Kinetic Gold Coast
{{Short description|Bus operator on the Gold Coast, Australia}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Use Australian English|date=November 2013}}
{{Refimprove|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox bus company
|name = Kinetic Gold Coast
|logo =
|image = Surfside 783 in Burleigh Heads.jpg
|image_caption = Translink liveried Bustech bodied Volvo B7RLE in August 2008
|former_name = Surfside Buslines
|parent = Kinetic
|founded = 1967
|headquarters =
|defunct =
|service_area = Gold Coast
Tweed Valley
|service_type = Bus operator
|routes = 74
|hubs = Southport bus station
Broadbeach South light rail station
Gold Coast Airport
Harbour Town Shopping Centre
Pacific Fair
Pines Shopping Centre
Tweed Heads
|stations = Beenleigh
Coomera
Helensvale
Nerang
Robina
Varsity Lakes
|depots = Coomera
Ernest
Molendinar
Tweed Heads
|fleet = 453 (January 2025)
|website = [https://www.wearekinetic.com/au/gold-coast www.wearekinetic.com]}}
Kinetic Gold Coast, formerly Surfside Buslines, is an Australian bus operator on the Gold Coast in Queensland. It operates services under contract to Translink in Queensland and in the adjoining Tweed Valley of New South Wales under contract to Transport for NSW. It is a subsidiary of Kinetic.
History
File:Surfside Buslines logo.svg
File:Surfside MDi.jpg MDi in the old blue & yellow livery in August 2008]]
File:Elektrik bosses.png bodied BYDs in 2022]]
File:Translink MDi in Tweed Heads.jpg liveried Bustech MDi in Tweed Heads in August 2008]]
File:Gold Coast Airport shuttle (6616553663).jpg in January 2008]]
Until June 1989, Surfside was owned by Greyhound owner Russell Penfold when it was sold to Joe and Tony Calabro with 56 buses."Stateliner takes over Greyhound" Australian Bus Panorama 5/5 March 1990 page 23"Surfside Bus Lines" Australian Bus Panorama issue 6/6 February 1991 page 45
In 1993, Tweed Bus Service was purchased with 51 buses,"Surfside Bus Lines" Australian Bus Panorama issue 9/5 January 1994 page 40 followed by Gold Coast Citybus on 21 February 1995,"Surfside Bus Lines" Australian Bus Panorama issue 10/7 April 1995 page 54 Springbrook-Mudgeeraba Bus Service with approximately twelve buses on 1 March 1995,"Surfside Bus Lines" Australian Bus Panorama issue 10/7 April 1995 page 54
Gold Coast Tourist Shuttle was purchased in September 1998"Gold Coast Tourist Shuttle" Australian Bus Panorama issue 14/5 April 1999 page 56 and Coomera Bus Lines in May 2001.[http://www.busnews.com.au/news/articleid/63111.aspx Major bus buys for Kefford & Hill] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014234224/http://www.busnews.com.au/news/articleid/63111.aspx |date=14 October 2013 }} Australasian Bus & Coach
In 2008, the Calabro's consolidated their bus companies under the Transit Australia Group brand
Gold Coast Tourist Shuttle was sold to Skybus and rebranded as Skybus Gold Coast in November 2017.{{cite web|url=https://www.busnews.com.au/industry-news/1711/skybus-acquire-gc-airport-service|title=Skybus acquire GC airport service|publisher=Australasian Bus & Coach|date=16 November 2017|access-date=16 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171116185013/https://www.busnews.com.au/industry-news/1711/skybus-acquire-gc-airport-service|archive-date=16 November 2017|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.skybus.com.au/announcements/skybus-launches-new-gold-coast-airport-shuttle|title=SkyBus launches new Gold Coast Airport Shuttle|publisher=Skybus|date=6 December 2017|access-date=20 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180313140247/https://www.skybus.com.au/announcements/skybus-launches-new-gold-coast-airport-shuttle|archive-date=13 March 2018|url-status=live}}
In April 2019, Transit Australia Group was purchased by AATS Group, the parent company of SkyBus and majority owned by OPTrust.{{cite web|url=https://www.busnews.com.au/industry-news/1904/skybus-operator-to-acquire-transit-australia-group-bustech-not-included|title=Skybus Operator to Acquire Transit Australia Group – Bustech not Included|publisher=Australasian Bus & Coach|date=2 April 2019|access-date=2 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190422175331/https://www.busnews.com.au/industry-news/1904/skybus-operator-to-acquire-transit-australia-group-bustech-not-included|archive-date=22 April 2019|url-status=live}} In August 2019, AATS Group rebranded Kinetic.{{cite web|url=https://www.busnews.com.au/industry-news/1908/skybus-parent-relaunches-as-kinetic|title=SkyBus parent relaunched as 'Kinetic'|publisher=Australasian Bus & Coach|date=8 August 2019|access-date=20 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190820063039/https://www.busnews.com.au/industry-news/1908/skybus-parent-relaunches-as-kinetic|archive-date=20 August 2019|url-status=live}}
