Quince's Scenicruisers is a bus and coach charter operator in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...
, Australia.
History
In 1951 Quince's Scenicruisers operated route 103A
Oakleigh -
Clayton -
Moorabbin
Moorabbin is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 15 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Kingston local government area. Moorabbin recorded a population of 6,287 at the .
Most of th ...
.
In 1967 Quince's joined with Melbourne Motor Coach Service and McGeary's Parlor Coaches to form
Australian Pacific Tours
Australian Pacific Touring (APT) is an Australian tour and river cruising operator with worldwide reach.
History
Alfred William (Bill) McGeary was born in 1900 in Victoria. A fitter and turner by trade, McGeary bought, re-built and sold cars ...
. Quince's later withdrew from the partnership.
After the
State Government decided to open private routes to open tender, in 1988 Quince's were awarded the rights to operate some services of
Ventura Bus Lines
Ventura Bus Lines is a large bus and coach operator in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, operating a fleet of 893 buses on 141 bus routes, including 2 SmartBus routes and 2 V/Line services. It commenced operations in December 1924.
History Ear ...
and
Waverley Transit. Waverley Transit won a legal case and the contract between Quince's and
The Met was ruled void.
["Victorian Buses in the Eighties" ''Australian Bus Panorama'' issue 7/1 August 1991 page 5]
Quince's had already taken delivery of 24
Hino AC140s and 40
Mercedes-Benz O405
The Mercedes-Benz O405 was a single-decker bus manufactured by Mercedes-Benz from the mid-1980s to the early 2000s as either an integral bus or a bus chassis and was the last VöV SL-II standard bus in production. It was the replacement for th ...
s. These entered service on two new routes 634
Middle Brighton station -
Monash University
Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university h ...
/
East Clayton and 705
Springvale -
Mordialloc
Mordialloc is a beachside suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 24 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Kingston local government area. Mordialloc recorded a population of 8,886 at the . ...
.
Following 18 months of unsuccessful negotiations with the Department of Infrastructure over a new contract, Quince's relinquished their route licences in February 1998. By this stage they were operating routes 615
Box Hill -
North Balwyn
Balwyn North, also known as North Balwyn, is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 10 km east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Boroondara and Whitehorse local government areas. Balwyn North r ...
, 631
Westfield Southland
Westfield Southland (previously known as Southland Centre) is a shopping centre in the suburb of Cheltenham in Melbourne. Southland has a floor area of 129,180m², making it one of the biggest shopping centres in Australia by size. There are ap ...
-
Mitcham station, 634
Lilydale - Monash University, 705 Mordialloc - Springvale, 708 Mordialloc -
Carrum
Carrum is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Kingston local government area. Carrum recorded a population of 4,239 at the .
Public schools in Carrum i ...
and 731
Camberwell - North Balwyn. These were split amongst
Invicta Bus Services
Invicta Bus Services was a bus and coach operator in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It was a Melbourne bus company that operated 16 bus routes under contract to Public Transport Victoria
Public Transport Victoria (PTV) is the brand nam ...
,
Moorabbin Transit,
National Bus Company and
Ventura Bus Lines
Ventura Bus Lines is a large bus and coach operator in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, operating a fleet of 893 buses on 141 bus routes, including 2 SmartBus routes and 2 V/Line services. It commenced operations in December 1924.
History Ear ...
.
["Quince" ''Australian Bus Panorama'' issue 13/5 April 1998 page 47] Since then it has operated as a bus and coach charter operator. In September 2015 the business was purchased by the
Australian Transit Group.
Fleet
As at November 2023, the fleet consists of 36 buses and coaches.
References
{{Reflist
Bus companies of Victoria (state)
Bus transport in Melbourne