Hoys Roadlines
Encyclopedia
Hoys Roadlines was an Australia
n bus operator based in the Victorian
city of Shepparton
. For 11 years from 1993 to 2004 the company also had a contract to operate train services on the Shepparton line on behalf of the State Government. The company was acquired by the V-Line Bus Company in July 2005.
in the north-east of Victoria,
to Shepparton, Bright
and the Mount Buffalo Chalet. The company later expanded into school bus
runs, charter coaches, and Department of Infrastructure contract coach services such as the daily Albury
- Adelaide
service. The company begun to downsize their operations after the loss of the rail franchise, the Adelaide – Albury route operations being purchased by Dyson's Bus Services
in August 2004.
under Jeff Kennett
put the operation of nine country passenger rail services to tender. Companies were invited to use trains, buses, or a combination of the two. Hoys won a 7 year contract for the Melbourne
to Cobram
service, which ran though Shepparton.
Hoys opted to operate trains as far as Shepparton, with buses beyond. Station staff, conductors and buffet staff were employed by Hoys; but the trains themselves were operated and maintained under a lease arrangement with the then operator of the line, the Public Transport Corporation
. This was in contrast to the other private company to win a contact, West Coast Railway
for the Melbourne - Warrnambool service, who decided to purchase maintain and operate their own trains.
for the provision of locomotive
s, crews, carriages, train maintenance and servicing, safeworking training and implementation, and food and drink catering services. Hoys could have extra passenger cars or luggage vans added to the train at an extra cost. Loading figures were given to V/Line every 28 days.
. A six month trial was also made for bus services to Finley
and Berrigan
in New South Wales, and a service to Griffith, New South Wales
was later adopted.
Hoys employed 11 staff, with half of them former V/Line employees. They included a station master at Shepparton, two station staff and 5 conductors, all trained by V/Line in safeworking
. A company conductor was in charge of the train, with a second conductor in charge of the buffet. Conductors could only sell tickets for Hoys operated services, with travellers connecting to V/Line services needing to buy tickets at Spencer Street Station, or from the ticket agent at Shepparton.
The company was responsible for the unmanned Nagambie, Murchison East and Mooroopna stations, as well Shepparton station which was manned. Trains were cleaned by Hoys at Shepparton during the daytime layover, with a thorough cleaning carried out when the train was stabled overnight. Any locomotives and carriages from the V/Line
fleet could be assigned to the service, with no special Hoys branding applied.
The usual consist of the trains was a 3 carriage 'N' set
providing 206 first and economy class seats, carrying 80-100 passengers at Shepparton, and 160-200 further along the line to Melbourne. By 1995 a 5.5% increase in patronage had been recorded. An average of 188 passenger per service was recorded, with 5500 sector fares sold per week. Local radio advertisement promoting the train were made, as some locals believed the train had been completely cancelled in 1993.
itself had been privatised, being sold to the National Express Group
, who in December 2002 withdrew from their operations in Victoria. V/Line passed back to full State Government control in 2003.
In August 2002 the state government had commenced negotiating with Hoys for a contract extension to 2006, but in 2004 V/Line took back the service when the franchise expired on June 30, 2004.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n bus operator based in the Victorian
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
city of Shepparton
Shepparton, Victoria
Shepparton is a city located on the floodplain of the Goulburn River in the north east of Victoria, Australia approximately north-east of Melbourne. It is the fifth largest city in Victoria, Australia. The estimated population of Shepparton's statistical area is 48,926.It began as a sheep station...
. For 11 years from 1993 to 2004 the company also had a contract to operate train services on the Shepparton line on behalf of the State Government. The company was acquired by the V-Line Bus Company in July 2005.
