Firefly Express is an Australian interstate coach operator.

History

Firefly Express' origins can be traced back to 1966 when Frank Bono and George Sita purchased route 406 Footscray to East Keilor from Barnes Buslines. In 1968 Bono took full control. In August 1974 route 504 Moonee Ponds to Clifton Hill was purchased, being sold in December 1975. In November 1986 Firefly commenced operating an overnight Melbourne to

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

service. In July 1987 route 406 was sold to Westrans and the Melbourne charter licences of VIP Express purchased. In December 1987 a daylight service was introduced between Melbourne and Sydney but did not become a permanent feature. In September 1988 an overnight Melbourne to Adelaide service commenced. In 2008, Firely entered a codeshare agreement with Greyhound Australia for the Adelaide service.Late News Items ''Australian Bus Panorama'' issue 24/4 December 2008 page 58 In 2008 Firefly commenced operating services between

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands (Victoria), Central Highlands of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resid ...

Ararat Ararat or in Western Armenian Ararad may refer to: Personal names * Ararat ( hy, Արարատ), a common first name for Armenian males (pronounced Ararad in Western Armenian) * Ararat or Araratian, a common family name for Armenians (pronounced A ...

, Murtoa,

Horsham Horsham is a market town on the upper reaches of the River Arun on the fringe of the Weald in West Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Nearby to ...

and

Nhill Nhill is a town in the Wimmera, in western Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. Nhill is located on the Western Highway, Victoria, Western Highway, halfway between Adelaide and Melbourne. At the , Nhill had a population of 1,749. "Nhill" i ...

under contract to V/Line. In July 2021, Firefly took over 10

Bacchus Marsh Bacchus Marsh (Wathawurrung: ''Pullerbopulloke'') is an urban centre and suburban locality in Victoria, Australia located approximately north west of the state capital Melbourne and west of Melton, Victoria, Melton at a near equidistance to th ...

Grammar school runs.

Fleet

Firefly commenced interstate operations using Austral Tourmaster and later HD1 coaches. In the 1990s it purchased double-deck Denning Landseer coaches, some second-hand. Since 1998 it has purchased Scanias with

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and

Coach Concepts Coach Concepts is an Australian coach bodybuilder in Rocklea, Queensland, Rocklea, Brisbane. History Coach Concepts was formed by former Coach Design partner Mark Gamer in 2004 and had bodied 190 coaches as at April 2013. Large purchasers have be ...

bodywork. As at July 2022, the fleet consisted of 27 vehicles.Firefly Express
Australian Bus Fleet Lists

References

External links

* {{Regional Victoria public transport Bus companies of Australia Transport companies established in 1966 1956 establishments in Australia