com.au April 2018 ABC^11MISSED YA BUS – WOT?
WE DIDN’T see Pedestrian
TV’s curiously weird but funny
collection of video clips of
people missing their public
transport coming. Fortunately,
no buses shown. It’s just a
growing collection commuters
just missing their train rides,
displaying an array of funny
gestures and facial expressions.
Our drivers wouldn’t do
that, would they? Not unless
some people deserve it, that is.
Check out http://www.pedestrian.tv/
entertainment/missed-ya-bus-
instagram-comedy/MINI CARBOARD
BUSES – WOT?
WELL YOU CAN’T get cooler than
this! Okay, maybe you can, but if
folding up miniture cardboard
buses so you have your own
mini fleet is your thing then you
can’t really beat these ones from
TransitGraphics.
No glue required, these
inexpensive inter-locking bad
boys look awesome and would
make great corporate gifts or
educational tools. Could possibly
only be better if they contained
chocolate. Now there’s a thought!
Check out the range at http://www.
transitgraphics.com.auCAR DRIVERS STILL
UNAWARE – WOT?
IT SEEMS there is still a need
to tell car drivers to give way
to buses and MetroTasmania
is doing a good job of it with a
recent campaign.
‘Scuse Us is about warning
drivers – at least dopey ones – they
should give way to buses when
their indicators are on. That is
what they are there for, after all.
With passenger lives on board
both the bus and in the car, it
is an important issue often just
taken for granted.THE WOT!?!
VOLVO BUS AUSTRALIA Headquarters
takes up its new prime position this August
at a $30 million facility and dealership
in the massive $350 million, 90-hectare
Metroplex Westgate Business Park, near
Wacol, south-west of Brisbane.
In addition, there will be a VCV Brisbane
South dealership and paint and panel
workshop, with around 350 people
relocating from other Volvo worksites
nationwide into the new area. Overall, more
than 550 employees will still work at Volvo
Group Australia’s five other sites in Wacol.
Metroplex Westgate is a JV between The
GPT Group and local developer Metroplex.
A recently opened $20 million road link
greatly improves access to the Western
Business District site.
Once complete Metroplex Westgate
(divided into three section: East, West andSouth, the latter where Volvo will be based)
will include up to 300,000sqm of industrial,
commercial and retail floorspace – along
with 17 hectares of “green space and
nature corridors”.
Insiders reveal the new head office
near Brisbane will be decked out by a
Swedish interior design company for an
authentic Scandinavian feel, and there will
be an official opening of the dealership
with all of the Volvo Group companies
present, in time.
The new Brisbane HQ move comes at a
time when the majority of the Sydney Bus
Team will be leaving its Chullora, NSW,
base of 13 years in September to take
up residence at a brand-new location at
Prestons, south-west of Sydney, backed up
also by the new Truck and Bus dealership
at Blacktown.MELBOURNE UITP 2021 HOST BID
FIRMS UP – TRANSDEV HELPS OUT
LEADING AUSTRALASIAN bus industry
companies are rallying behind Melbourne’s
bid to host the 2021 UITP Global Public
Transport Summit – a massive event with only
three cities left to battle it out for top honours.
The other two final potential host cities are
Hamburg, Germany and Moscow, Russia.
If the bid is successful, it is estimated
the Summit will generate $9.4 million in
economic contribution to the State of Victoria.
The bid is being led by Public Transport
Victoria (PTV), together with the Melbourne
Convention Bureau (MCB) and Transport for
Victoria (TfV), and most recently Transdev
helped during a site visit by UITP aficionados.
The Summit is the largest public transport
event in the world and is a not-to-be-missedrendezvous for urban transport professionals.
From its inception in 1886, it has served as a
unique global platform for the international
public transport community, transport
ministers, mayors, industry CEOs and urban
visionaries to gain insight into the latest
solutions, innovations and products in public
transport and urban mobility.
Last month, Melbourne played host
to seven UITP representatives as part of
the official bid process. With the site visit
imperative to Melbourne’s success, the
representatives were collected from their
hotel in a mini Transdev bus boasting a
customised destination board welcoming the
delegates, before travelling to Government
House for dinner.NEW VOLVO BUS HQNEARS COMPLETION