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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 4 Hansard (3 April) . . Page.. 1411 ..
Custom Coaches advised that they were unable to meet that timeframe. This advice was reconfirmed by all suppliers in November 2002, and supported by research conducted by an independent consultant specialising in the bus industry.
(2) During ACTION's market research and operational evaluation the ACTION Bus Committee evaluated both the Custom Coaches CB60 and a Volgren body. This committee comprised management representatives, drivers and maintenance staff. The bodies are distinctively different in terms of both construction material and construction method.
ACTION selected the CB60 body on the basis of its preference for its welded steel frame construction and for its design attributes. The CB60 body proved to have significant advantages over that supplied by Volgren, including:
� better access to the chassis and mechanical components for maintenance purposes;
� easier repair after an accident; and
� better handling and fuel economy due to the lighter weight of the steel body.
ACTION determined that, of the types of bus bodies available under existing Government contracts, the steel CB60 body was the only body type that would adequately meet the Territory's requirements. The Volgren body is manufactured from bolted aluminium a method with which also has experience, enabling effective user comparisons.
(3) The ACTION bus committee conducted site inspections of both the Custom Coaches assembly plant in Adelaide and BCC's Volgren assembly plant in Brisbane to evaluate the different bodies. The company specified had undergone significant tender evaluation by Transport SA as part of the MAN/Custom Coaches Contract management. Custom Coaches is the largest manufacturer of bus bodies in Australia and has extensive contracts with both government and non-government bus operators Australia wide.
(4) The Volgren body was also considered during the assessment process as the only other option available under the existing government contracts. The ACTION bus committee visited the Brisbane City Council Volgren assembly plant and a sample Volgren bus was also evaluated by ACTION in Canberra.
(5) All existing government contracts were considered. Only Custom Coaches and Volgren bodies were available under the two government contracts assessed to meet ACTION's requirements.
(6) N/A
(7) N/A
(8) N/A
(9) N/A
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