THE SHOWBUS AUSTRALIA BUS IMAGE GALLERY
Transdev Melbourne | buses in pre PTV livery
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 Transdev (previously known as Connex and Veolia) took over most of central Melbourne's bus services on August 4th 2013. This included the new franchised Smartbus operation - including the route based on Ventura's old 700 service. Also swallowed up was the joint Dyson and Reservoir operation: Melbourne Bus Link and the larger portion of what used to be the Melbourne Municipal operation - National Bus. At the time of the franchise change National Bus was a Ventura operation, but prior to that had been owned operated by the UK's National Express following their acquisition of the Westbus group of companies. Transdev undertook to repaint all the acquired vehicles in the new orange and white PTV livery within the first year, but initial progress was slow. Melbourne Bus Link vehicles were easier to relivery with a white base and more of their old buses were reliveried than National Bus ones initially. Meantime old fleetnames were obscured by vinyl stickers. Unfortunately the Transdev name is much shorter than Melbourne Bus Link. The effect on Scania K260UB/Volgren 418 (7518AO) can be seen here as it turns on to St Kilda Road from Commercial Road in November 2013. Picture Ref A1333 |
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 The Transdev sticker on the offside just looks tacky. Scania K280UB 436 (9036AO) was seen on St Kilda Road a few days earlier and is from the last batch delivered to Melbourne Bus Link. Picture Ref A1324 |
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 Dating from 2007, 411 (5911AO) was the last Scania L94UB delivered to Melbourne Bus Link. It too is on St Kilda Road in November 2013. Picture Ref A1329 |
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 St Kilda Road again and 2010 Scania K230UB 430 (7830AO) is heading for Sunshine in sunshine. Picture Ref A1330 |
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 A handful of former MBL Scanias was masquerading in plain white. In view of the Transdev stickers this was obviously not a deliberate half way house to the new PTV livery. It may have been Transdev's intention to have put all MBL buses into this scheme as a stop gap by peeling off the purple and orange insignia. but that may have been impractical. Again unlikely, as the vinyl stickers used on the buses seen above were sized to cover the Melbourne Bus Link lettering. Scania K230UB 429 (7829AO) is seen with Yarra Trams Combino 3515 at the Commercial Road Junction. Picture Ref A1331 |
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