Platinum Bus Service to Compete on the SYD to CBR Route

[deadfish]

If I was going to take up the bus option I think I would drive myself. Rarely drive to Sydney these days from CBR unless only spending time out West. Car is only a hassle once there as most time is spent in the city and home in Bondi.

Think I will stick to flying.


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As someone with a short attention span, I find Canberra-Sydney to be the dullest, most mind-numbing drive out there...bested only by Sydney-Melbourne. I would take the bus any day of the week

 

[Jkyn]

As someone with a short attention span, I find Canberra-Sydney to be the dullest, most mind-numbing drive out there...bested only by Sydney-Melbourne. I would take the bus any day of the week

Totally agree that's why I opt to fly. If I had to go down the bus route I think I would go for the train. Can move around buy a drink in the dining car etc.


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[elbarto]

Totally agree that's why I opt to fly. If I had to go down the bus route I think I would go for the train. Can move around buy a drink in the dining car etc.


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But the train also takes about 5 hours.


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[Blackadder]

Not to mention doesn't drop you in Canberra CBD.

 

[pshepvic]

Interesting as their definition of "a full day's work" is a litte different to mine!

Yes agree. In our office we would describe 9:30-4 as "gentlemen's hours".

 

[pshepvic]

As someone with a short attention span, I find Canberra-Sydney to be the dullest, most mind-numbing drive out there...bested only by Sydney-Melbourne. I would take the bus any day of the week

Try Melbourne to Adelaide sometime... (especially the bit from Horsham to Murray Bridge - it's like groundhog day).

I've never done it, but I'd imagine ADL-PER would be even worse...

 

[travelislife]

Yes. I like this.

1-1 or 1-2 and a later departure would almost certainly result in it being my preferred option.

I have always wondered why we don't have buses like in South America. Their 1-2 old style business class config is awesome. Wine and a meal to boot, a couple I movies and a round of bingo, brilliant. My guess is there is some registration issue for that style of bus, I have always thought there has to be a market for it on some routes.

 

[MarkD]

Its all to do with Australia's ADR for bus seats.
after the kempsey crash, they embarked on knee jerk ADR reform, in regard to seat strength and rollover/ impact protection, the end result was that seats had to be completely redesigned and engineered, including the mounts, it can be done, Luxuria Destinations; luxury 5 star Australian Coach and Golf Tour Holiday Specialist and it's very nice when done, however, the costs and the facts that that specific vehicle is non standard in a fleet such as greyhound would be a real pita.
Agree it would be nice, but we don't have the frequency, on short routes they have in Asia, in fact we simply don't have the volume of routes that would warrant such a service
on the positive side, we have the safest coaches in the world, with the Australian ADR the benchmark, and the ADR the new European design rules are based on, some 15 years after we introduced them.

I have always wondered why we don't have buses like in South America. Their 1-2 old style business class config is awesome. Wine and a meal to boot, a couple I movies and a round of bingo, brilliant. My guess is there is some registration issue for that style of bus, I have always thought there has to be a market for it on some routes.

 

[markis10]

As someone with a short attention span, I find Canberra-Sydney to be the dullest, most mind-numbing drive out there...bested only by Sydney-Melbourne. I would take the bus any day of the week

You should try Townsville to Charters!

 

[openseat]

Try Melbourne to Adelaide sometime... (especially the bit from Horsham to Murray Bridge - it's like groundhog day).

It's a shocker especially in summer when it's unremitting brown and mallee trees. Also overtaking can be dicey if you are driving in the afternoon/early evening towards Adelaide because of the sun. Much worse than Melbourne to Sydney on the Hume.

 

[Justinf]

You should try Townsville to Charters!

Don't mind that drive. Except for passing the road trains...that can be scary.

 

[Foreigner]

Sydney to Canberra Business class, by bus

http://www.ausbt.com.au/now-rolling-between-canberra-and-sydney-a-business-class-bus

Cost about a third of flight with Virgin / Qantas.



Edit: oops, didn't realize duplication of this news item.

 

[samh004]

Re: Sydney to Canberra Business class, by bus

I’m not someone to pick on AusBT, but their article is dated the 28th May and funnily enough, on the 25th it was being discussed on AFF.

 

[david-au-2000]

Re: Sydney to Canberra Business class, by bus

I'm not one to burst your bubble Samh004 but funnily enough, a lot of places had stories on this on the 25th if you do a search for it as I have just done (Greyhound takes on airlines - Yahoo!7, Cookies must be enabled. | The Australian, New Platinum Service: Australia’s Most Luxurious Coach Travel - Wholesaler News - etravelblackboard.com, Australian business news digest - May 25) because that is obviously when Greyhound sent out their press release or held their press conference or whatever.

It's really a riot that you think AFF is the only source of all travel news in Australia.

 

[Deleted member]

Doesn't look terribly Biz class to me

 

[scaredeycat]

Re: Sydney to Canberra Business class, by bus

Can't imagine anyone doing status runs on these services.

 

[harvyk]

Re: Sydney to Canberra Business class, by bus

But the train also takes about 5 hours.


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I've done the train from CBR-SYD-CBR once... It took a very long time as from memory it stopped off at Queanbeyan \ Tarago \ Goulburn \ Moss Vale \ Mittagong \ Campbelltown before getting into central (and same on the reverse, plus I'm sure there is a station or two I've forgotten about).

The seats where Y class equiv, and there was an option to purchase a meal plus it had a kiosk in one of the cars so it wasn't all bad (unlike the old bench seats they used to run). That said an express service it was not.

Doesn't look terribly Biz class to me

Y class seats and Y class pitch. About the only thing which is J is in seat power (although airlines are now installing this into Y), and WIFI (which they get from the fact they are not in the air).

 

[samh004]

I'm not one to burst your bubble Samh004 but funnily enough, a lot of places had stories on this on the 25th if you do a search for it as I have just done (Greyhound takes on airlines - Yahoo!7, Cookies must be enabled. | The Australian, New Platinum Service: Australia’s Most Luxurious Coach Travel - Wholesaler News - etravelblackboard.com, Australian business news digest - May 25) because that is obviously when Greyhound sent out their press release or held their press conference or whatever.

It's really a riot that you think AFF is the only source of all travel news in Australia.

I don't think it's the only place, and in fact if it had been picked up on the 25th by AusBT then this discussion would be moot, but it was instead debated here for a few days, giving the writers over there a chance to slack off.

Happens a lot, was just really obvious to be for a change. If you want to pretend it doesn't, sure whatever.




 

[kpc]

Re: Sydney to Canberra Business class, by bus

Having driven from Syd to and back from Cbr this past w/e for Ozfest, the nightmare part of the drive is the Sydney-Liverpool section which can be horrendous and take up to an hour due to heavy non moving traffic:evil::evil:. Liverpool to Canberra is about 2.5 hours (sticking to the speed limit which is advisable as I saw many speed traps along the way!)

 

[harvyk]

Re: Sydney to Canberra Business class, by bus

Having driven from Syd to and back from Cbr this past w/e for Ozfest, the nightmare part of the drive is the Sydney-Liverpool section which can be horrendous and take up to an hour due to heavy non moving traffic:evil::evil:. Liverpool to Canberra is about 2.5 hours (sticking to the speed limit which is advisable as I saw many speed traps along the way!)

The drive to SYD is easy, it's the M5 parking lot that is the problem. A few years ago I was doing a project up in SYD, staying in the CBD, but had to go out to eastern creek for the day. One of my colleagues from CBR was driving up that morning. He left CBR the same time we left SYD CBD. He beat us to eastern creek as the M4 was simply a parking lot the whole way along.