Busabout Wagga Wagga
 | |
|
Bustech bodied Mercedes-Benz O500LE in October 2009 | |
| Parent | Joe & Tony Calabro |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1916 |
| Headquarters | East Wagga Wagga |
| Service area |
Wagga Wagga Harden |
| Service type | Bus services |
| Alliance |
Busabout Sydney Hawkesbury Valley Buses |
| Routes |
8 town services 48 school bus routes |
| Destinations | Ashmont, Bourkelands, East Wagga Wagga, Estella, Forest Hill, Glenfield Park, Gumly Gumly, Kooringal, Lake Albert, Mount Austin, North Wagga Wagga, Springvale, Tatton, Tolland, Wagga Wagga |
| Depots | 2 |
| Fleet | 61 (December 2014) |
| Website | www.busaboutwagga.com.au |
Busabout Wagga Wagga is an Australian private bus company formed in 1916 as Fearnes Coaches, with depots in Wagga Wagga and Harden, New South Wales.
History
Fearnes Coaches
Fearnes Coaches was founded by William Fearne and William Borlase in 1916 as a general carrier and charter bus operator, however Borlase pulled out of the partnership in the early 1920s.[1] By 1929, William Fearne had started the first route and timetable in Wagga Wagga between the suburb of Turvey Park and Docker Street which was later extended to North Wagga Wagga.[1]
In 1936, William Fearne's son Clive bought the company and ran it until his death in 1989. The business then passed to his son Garry, who died in 1996, leaving the business to his widow Audrey, who ran it until deciding to retire and sell the business in December 2008.[1][2]
In 1988, an express service to Sydney was introduced followed in 1998 by a service to Melbourne.[3] In June 1990, Fearnes began coach services from Cootamundra to Tumbarumba and from Wagga Wagga to Griffith under a contract with CountryLink.[4] These were retained when re-tendered from December 1992.[5] Upon being re-tendered, the Griffith service passed to Makeham Coaches in January 2003 and the Tumbarumba service in January 2008.[6]
Sale to Busabout
On 5 December 2008, Fearnes Coaches was purchased by Sydney bus company Busabout purchased and rebranded as Busabout Wagga Wagga in 2009.[2] In February 2009, the coach services to Canberra and Sydney were discontinued.[7]
In November 2013 Busabout commenced operating the services previously provided by Charles Sturt University.[8][9]
Routes
As at October 2014, eight route services were operated in Wagga Wagga.[10]
| Route | From | To | Via |
|---|---|---|---|
| 960 | Wagga Wagga | Lake Albert | Kooringal & Tatton |
| 961 | Wagga Wagga | Bourkelands | Mount Austin |
| 962 | Wagga Wagga | Glenfield Park | Ashmont |
| 963 | Wagga Wagga | Glenfield Park | Turvey Park & Tolland |
| 964 | Wagga Wagga | Estella | North Wagga |
| 965 | Wagga Wagga | Forest Hill | East Wagga Wagga |
| 966 | Wagga Wagga | Charles Sturt University | North Wagga Wagga |
| 967 | Wagga Wagga | Charles Sturt University | Colin Knott Drive |
Fleet
As of December 2014, the fleet consisted of 61 buses and coaches.[11] Since taking over in December 2008, the Calabros have replaced over half of the fleet with a combination of buses transferred from their Busabout Sydney and Hawkesbury Valley Buses operations, second-hand purchases, most notably Volvo B10Ms from Reservoir Bus Company, and some new Bustech bodied Volvo B7Rs.
References
- 1 2 3 "Fearnes Buses". Junior Advertiser. Wagga Wagga City Council. 2007-03-28. Archived from the original on 13 June 2007. Retrieved 2008-05-04.
- 1 2 "Fearnes is sold to Sydney firm". Fairfax Media. The Daily Advertiser. 2008-12-06. Retrieved 2008-12-08.
- ↑ "Fearne's Coaches" Australian Bus Panorama issue 14/4 February 1999 page 29
- ↑ "Countrylink Contracts" Australian Bus Panorama issue 6/3 October 1990 page 26
- ↑ "New South Wales Rural Coach Services" Australian Bus Panorama issue 8/6 February 1993 page 31
- ↑ Makeham's Coaches Australian Bus Fleet Lists
- ↑ "Coach services face axe". ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). 28 January 2009. Retrieved 22 August 2013.
- ↑ Expanded bus service to CSU Charles Sturt University 24 October 2013 Retrieved 8 November 2014
- ↑ University revamps bus service The Daily Advertiser 25 October 2013
- ↑ Timetables Busabout Wagga
- ↑ Busabout - Wagga and Harden Australian Bus Fleet Lists
External links
Media related to Busabout Wagga Wagga at Wikimedia Commons
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