ICONIC BLUE MOUNTAINS Explorer bus company CLOSES and Resumes

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ScaniaGrenda
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ICONIC BLUE MOUNTAINS Explorer bus company CLOSES and Resumes

Post by ScaniaGrenda »

A sad day for the iconic Blue Mountains Explorer as they are set to close indefinitely due to ongoing factors including costs and COVID.

https://www.busnews.com.au/industry-new ... WDnhp8md6M
ICONIC BLUE MOUNTAINS BUS-TOURISM COMPANY CLOSES

Date: 09.07.2021

BREAKING: One of the longest-running tourism businesses in one of Australia’s most iconic tourist destinations - the internationally recognised Blue Mountain Explorer Bus fleet in the NSW Blue Mountains – has closed indefinitely, making it the latest bus business victim of the Covid-19 pandemic.

ICONIC BLUE MOUNTAINS BUS-TOURISM COMPANY CLOSES
“While of course we’re thankful for the recent NSW Government rescue package, it won’t save us,” FAT managing director Jason Cronshaw said.
A red double-decker hop-on/hop-off sightseeing bus has already been sold, with another five on the market, the company confirms.

The fleet is not sustainable without international visitors, and domestic tour and coach company Fantastic Aussie Tours (FAT), which owns them, cannot afford to maintain the fleet without government help, it explains.

FAT managing director Jason Cronshaw says the indefinite closure of Blue Mountains Explorer Bus followed several closures during the Covid-19 pandemic and the 2019-20 bushfires before that.

Cronshaw - who also owned international tour company Christian Fellowship Tours – says the fleet had become untenable.

"While of course we’re thankful for the recent NSW Government rescue package, it won’t save us," Cronshaw said.

"Without international tourists it’s just not viable.

"We’re running a 77-seater bus with one or two people. It costs us $3.50 per kilometre on a 26km circuit and tickets are $49 for an all-day pass. The maths just doesn’t add up," he explained.

General BM Explorer Bus 2.jpg

BM Explorer Bus closes 2.jpg

BAD RUN
FAT has operated the Blue Mountains Explorer Bus fleet around Katoomba and Leura since 1986 and conducted sightseeing tours and charters around Australia for two generations since 1974.

It was forced to close its Blue Mountains Explorer Bus sightseeing run for 27 days during December, 2019 – January, 2020 because of the bushfires and reported a 60 per cent drop in passengers between that December and February, 2020, it confirms.

During the weekend of March 14-15, 2020, numbers plummeted another 50 per cent almost overnight because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Four days later (March 19), Explorer Bus services were slashed from 15 a day to seven, with 2.5 drivers a day to one.

Recently, the double-decker fleet has run only on weekends and holidays, and the average weekly driver roster of 350 hours had dropped to 78, the company explains.

Meanwhile parent company FAT suffered an 85 per cent drop in charter work and forward cancellations from schools and corporates and other group travel until October. Work had picked up recently, but came to an abrupt halt with the latest Sydney lockdown order.


JOB HUNTING
Until the lockdown, Cronshaw himself drove a morning and afternoon bus run for a local private school to feed his own family, he says. He is now actively job hunting for additional employment, he confirms.

With them closing this means the beloved imported Volvo Olympians that remain part of their fleet have been listed for sale and are looking for new homes.

https://www.facebook.com/bmexplorerbus/ ... 7638347763

The post says
What is it that was said about, if you love something set it free? We love our Volvos but the time has come to set them free. One has already been sold and 3 remain. If you are interested in owning a superb double-decker bus with an awesome history, send us a message!
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Tim Williams
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Re: ICONIC BLUE MOUNTAINS Explorer bus company CLOSES

Post by Tim Williams »

Sad to see them suspend operations - they have run a great operation and supported the Sydney Bus Museum. Until the Covid-19 hit, their fleet was the best it had ever been, with the 4 ex Lothian Olympians and the 2 new BCI DD's.

