It is owned by KordaMentha (85%) and the Chapman Group (15%). The company was established in 1928 and is not affiliated with similarly named companies in other countries.
Greyhound Coaches was formed in Toowoomba in 1928 by Russell Penfold with a service between Toowoomba and Brisbane. In 1956 and again in 1962 Greyhound attempted to enter the interstate passenger express field but without success. In 1968, after entering the market a third time, the company succeeded in establishing services between Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide with Perth and Darwin added in the 1970s creating a national coach company.[1]
In 1975, the South Australian operations were franchised to Adelaide operators, Murray Valley Coaches, and Stateliner.[2]
In November 1989, the Penfold family sold Greyhound Coaches to Stateliner with the exception of the Brisbane - Gold Coast and Brisbane - Toowoomba services that were sold separately.[3] In 1992 Greyhound, Pioneer and Bus Australia merged with the combined operation rebranded Greyhound Pioneer Australia.[4][5]
In February 1999, Queensland Coach Company was formed by Greyhound Pioneer Australia to body 94 Scania coaches over five years to renew the fleet.[6] Originally an alliance was formed with bodybuilder Alan B Denning with it proposed the Galaxy body design be used. However, following the collapse of the Clifford Corporation, the rights to the Austral PacificMajestic body were purchased.[7] In July 2000, Queensland Coach Company ceased trading and was put into administration.[8]
In March 2000, Greyhound Pioneer Australia entered discussions with McCafferty's Coaches about a potential merge.[9][10] Subsequently Premier Motor Service made an unsuccessful takeover bid for the business.[8][11] In September 2000, a takeover bid from McCafferty's was accepted.[5][12][13]
In October 2004, McCafferty's sold the combined business to ANZ Bank and George Chapman with both operations rebranded as Greyhound Australia.[5] In 2006 ANZ sold its shares to KordaMentha.[14]
In 2005, the Sunshine Coast to Byron Bay services of Suncoast Pacific were purchased.[15] In October 2011, the Oz Experience backpacker business was purchased.[14]
In 2019, Greyhound Australia signed a three-month contract with BMD Group, a construction company that is building the railway from the planned Carmichael coal mine to Abbot Point. After the contract became public in early 2020, the Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef Foundation withdrew from its partnership with Greyhound and School Strike 4 Climate announced that it was planning to boycott the company. Greyhound subsequently announced that it would be withdrawing from the contract "following considered deliberation, and in the best interests of our staff, customers, and partners".[16]
From 11 December 2021 onwards, Greyhound Australia will once more be servicing the intercity routes it lost on 31 December 2014 to Bus Queensland Toowoomba.[citation needed]
Greyhound Australia provide coaches for transportation of mine workers, coaches used on these duties carry large fleet numbers, fluorescent yellow stripes and a roof mounted flashing orange light. Between July 2010 and June 2014, Greyhound Australia operated services between Lithgow and Gulgong, Coonabarabran and Baradine under contract to CountryLink.[24][25][26]
In the 1970s, Greyhound imported a fleet of Eagle 05 and 10 coaches.[28] In the 1980s it purchased Austral Tourmasters and Volgren bodied Volvo B10Ms. In 1995, it standardized on Scania coaches. When merging with McCafferty's in 2004 it inherited Austral Denning Highlanders, Denning Denairs, Denning Landseers (including their high deck variants) and Motorcoach Australia Marathons and Classics.[29] More recently it has purchased Iveco, Mercedes-Benz and Volvos. As at January 2021, the fleet consisted of 228 coaches.[30] In the 1970s, Greyhound adopted an orange and white livery. In 1993 a grey, white and blue livery was introduced following the formation of Greyhound Pioneer Australia. McCafferty's gold livery was applied when it took over the business in 2000 before the current red livery was introduced in 2004.[citation needed]
The Brisbane Transit Centre, at 151–171 Roma Street, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, was a long-distance bus station. It was closed and demolished in 2020 along with its three office towers. It was commonly regarded as the ugliest building in Brisbane.
Surfside Buslines was an Australian bus operator on the Gold Coast in Queensland. It operated 56 services under contract to the Government of Queensland under the Translink banner. It also operates nine services in the adjoining Tweed Valley of northern New South Wales under contract to the Government of New South Wales. As of 2022 Surfside Buslines has changed its name as part of a business re-brand by the parent company, Kinetic. Surfside Buslines has now been dissolved into the Kinetic brand with its fleet of buses reflecting this change.
Murrays Coaches is an Australian express and coach charter company.
National Bus Company was an Australian bus operator in Melbourne until August 2013. It also formerly operated buses in Brisbane between August 1997 and September 2004.
Rosewood railway station is located on the Main line railway in Queensland, Australia. It serves the town of Rosewood.
Busabout Sydney is a bus company that operates route bus services in South West Sydney, Australia. It currently operates on behalf of Transport for NSW.
Sunbus was an Australian bus operator in the Australian state of Queensland. It operated in 5 regional areas across the state under contract to the Government of Queensland under the TransLink banner. As of 2022 Sunbus has changed its name as part of a business re-brand by the parent company, Kinetic. Sunbus has now been dissolved into the Kinetic brand with its fleet of buses reflecting this change.
John Francis McCafferty (1914-1999) was one of the pioneers of the bus and coach industry in Australia, founder of McCafferty's Coaches and mayor of Toowoomba for 9 years.
Bus Queensland was formed in April 2009 when the Pulitano Group purchased both the Garden City Sunbus and Kynoch Coaches operations.
Custom Denning is an Australian bus body builder in St Marys, New South Wales.
Transdev Queensland Bus is an Australian operator of bus services in the Redland City region of Brisbane. It operates 31 services under contract to the Government of Queensland under the Translink banner. It is a subsidiary of Transdev Australasia.
Transit Australia Group (TAG) was one of Australia's leading mass transit specialists headquartered on the Gold Coast in Queensland.
Bus Australia was an Australian interstate coach operator formed in 1985 when Volvo Trucks dealer Max Winkless from Perth linked Across Australia Coachlines with Briscoe's Coachlines and Quest Tours of Adelaide, and Perth based Parlorcars Group. In 1989 the east coast-based Intertour business was purchased with 27 coaches. In 1993 Bus Australia merged with Greyhound Australia and Ansett Pioneer to form Greyhound Pioneer Australia.
Queensland Coach Company was an Australian bus bodybuilder in Eagle Farm, Brisbane.
Denning Manufacturing is an Australian bus manufacturer in Acacia Ridge, Brisbane, Australia. In September 2019, it was acquired by Custom Bus, but its branding and operations will be retained.
Ansett Pioneer was an Australian long distance coach operator. Founded in 1905 as the AA Withers Bus Company, the company maintained continuous operation under a variety of corporate monikers until its 1993 merger into Greyhound Pioneer Australia.
Premier Transport Group is an Australian operator of bus and coach services in New South Wales and Queensland. Its origins can be traced back to December 1987 when John King purchased Nowra Coaches. It has since expanded through a number of acquisitions.
McCafferty's Coaches was an Australian family run interstate coach operator from 1940 to 2004. In October 2004 the McCafferty family sold its shares and its operations were rebranded as part of Greyhound Australia
Stateliner is South Australia's largest long-distance coach operator, running services from Adelaide across the state.
Skennars was an Australian interstate coach operator.
References
↑ "Greyhound Australia" Fleetline May 1988 page 115
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