Bus services
The company commenced operations in 1930 from WangarattaWangaratta, Victoria
Wangaratta is a cathedral city of almost 17,000 people in the northeast of Victoria, Australia, about from Melbourne along the Hume Highway, with Benalla to the southwest, and Albury-Wodonga to the northeast. It is located at the junction of the Ovens and King rivers which flow from the...
in the north-east of Victoria,
to Shepparton, Bright
Bright, Victoria
Bright is a small sized town, located in northeastern Victoria, Australia, 319 metres above sea level at the southeastern end of the Ovens Valley. At the 2006 census, Bright had a population of 2684. It is in the Alpine Shire local government area...
and the Mount Buffalo Chalet. The company later expanded into school bus
School bus
A school bus is a type of bus designed and manufactured for student transport: carrying children and teenagers to and from school and school events...
runs, charter coaches, and Department of Infrastructure contract coach services such as the daily Albury
Albury, New South Wales
Albury is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia, located on the Hume Highway on the northern side of the Murray River. It is located wholly within the boundaries of the City of Albury Local Government Area...
- Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
service. The company begun to downsize their operations after the loss of the rail franchise, the Adelaide – Albury route operations being purchased by Dyson's Bus Services
Dyson's Bus Services
Dyson's Bus Services is a privately owned bus and coach operator in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. As a Melbourne bus company, it operates a number of bus routes under contract from the Victorian State Government. Beyond operating route services, it also owns the Cobb and Co coach company...
in August 2004.
History
In August 1993 the Victorian GovernmentGovernment of Victoria
The Government of Victoria, under the Constitution of Australia, ceded certain legislative and judicial powers to the Commonwealth, but retained complete independence in all other areas...
under Jeff Kennett
Jeff Kennett
Jeffrey Gibb Kennett AC , a former Australian politician, was the Premier of Victoria between 1992 and 1999. He is currently the President of Hawthorn Football Club. He is the founding Chairman of beyondblue, a national depression initiative.- Early life :Kennett was born in Melbourne on 2 March...
put the operation of nine country passenger rail services to tender. Companies were invited to use trains, buses, or a combination of the two. Hoys won a 7 year contract for the Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
to Cobram
Cobram, Victoria
Cobram is a town in Australia. Cobram is located on the Murray River which forms the border between Victoria and New South Wales. Cobram along with the nearby towns of Numurkah and Yarrawonga is part of Shire of Moira. Its twin town of Barooga is located on the north side of the Murray River....
service, which ran though Shepparton.
Hoys opted to operate trains as far as Shepparton, with buses beyond. Station staff, conductors and buffet staff were employed by Hoys; but the trains themselves were operated and maintained under a lease arrangement with the then operator of the line, the Public Transport Corporation
Public Transport Corporation
The Public Transport Corporation was a State Government of Victoria owned corporate body formed under the Transport Act 1983 which operated passenger and freight trains, trams and bus services in Victoria, Australia....
. This was in contrast to the other private company to win a contact, West Coast Railway
West Coast Railway (Victoria)
West Coast Railway was the trading name of The Victorian Railway Company Pty Ltd, a railway company operating in Victoria, Australia. The company operated passenger services between Melbourne and Warrnambool from 1993 to 2004.-History:...
for the Melbourne - Warrnambool service, who decided to purchase maintain and operate their own trains.
Contracts
Two contracts were entered into by Hoys. The first was with the Department of Transport to provide a public service of acceptable standard until 2000 and be compensated at an agreed rate per passenger carried per sector, these being Melbourne - Seymour, Seymour - Shepparton, and Shepparton - Seymour. A second agreed cost contract was made with V/LineV/Line
V/Line is a not for profit regional passenger train and coach service in Victoria, Australia. It was created after the split-up of VicRail in 1983. V/Line is owned by the V/Line Corporation which is a Victorian State Government statutory authority...
for the provision of locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
s, crews, carriages, train maintenance and servicing, safeworking training and implementation, and food and drink catering services. Hoys could have extra passenger cars or luggage vans added to the train at an extra cost. Loading figures were given to V/Line every 28 days.