In 2022, the Surfside Buslines brand was retired in favour of Kinetic.{{Cite web |title=Surfside Buslines |url=https://www.wearekinetic.com/surfside-buslines |access-date=2022-11-02 |website=Kinetic |language=en-AU}}{{Cite web |title=Surfside Buslines |url=https://www.surfside.com.au/ |access-date=2022-11-02 |website=Surfside |language=en-AU}}
Services
In Queensland, Surfside operates services from Beenleigh on the north of the Gold Coast as far south as Tweed Heads just over the border with New South Wales.[https://translink.widen.net/s/2hzwft5bhv/240923-gold-coast-network-map Gold Coast network map] Translink In New South Wales it operates services from Tweed Heads as far south as Murwillumbah and Pottsville.[https://web.archive.org/web/20241231044316/https://transportnsw.info/document/6916/Tweed%20Bus%20Network.pdf Tweed Bus Network] Transport for NSW
Ticketing
In Queensland, Translink's go card ticketing system applies. In New South Wales, Transport for NSW ticketing applies.
Fleet
In the 1970s, Surfside built up a fleet of Leyland Nationals. In the 1980s some Volvo B59 and Volvo B10Rs and Volvo B10ML articulateds were purchased. Following the sale to the Calabros, large numbers of ex ACTION Volvo B58s, MAN SL200s and SG192 articulateds were purchased to replace the Leyland Nationals. Amongst the buses purchased with Tweed Bus Service were Leyland Tigers and Hinos. To replace the Gold Coast Citybus fleet, ex Brisbane Transport and TransAdelaide Volvo B59s and ex State Transit Authority Mercedes-Benz O305s were purchased.{{citation needed|date=May 2025}}
From the mid-1990s, Surfside began to standardise on Mercedes-Benz and Volvo chassis for its route bus fleet and Hinos for school buses. Initially bodied by external suppliers, since 1998 all buses have been bodied by the Calabro's Bustech.{{citation needed|date=May 2025}}
Since 2008 all purchases have been Bustech MDi and XDis integral buses. Surfside received a steady flow of second hand buses including from the Calabro's Sydney operations, Busabout and Hawkesbury Valley Buses.{{citation needed|date=May 2025}}
Since 2008, all deliveries and repaints have been in Translink colours, with blue body, green ends, a green and blue wavy stripe down each side and the Translink logo toward the back. A modified version is applied to the vehicles used in New South Wales to facilitate easy transfer between depots, albeit without the Translink decals. The Gold Coast Tourist Shuttle coaches are painted orange.{{citation needed|date=May 2025}}
Since 2013 Surfside Buslines have also received eight Bustech CDis double deck buses.{{citation needed|date=May 2025}}
As at Janury 2025, the fleet consisted of 453 buses and coaches.[https://fleetlists.busaustralia.com/qld.php?search=SUR Kinetic Gold Coast & Tweed] Australian Bus Fleet Lists Vehicles are registered in both New South Wales and Queensland, although the fleet is utilised interchangeably, particularly the school bus fleet. The only restriction is the different ticket machines used in each state.
Under Russell Penfold ownership, Surfside had an orange with blue stripe livery. The Calabros introduced a blue with yellow livery.
In 2022, 10 new Volgren Optimus buses were acquired by Surfside Bus lines, out of 20 to be introduced in Queensland the same year. They use BYD D9RA chassis, and use battery electric bus technology.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{commons category-inline}}
- [http://www.busaustralia.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=115 Showbus gallery]
{{Kinetic Group}}
{{Regional NSW public transport}}
{{Translink (Queensland) bus network}}
Category:Bus companies of New South Wales
Category:Bus companies of Queensland
Category:Companies based on the Gold Coast, Queensland
Category:Kinetic Group companies
Category:Public transport on the Gold Coast, Queensland
Category:Transport companies established in 1967