(^40) ABC October 2017 busnews.com.au
DRIVEN CUSTOM SB50
walking people when I had a sore
foot and couldn’t drive. They kept
saying to me, ‘His dad taught him
how to drive well,’ and thanked
him for his good driving.
“Peter had to tell them all it
was me who taught him. The next
meeting I went to they all asked
if it was true that I had taught
him to drive the bus instead of his
father, and I said, ‘My word his
father was a horrible driver –
I taught Peter how not to drive
like his father.’”
CHANGING TIMES
Having operated the business
for more than 25 years, Peter
explains that things are a lot
different now to when the
company started; importantly, it’s
had to embrace technology and
all its advances and changes.
“The new buses make life a lot
easier in some respects. All these
new computerised buses have
meant a change in how we operate.
“There have, of course, been
many challenges in dealing with
the changes in the transport
industry along with all the
technical requirements.
“The changes to buses have been
one thing, but the changes to the
technology with buses becoming
computerised has meant we now
use speci¾ c diagnostic scan tools
and our mechanics have had to
complete courses and update their
skills in Sydney to learn how to
‘talk to the buses’ basically.
“It’s no longer like the old days
where you had to ¾ gure things
out mechanically – now it is all
computerised.”
Dealing with Transport for
NSW has “probably been the
hardest battle”, according to Peter,
as the company learns about – and
adjusts to – the changes, with
advanced security systems a
welcome development.
“For this part we are lucky to
have Melissa coming on board.
Like most young people, she is
‘computer switched on’, as is
Wayne’s wife Julie, so between
the two they work out what the
department requires and what
we need to do to meet the
changing requirements.
“There is now a lot more
reporting for both us and the
drivers, so you no longer just go
out and drive a bus. You need to
report everything as it happens.
“The security camera systems
have been a huge advancement
and they pay for themselves.
Recently we had an on-bus
incident and the video footage
was crystal clear – it was easily
visible what had happened. The
footage is played and the incident
is dealt with according to what the
cameras have captured.
“Before cameras there was an
interview process and varying
opinions, but the cameras are
worth their weight in gold for both
the drivers and the company.”
LOCAL COMMITMENT
Custom Bus Australia is based
in Sydney and proudly states it
is the second-largest bus body
building company in Australia,
manufacturing environmentally
sustainable buses designed for a
25-year life cycle.
Above: Custom
Bus has
delivered the
goods
Below: The
interioir looks
sharp
singke
(singke)
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