Operations
From August 22, 1993 the company was contracted with the Department of Transport to provide 26 services each week. These included four trains and two buses (two and one each way) Melbourne to Shepparton Monday to Saturday, with one train each way on Sundays. A bus connection were made to Cobram, with some buses extended to Tocumwal, New South WalesTocumwal, New South Wales
Tocumwal is a town in the southern Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia in the Berrigan Shire Local Government Area, near the Victorian border. The town is situated on the banks of the Murray River, north of the city of Melbourne. The Newell Highway, part of the main road route between...
. A six month trial was also made for bus services to Finley
Finley, New South Wales
Finley is a town in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest town in the Berrigan Shire Local Government Area. At the 2006 census, Finley had a population of 2,054 people....
and Berrigan
Berrigan, New South Wales
Berrigan is a town located on the Riverina Highway in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Berrigan is in the Berrigan Shire Local Government Area and is the location of the Berrigan Shire Council offices...
in New South Wales, and a service to Griffith, New South Wales
Griffith, New South Wales
Griffith is a city in south-western New South Wales, Australia. It is also the seat of the City of Griffith local government area. Like the Australian capital, Canberra and the nearby town of Leeton, Griffith was designed by Walter Burley Griffin. Griffith was named after Sir Arthur Griffith the...
was later adopted.
Hoys employed 11 staff, with half of them former V/Line employees. They included a station master at Shepparton, two station staff and 5 conductors, all trained by V/Line in safeworking
Safeworking
Signalling block systems enable the safe and efficient operation of railways, so as to avoid collisions between trains. Block systems are used to control trains between stations and yards, and not normally within them. Any block system is defined by its associated physical equipment and by the...
. A company conductor was in charge of the train, with a second conductor in charge of the buffet. Conductors could only sell tickets for Hoys operated services, with travellers connecting to V/Line services needing to buy tickets at Spencer Street Station, or from the ticket agent at Shepparton.
The company was responsible for the unmanned Nagambie, Murchison East and Mooroopna stations, as well Shepparton station which was manned. Trains were cleaned by Hoys at Shepparton during the daytime layover, with a thorough cleaning carried out when the train was stabled overnight. Any locomotives and carriages from the V/Line
V/Line
V/Line is a not for profit regional passenger train and coach service in Victoria, Australia. It was created after the split-up of VicRail in 1983. V/Line is owned by the V/Line Corporation which is a Victorian State Government statutory authority...
fleet could be assigned to the service, with no special Hoys branding applied.
The usual consist of the trains was a 3 carriage 'N' set
N type carriage
The N type carriages are an intercity passenger carriage used on the railways of Victoria, Australia. They were introduced between 1981 and 1984 as part of the 'New Deal' reforms of country passenger rail services...
providing 206 first and economy class seats, carrying 80-100 passengers at Shepparton, and 160-200 further along the line to Melbourne. By 1995 a 5.5% increase in patronage had been recorded. An average of 188 passenger per service was recorded, with 5500 sector fares sold per week. Local radio advertisement promoting the train were made, as some locals believed the train had been completely cancelled in 1993.
End of contract
The initial contract with the government was due to expire in 2000, but was extended. During the contact period V/LineV/Line
V/Line is a not for profit regional passenger train and coach service in Victoria, Australia. It was created after the split-up of VicRail in 1983. V/Line is owned by the V/Line Corporation which is a Victorian State Government statutory authority...
itself had been privatised, being sold to the National Express Group
National Express Group
National Express Group plc is a British transport group headquartered in Birmingham that operates bus, coach, rail and tram services in the UK, the US and Canada, Spain, Portugal and Morocco and long-distance coach routes across Europe...
, who in December 2002 withdrew from their operations in Victoria. V/Line passed back to full State Government control in 2003.
In August 2002 the state government had commenced negotiating with Hoys for a contract extension to 2006, but in 2004 V/Line took back the service when the franchise expired on June 30, 2004.
External links
- http://www.hoys.com.au/ - official site
- Bus Australia: Fleetlist of the bus operations