A great shame.
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Re: ICONIC BLUE MOUNTAINS Explorer bus company CLOSES

Post by Centralian »

Another impact was the closure of Cliff Drive near Leura Cascades due to a major landslip. That was part of the Explorer Bus route and offered views, walks and lookouts. What was left of the Explorer Bus route was not much different to what Blue Mountains Transits Route 686 to Echo Point and Scenic World provided, without the benefit of Opal Card. So in a way one operator is being subsidised by TNSW (and also carries almost no passengers but still gets paid), while Explorer Bus had to fend for itself.
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Re: ICONIC BLUE MOUNTAINS Explorer bus company CLOSES

Post by tonyp »

What bad timing too as the Edinburgh buses must have reached the end of their lives and they bought two new buses just a year or so before events blew up. I guess they can sell those but I don't know what might need to be done to them to make them compliant for route service, apart from which hardly anybody would want two double deckers, let along two untypical ones (not Bustech or Gemilang). I note in fleetlists they have several other buses too.
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Re: ICONIC BLUE MOUNTAINS Explorer bus company CLOSES

Post by Centralian »

Golden West Holdings P/L is the accredited entity that runs all the vehicles - BM Explorer Bus, Fantastic Aussie Tours. This story only relates to the business known as Blue Mountains Explorer Bus which has/had the 5 double deckers in its colours. The business known as Fantastic Aussie Tours (charter operation) I understand continues with its Denning Deckers, Autobus HighDecks and a number of smaller vehicles - minimal charter work at present so most are parked up.
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Re: ICONIC BLUE MOUNTAINS Explorer bus company CLOSES

Post by moa999 »


tonyp wrote:What bad timing too as the Edinburgh buses must have reached the end of their lives .
Imported in 2010 according to their FB page, and asking price $90k + GST.

Assume they are keeping the two newer buses.
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Re: ICONIC BLUE MOUNTAINS Explorer bus company CLOSES

Post by tonyp »

moa999 wrote: Sat Jul 10, 2021 12:19 pm
Imported in 2010 according to their FB page, and asking price $90k + GST.

Assume they are keeping the two newer buses.
Fleetlists shows their age as 1997, so they must be getting to the end of a normal life in public service. I assume that would be why the company started to buy new buses.
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Re: ICONIC BLUE MOUNTAINS Explorer bus company CLOSES

Post by Centralian »

moa999 wrote: Sat Jul 10, 2021 12:19 pm Assume they are keeping the two newer buses.
No. Both are for sale listed with Rodd Hoods. I believe one has been sold already.
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Re: ICONIC BLUE MOUNTAINS Explorer bus company CLOSES

Post by ScaniaGrenda »

I believe when I was browsing BME's Facebook page that one of the BCI deckers had been stripped of it's signage & was going to be used in some sort of upcoming Movie. Guess we'll have to be on the lookout for a certain red BCI Decker in a movie of some sort now.

Also they have an Ansair Flexible Clipper as an historic vehicle according to the fleet-lists so I'm curious as to what is happening with that and where it is off too next?
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Re: ICONIC BLUE MOUNTAINS Explorer bus company CLOSES

Post by Centralian »

There are a couple of Flxible Clippers, plus they recently sold one which is still showing on Rodd Hoods Bus Sales website. One of the directors is a keen Clipper fan, so they'll still be there.
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Re: ICONIC BLUE MOUNTAINS Explorer bus company CLOSES

Post by Fleet Lists »

Their website https://www.explorerbus.com.au/ states
"WE ARE TEMPORARILY CLOSED"
So it looks as though it is not permanent.
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Re: Blue Mountains Explorer bus company closes

Post by Linto63 »

The Olympians were probably going to fall foul of the DDA regulations that takes effect on 31 December 2022, and with it unlikely that inbound tourism will return to anywhere normal until at least 2023, can understand why FAT decided to pull the pin. Will require a large capital investment though if it is to resume, particularly if the BCIs have been sold.
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Re: ICONIC BLUE MOUNTAINS Explorer bus company CLOSES

Post by tonyp »

According to BusNSW, the Blue Mtns Explorer is operating again.
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Re: ICONIC BLUE MOUNTAINS Explorer bus company CLOSES

Post by boronia »

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Re: ICONIC BLUE MOUNTAINS Explorer bus company CLOSES

Post by ScaniaGrenda »

That's great to hear.

