McCafferty's
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Use Australian English|date=November 2013}}
{{Infobox Bus transit
|name = McCafferty Coaches
|logo =
|logo_size =
|image = Maguire Coaches Landseer.jpg
|image_size =
|image_caption = Over 60 Denning Landseers were purchased
in the 1980s and 1990s
|company_slogan =
|parent = Jack McCafferty
|founded = April 1940
|ceased = October 2004
|headquarters = Toowoomba
|service_area = Adelaide
Brisbane
Cairns
Darwin
Melbourne
Mount Isa
Perth
Sydney
Toowoomba
various regional destinations
|service_type = Coach services
|alliance =
|routes =
|depots =
|hubs =
|annual_ridership=
|ceo =
}}
McCafferty's Coaches was an Australian family run interstate coach operator from 1940 to 2004. In October 2004 the McCafferty family sold its shares and its operations were rebranded as part of Greyhound Australia
History
McCafferty's Coaches was formed in April 1940 when Jack McCafferty began a service from Picnic Point to Rangeville in Toowoomba."Jack McCafferty" Fleetline March 1999 page 49 In 1955 McCafferty's began operating a service from Toowoomba to the Gold Coast."Vale - Jack McCafferty" Australian Bus Panorama 14/4 page 2 Over the next few decades McCafferty's expanded to operate long-distance services throughout Queensland.
In December 1980 McCafferty's entered the interstate coach market with a Brisbane to Sydney service"Victorian Buses in the Eighties" Australian Bus Panorama 6/1 July 1990 page 10 extending to Melbourne in December 1983."Victorian Buses in the Eighties" Australian Bus Panorama 6/2 September 1990 page 13 On 22 December 1989, one of their coaches was involved in a disastrous bus crash near Kempsey, New South Wales in which 35 people were killed.
In November 1992 McCafferty's commenced operating Melbourne to Adelaide and Adelaide to Darwin services"McCafferty's" Australian Bus Panorama 8/4 December 1992 page 38 followed by Sydney - Canberra - Adelaide in late 1993 and Darwin - Broome - Perth in May 1995 making it a national operator."McCafferty's" Australian Bus Panorama 10/9 July 1995 page 34 The latter service was withdrawn in June 1996."McCafferty's" Australian Bus Panorama 11/9 June 1996 page 38"Private Operators" Fleetline September 1996 page 171
The Brisbane to Charleville service was acquired from Skennars in 1992."McCafferty's Coaches" Australian Bus Panorama 8/1 July 1992 page 36 In 1999 McCafferty's purchased MotorCoach Australia from the administrator of Clifford Corporation."Manufacturing Update" Australian Bus Panorama 15/5 April 2000 page 17 As well as building coaches for McCafferty's it also completed orders for external customers.[http://www.busaustralia.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=13 MotorCoach Australia gallery] It closed in 2004 having completed over 60 coaches.
In March 2000 McCafferty's entered into negotiations with Greyhound Pioneer Australia about a possible merge."Greyhound Pioneer Australia" Australian Bus Panorama 15/5 April 2000 page 38 In September 2000 a takeover bid from McCafferty's for Greyhound was accepted."National & Manufacturing" Australian Bus Panorama 16/2 October 2000 page 19[http://www.busnews.com.au/news/articleid/63320.aspx McCafferty finally gets Greyhound] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130627212758/http://www.busnews.com.au/news/articleid/63320.aspx |date=27 June 2013 }} Australian Bus & Coach As part of the deal the McCafferty family sold their shares to Tony McCafferty.[https://archive.today/20130627221942/http://www.busnews.com.au/news/articleid/63315.aspx McCafferty to take Greyhound within days] Australasian Bus & Coach In October 2004 the McCafferty family sold its shares to ANZ Bank and George Chapman, and both operations were rebranded as Greyhound Australia.[https://archive.today/20130627220846/http://www.busnews.com.au/news/articleid/64205.aspx McCafferty sues over $10 mil] Australian Bus & Coach[http://www.greyhound.com.au/AboutGreyhound/greyhound-australia-history.aspx Greyhound Australia's History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130806070310/http://greyhound.com.au/AboutGreyhound/greyhound-australia-history.aspx |date=6 August 2013 }} Greyhound Australia"End of the Road for McCafferty's Coaches" The Chronicle (Toowoomba) 2 November 2004
Fleet
From the late 1960s, McCafferty's purchased exclusively new Denning coaches. In the first half of the 1990s, 40 second-hand Denning Landseers from a variety operators were purchased for its interstate expansion.[https://web.archive.org/web/20020617021159/http://homepages.ihug.com.au/~kc3302/cafferty.htm McCafferty's] Bus Australia Fleet Lists From 1994 it began purchasing MotorCoach Australia coaches."McCafferty's Coaches" Australian Bus Panorama October 1994 page 34[http://fleetlists.busaustralia.com/nat.php?search=GRE Greyhound Australia] Australian Bus Fleet Lists
In the 1970s McCafferty's coaches were painted in a white with blue and black, then into the early 1980s, a magenta and blue livery appeared. In 1987 a silver, grey, blue and red livery was introduced followed by a two-tone gold and blue livery, originally intended as a special livery to mark the company's 50th anniversary in 1990, but adopted as standard. The final livery was a sand-like "Platinum" with blue colour scheme to celebrate the company's 60th anniversary.[http://www.showbus.com/australia/gallery/mccaff.htm McCafferty's] Australia Showbus
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.showbus.com/australia/gallery/mccaff.htm Showbus gallery]
{{Australian interstate coach operators|state=collapsed}}
Category:Bus companies of Australia
Category:Transport companies established in 1940
Category:Transport companies established in 2004
Category:Australian companies disestablished in 2004