Ansett Pioneer
| Parent | Ansett Transport Industries |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1905 |
| Ceased operation | 1993 |
| Headquarters | Melbourne |
| Service area | Adelaide Brisbane Canberra Darwin Melbourne Perth Sydney various regional destinations |
| Service type | Coach services |
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.
History
[edit]Ansett Pioneer's origin can be traced back to 1905 when AA Withers Bus Company commenced operating day tours in Melbourne. In 1923 it was renamed Pioneer and in 1927 undertook a transcontinental trip from Melbourne to Darwin. In 1944 Pioneer was sold to Reg Ansett. In 1955 Pioneer began operating daily services between Melbourne and Sydney and in 1957 began operating a weekly service from Adelaide to Perth.[1][2] In 1958 Pioneer Express was renamed Ansett Roadlines of Australia.
In July 1986 Ansett Transport Industries sold Ansett Pioneer to Melbourne and Northern Territory bus proprietors John Sinclair and Ron King.[1][3]
In January 1988 Ansett Pioneer was split in three:[4][5]
- Cairns to Melbourne services were taken over by the Penfold family, owners of Greyhound's northern operations
- Perth - Adelaide - Melbourne, Adelaide - Sydney & Adelaide - Sydney were taken over by the Crawford family, owners of Premier Stateliner and Greyhound's southern operations
- Sydney - Canberra - Snowy Mountains services were retained by Sinclair and Kings trading as Pioneer Trailways
In July 1988 the operation was rebranded Pioneer.[6] In February 1989 Pioneer Trailways was placed in liquidation.[7]
In November 1989 the Penfolds sold out to the Crawfords bringing all Greyhound and Pioneer services under common ownership.[5] In 1992 Greyhound and Pioneer merged with Bus Australia and in 1993 all three were united under the Greyhound Pioneer Australia brand.[8]
Fleet
[edit]Many of Ansett Pioneer's early coaches were Reo and GMC chassis bodied by Ansair. It also imported Flxible Clippers, GMC PD4106s, PD4107s, MCI MC7s, MC8s and MC9s from North America.[9]
In the 1980s it purchased locally built RFW, Austral Tourmaster and Denning Landseer coaches as well as Ansair bodied Mercedes-Benz O303s, Volgren bodied Volvo B10Ms and Kässbohrer Setras.
References
[edit]- ^ a b Milestones Ansett Australia
- ^ Greyhound Australia's History Greyhound Australia
- ^ "Victorian Buses in the Eighties" Australian Bus Panorama 6/6 February 1991 page 9
- ^ "Ansett Pioneer" Fleetline May 1988 page 125
- ^ a b "Victorian Buses in the Eightees" Australian Bus Panorama 7/1 August 1991 pages 3,9
- ^ "Ansett Pioneer" Fleetline April 1988 page 104
- ^ "Pioneer Trailways" Fleetline February 1989 page 22
- ^ "National Tour & Express Operators" Australian Bus Panorama 7/8 May 1992 page 30
- ^ Ansett Pioneer Driver Group