BUS TRAVEL

Travelling by bus or coach gives you a chance to see it all. You can choose from a wide range of options and then sit back and relax in air conditioned comfort while someone else does the driving.

There are three words that encapsulate bus and coach travel Australia wide and they are comfort, ease and economy.

Climb aboard an express bus and enjoy amenities such as air conditioning and videos, adjustable seats, reading lights and on-board toilet facilities and bathrooms. All bus and coach services within Australia are non-smoking.

Bus and Coach Travel in Australia is made easy with an extensive range of travel passes that are offered by Greyhound Pioneer Australia, McCafferty's Express Coachlines and Tasmania's own TassieLINK.

Greyhound Pioneer

Greyhound Pioneer Australia is the country's only national Coach Company and has been operating since 1905. It operates from all major capital cities with a fleet of 114 luxury coaches, all with onboard facilities such as air conditioning, seatbelts, toilet facilities, TV and video, reclining seats and chilled drinking water.

An interesting fact about Greyhound Pioneer Australia's inception is that it preceded the United States Greyhound by some eight years and the famous "skinny dog" logo was originally a Whippet rather than a Greyhound Dog.

The Company has been the result of the merger of three of Australia's best known coaching companies: Greyhound, a well known Queensland based company formed in 1927, Ansett Pioneer, which had its origins in the countryside of Victoria in 1905, and Bus Australia, Western Australia's premier operator. Their merger in 1993 brought together Australia's first national coach operator, travelling over 1.5 million kilometres and transporting millions of passengers every year.

Through a unique workplace agreement launched in 1998, many of the Company's staff are shareholders and as such, have a stake in the continued growth and development of Greyhound Pioneer Australia. The Company is probably best known for its strong express network and flexible pass products but also operates a variety of products including charters, freight, holidays and tours.

Greyhound Pioneer Australia operates daily services to over 900 destinations within Australia with Super Express Services operating daily between Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. These services save up to 4 hours off the normal travel time and for only a slightly higher fare and can either be purchased in sectors or with one of the flexible passes.

There are two different Greyhound Pioneer Pass categories available:-
Aussie Explorer Passes which allow you to choose a pre-set travel route and
Aussie Kilometre Pass, a distanced measured pass.
Find out more about it by clicking on the items in the navigation bar.

McCafferty's Express Coachlines

From humble beginnings in 1940 McCafferty's Express Coaches has grown to become Australia's oldest and possibly most successful private coach service.

After selling a successful regular milk run in Toowoomba, Queensland, Jack McCafferty purchased a local bus run that came complete with a 35 seater bus. On April Fools Day, 1940 he drove his first run from Toowoomba City to Picnic Point. From then on he expanded McCafferty's services, driving buses west of Toowoomba to isolated Queensland communities and running day trips to places such as Lismore in Northern New South Wales and Stradbroke Island near Brisbane. By 1993 the McCafferty's network had spread to include the Northern Territory, Victoria, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory.

Today, McCafferty's coaches travel more than 26 million kilometres every year. Their fleet of 130 'state of the art' coaches is one of the most modern in Australia. They are all equipped with the very latest luxury features including reclining seats, individual reading lamps, air-conditioning, onboard videos and fully equipped washrooms.

A recent addition to the fleet, the Stretchliner, heralds a new era in luxury coach travel. The Stretchliner gives passengers more room to stretch their legs during long journeys as well as the added safety of lap-sash seatbelts. The addition of the Stretchliner to the fleet is just part of McCafferty's ongoing commitment to providing passengers with the safest, most comfortable travel experience possible.

So what of the future? As the population of Australia increases and country areas develop, as more tourists visit the continental, so new highways will be built, reducing the distance between major towns. More express coaches will operate with fewer stops and coaches will have more leg room for extra comfort, during long distance travel. Video screens will be built into the back of seats, with individual headsets for sound.

TassieLINK

TassieLINK is operated by Tasmanian Wilderness Travel, winners of the 1997 Tasmanian Tourism Award. Owned by Pam & John Usher, having recently diversified their investment in Tasmania with the purchase of TRC Travel & Tours and Tigerline, a 5 star coach tour and bus charter operation.

Their aim is to build on the existing TRC Travel & Tours and Tigerline business to develop a quality coach based organisation, complimenting the TassieLINK operation and utilising the standard of quality service and professionalism that this innovative Tasmanian company has formed with its comprehensive travel network within Tasmania.

The Tasmanian Travel Group as it is now known, is the state's most progressive coach operator, with an emphasis on safety, comfort & friendly efficiency. Their fleets consist of state of the art coaches, providing regular state-wide bus services and well as offering charters, extended and short break tours, soft adventure tours, history & wilderness tours and some of the state's most comprehensive sight-seeing tours.