(^4) ABC April 2018 busnews.com.au
IGNITION FABIAN COTTER
New beginnings
“G
ood evening, viewers...”
Growing up as a young kid in the suburbs of
Sydney in the early ’70s I was always riveted to the TV
watching The Paul Hogan Show, and loved how he
started each episode with that simple greeting before launching
into some quintessentially Aussie social commentary that set
the tone for the rest of the night. It was a way to command your
attention as it drew you in with eager anticipation of what laughs
and skits were coming your way.
It was a similar commanding of attention at the other end of
Irish comedian Dave Allen’s show, who would sit lonesome in a
dimly lit studio to deliver the final humorous story that would leave
you, in the least, with a cheeky chuckle if not a rolling belly laugh.
Loved it!
As the new managing editor of ABC – your favourite bus and
coach magazine – the team and I hope to not so much command
your attention but to earn it – and similarly keep you entertained
and informed from start to finish with the latest bus news, trends
and tech developments from both an Australasian and greater
global perspective, all the while having a bit of fun and reader
engagement as we collectively celebrate
our amazingly welcoming, competitive,
smart and friendly bus-and-transport
industry.
I’m telling you now, bus people are good
people, by and large. We put up with a lot
of stuff and we do a great job delivering
- mostly – a safe and quality transport
experience for the masses each day. Pat yourselves on the back!
You should be proud of that. Don’t forget it!
And for as much as it seems we are marketplace rivals – which
we are – we are also, as an industry, faced with many similar
challenges and changes together as we move forward into the
2020s and beyond.
I’ve been kicking around the bus and coach media world for
a few years now. And as many will attest to, they say if you ever
leave ‘busses’ you often find yourself ‘boomeranging’ back into
it somehow. At some unforseen time. In some unexpected way.
And for this I am grateful for the opportunity.
Have no doubt, in terms of raw substantiated readership
numbers (ie. That means legitimate!), ABC is the market-leading
bus and coach title in the region and it’s been around for nearly 30
years. So about the same age as me, really. Maybe ... (give or take a
decade or two).
On that note, I’d like to thank my immediate predecessors
Randall Johnston and Amie Hickland, who’ve done a great job
editing ABC and bringing you a quality publication to read each
month for the past few years. I can only hope to continue and build
upon the fine energies and efforts they have previously put in.
And I can only hope you, our loyal readers, will help me by telling
me what I’m doing right or wrong. We never stop learning in life
and only the foolish believe that they do so, so your input into what
you want to read, see and hear about in ABC is greatly and openly
appreciated. I’m merely a phone call or email away and – quite
disturbingly, I must admit – I’m always up for a good chinwag and
natter. I can’t help that – ‘whaddaya do’?
Change itself, though, is all around our beloved bus industry. It
comes from global technical innovation, from laws and regulations
affecting emissions and passenger safety, to increasing fuel
efficiencies and ‘smarter’ cost savings. It also comes from our
changing roles and corporate structures, and it is in this spirit
that we are delighted to have Volvo Bus Australia’s new general
manager on the cover.
ABC was fortunate to exclusively interview her, learn of her grand
plans for the brand in the region and, just generally, find out what
makes Lauren Downs tick.
Also this issue we check out a stunning Irizar i6 ‘Diamond Class’
coach run by operator Fun Over 50 in Springwood, Queensland,
while also overviewing the new Mercedes-Benz Sprinter range –
with a very interesting electric version garnering the lion’s share of
attention at a recent launch in Germany.
Our 2018 Seating Guide showcases some beautiful styles
and creations that can imbue your bus or coach with the tactileTimes they are a-changin’ – all throughout the industry ... and now
this very publication. A warm welcome from the editor’s seat“ABC magazine is the market-leadingbus and coach title in the region andit’s been around for nearly 30 years.”