busnews.com.au October 2017 ABC^33turning them over these days and they are
very experienced.”
The organisation does almost everything
in-house, including panel and paint.
“The only thing we outsource is
auto electrics, air-conditioning and
ZF transmissions. We like to support
other local businesses, especially when
taking over smaller operators.
“The previous owners will generally have
arrangements in place with local service
providers and you don’t want to upset
the apple cart. It’s best to just keep those
arrangements in place a lot of the time.”
There’s some construction on the
horizon at one of their depots in northern
Victoria as well.
“My cousin Jamie heads up our regional
depots and we are just about to expand our
Wangaratta complex with a brand-new
of¾ ce driver’s room,” he says.
“The Moama and Wodonga depots are
¾ ne for the time being. We are lucky to
have a lot of good people who look after
everything at our regional depots.”
The acquisition of Shepparton Transit is
good news for experienced drivers in and
around the regional city too.
“We have been looking closely at
Shepparton and we think that we might
need to hire a few more drivers between
now and Christmas.
“But the main focus really is on
growing the network up there and
hopefully putting on more services where
they are needed most.”
The organisation is in the midst
of metropolitan Melbourne contract
re-negotiations and will have a better idea
of where it is at with that within the next
four to six months. “Once we get the metro
contracts sorted we can really start to plan
ahead ¾ nancially and that will allow us to
get on with business,” Neil says.
The metro contracts aside, the team has a
big milestone to celebrate in October.“It’s our 65th anniversary and we have
a dinner and awards ceremony at the
Melbourne aquarium this month. We do an
annual dinner dance usually, but instead
of that we’re doing a cocktail evening for
something a bit different,” Lance reveals.
“We have also produced a book on our
history to mark the occasion that a lot
of our past and present employees have
contributed to, and it looks fantastic.”
While charter services make up a fairly
modest portion of the work the organisation
currently does, the team is looking to put a
renewed emphasis on luxury charter side of
the business in 2017-18.In January 1854, the ¾ rst Cobb & Co
coach left the Criterion Hotel in Melbourne,
bound for Forest Creek, a gold-digging
site close to Bendigo. Fast forward to 2017
and the Dyson Group now owns the brand,
which it is looking to re-invigorate with the
delivery of six new luxury coaches to be
used as part of the organisation’s tour and
charter services in the years ahead.
ABC reported on director Col Dyson
receiving the distinction of OAM for his
services to the bus industry and localcommunity recently. Now he’s all set to
receive the honour at Parliament House on
October 18. That puts him in a very small
group of Australian bus operators who have
been acknowledged this way.
In the foyer of the Dyson Group head
of¾ ce in Bundoora is a ‘family’ tree tracing
the history of the Dyson Group, which also
includes non-family members who have
contributed enormously to the business
over the years. This really shows that all
the staff are considered part of the wider
family; an inclusive mindset that has
undoubtedly contributed to its continued
growth and success.We like to support other local businesses,
especially when taking over smaller operators