Volgren will today officially deliver the 500th low-floor bus built for ComfortDelGro Cabcharge (CDC), NSW’s biggest private bus operator, at a ceremony at Volgren’s Tomago Plant in Newcastle.
The 12.5-metre bus, which takes 44 seated passengers, was constructed at the Tomago plant. It will run on CDC’s bus network in the Hunter.
‘Without CDC, it would have been difficult for Volgren to build this factory in Tomago, which officially opened in March 2010,’ said Volgren’s Managing Director Peter Dale.
‘Our relationship with CDC has been very strong since we built our first bus for them six years ago,’ Mr Dale said. ‘Since then, we have built almost 580 vehicles, including school buses, as part of CDC’s enormous growth, mostly in NSW.
‘With this growth, and our ability to win commercial CDC tenders, we made this $20 million investment in manufacturing in the Hunter region, which has created more than 200 local jobs.’
Volgren is Australia’s biggest bus body builder, with factories in Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Tomago.
The NSW facility, which began in a temporary facility in Mid 2009, has produced a range of buses, including 65 14.5-metre buses for CDC, 12.5-metre buses, and “bendy buses” for the NSW Government.
CDC’s Chief Executive Officer Jim Glasson said he was delighted to accept the 500th low-floor bus, which he said would run here in the Hunter Region.
‘I’m delighted to accept this bus and endorse the strong relationship we have with Volgren. It is also a pleasure to see this NSW-built bus will transport NSW customers,’ he said.
‘We highly regard Volgren buses because of their Australian-made quality, their safety and the savings we make in whole-of-life costs. Volgren also offers great flexibility with their products and provides unparalleled after-sales service and support.’
CDC runs a fleet of almost 1200 buses in Greater Sydney and the Hunter region, and about 330 buses in Victoria. It employs about 2000 people.
The midday handover ceremony includes a photograph of all staff with the 500th bus.
More information: Tom Noble, 0408 332 880