Tho the million dollar question still remaining to be seen is what their fleet will now consist of? Did all of their Olympians and those BCI Double Deckers already find new owners?
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Re: ICONIC BLUE MOUNTAINS Explorer bus company CLOSES

Post by Centralian »

I think a couple of the Olympians went, the rest is still there. I'll check it out next time I drive past.
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Re: ICONIC BLUE MOUNTAINS Explorer bus company CLOSES

Post by Swift »

Slightly unrelated as it was a long time ago now, was ex London Metrobus M450 out often or off the road a lot due to it's peculiarities?
They were a generally reliable bus but parts and maintainance would have posed a problem due to being so far from it's stamping ground.
Apparently from what I read, there were quite a few differences from the ex HK ones that were operated here.
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Re: ICONIC BLUE MOUNTAINS Explorer bus company CLOSES

Post by Centralian »

The Metrobus was a regular on the Explorer Bus runs during it's time. I think there was a equal sharing of the duties between it and the Atlanteans at the time. Perhaps towards the end of it's time with them it had its work rate reduced.

Driving past their depot on the weekend I can see the two BCI deckers are still there, and at least one Olympian, possibly two, but the others appear to have moved on.
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Re: ICONIC BLUE MOUNTAINS Explorer bus company CLOSES

Post by Swift »

Centralian wrote: Mon Oct 18, 2021 10:40 am The Metrobus was a regular on the Explorer Bus runs during it's time. I think there was a equal sharing of the duties between it and the Atlanteans at the time. Perhaps towards the end of it's time with them it had its work rate reduced.
That's what I wanted to know. You were so lucky to get to see it looking resplendent in the LT livery with white roundel.
I got to see it on the Central Coast several times including one time when I followed it through West Gosford and saw the people at an all fresco eatery all look up up at it as it whined past in it's Arriva patina!
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Re: ICONIC BLUE MOUNTAINS Explorer bus company CLOSES

Post by Centralian »

I should add that I think at the time the Explorer Bus only operated on weekends, so it wasn't an overly demanding schedule.
Can't remember when it became a 7 days a week operation, but seems not all that long ago.

It's till running I believe as Fleet # 305 with Red Decker in Hobart and there's a profile of it on their website.
Of course things may have changed with Covid etc.
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Re: ICONIC BLUE MOUNTAINS Explorer bus company CLOSES

Post by Centralian »

An article in the local Blue Mountains Gazette last week indicates the BM Explorer Bus will be back on the road from Saturday November 6. Initially on Saturdays only providing an hourly circuit from 9am until 5pm.

The article also goes on to quote Jason Cronshaw who said they'd sold 7 buses, which boosted the cash flow. I can't figure out what vehicles make up those 7 sold. Yes they've probably sold a couple of Olympians, and the '54 Flxible Clipper 'Scarlet Rose', while one of the Autobus HiDecks are advertised for sale as well as the 2 BCI deckers (which I wouldn't be surprised if they retain).
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Re: ICONIC BLUE MOUNTAINS Explorer bus company CLOSES

Post by Swift »

That's good news. Pity they don't run a few classics. The Volvos were the closest thing.
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Re: ICONIC BLUE MOUNTAINS Explorer bus company CLOSES

Post by CityRail »

As International Borders are opening tomorrow, I am hoping this Christmas will be a reprieve to Blue Mountains Explorer after 20 months of struggling.
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Re: ICONIC BLUE MOUNTAINS Explorer bus company CLOSES

Post by boronia »

Centralian wrote: Sun Oct 24, 2021 5:36 pm An article in the local Blue Mountains Gazette last week indicates the BM Explorer Bus will be back on the road from Saturday November 6. Initially on Saturdays only providing an hourly circuit from 9am until 5pm.

The article also goes on to quote Jason Cronshaw who said they'd sold 7 buses, which boosted the cash flow. I can't figure out what vehicles make up those 7 sold. Yes they've probably sold a couple of Olympians, and the '54 Flxible Clipper 'Scarlet Rose', while one of the Autobus HiDecks are advertised for sale as well as the 2 BCI deckers (which I wouldn't be surprised if they retain).
The BCIs are currently advertised for sale through Rod Hood (ABC October), although they may get withdrawn if services are being reinstated.
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Re: ICONIC BLUE MOUNTAINS Explorer bus company CLOSES

Post by Centralian »

I saw off the first of the reborn BM Explorer Bus runs this morning just after 9.00 am. Operated by one of the BCI Deckers and a thumbs up from the driver. Good luck to them.
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