Driven by their determination and ongoing commitment to the Clarence Valley, Busways officially opened their new workshop at the Grafton depot on August 19.

The self-funded, $2.5 million revamp allows the company to continue delivering quality, reliable service to passengers while providing employees with a larger, safer, more efficient and environmentally friendly worksite.

Shane Golden, the regional workshop manager for Busways, was at the depot during the big reveal.

As he proudly pointed out the new features, including a break tester, an advanced wash bay and a servicing area, Mr Golden said it was a great achievement to have so many new facilities which allow more work to be done on site.

“The workshop development took a year to complete and it is great to see it come to fruition,” he said.

“Previously, the facilities could only cater for servicing in the workshop, but the redevelopment has enabled the depot to become more self-sufficient, help improve time management and allow us to do more advanced work on the buses right here.

“We have hoists which can lift our larger and mini buses, engines can be rebuilt on site and we’ve also got new testing equipment with the addition of shake plates which show any movement in the bushes on the vehicles during routine checks.

“The new technology allows us to do onsite inspections for our fleet with the RMS (Roads and Maritime Services) which saves us taking our vehicles to one of their inspection areas.

“We’re using equipment which suits the needs of the RMS and exceeds their expectations as well, which I think is terrific.”

Mr Golden also spoke favourably of the advanced wash bay which has cut vehicle cleaning time by 50 percent.

“It allows employees to move the brushes around more easily to clean buses in under 15 minutes,” he said, adding the Covid-19 pandemic has led to an increase in fleet cleaning.

“We also have rainwater tanks on site which capture 40,000 litres.

“It’s a great investment and a big saving for us and the community as we’re using rainwater, not the town water to clean our buses.

“There are just so many great additions at the depot.”

New safety features in the Grafton Busways depot include a cover over pit which reduces the risk of falls and injuries to employees in the workshop.

The cover moves accordingly, allowing repairs to continue above and below vehicles so employees can safely work within a close proximity.

Employees can also enjoy a cooler working environment during the summer months with the addition of new roofing insulation to generate airflow.

Mr Golden happily announced more than $1million went straight into the local economy during the redevelopment, with Busways employing the services of plumbers, concreters and earth moving companies from the area.

“It’s great to be able to keep as much money in the town as we can,” he said.

Byron Rowe, managing director of Busways, is equally happy the recent upgrade has injected money into the local region and the Grafton depot now has a workshop that will ensure future success for the fleet in the Clarence Valley.

“Our vision is to provide customers with a service that is safe, reliable and welcoming every time they travel with us,” he said.

“We take absolute pride in our work and we acknowledge the significant role that our workshop teams play in achieving and realising our vision.

“We have high standards and we want our buses to be as safe and presentable as possible for our customers.

“To provide that, we need state-of-the-art facilities and that is what we have achieved at the Grafton depot.”

Mr Rowe said the upgrades have provided the Grafton depot, which houses thirty buses, with facilities that cannot be seen in larger depots in metropolitan areas.

“The break testers and the hoists are serious pieces of equipment and now we have them here,” he said.

“The workshop upgrade will undoubtedly allow Busways to deliver even better services.”

After admiring the new workshop, Mr Rowe took his place alongside Chris Wolf, Head of Assets at Busways, Juliana Meta, Regional Operations Manager for Busways and Clarence Valley Mayor Jim Simmons, to cut the ribbon and officially declare the upgraded site open.

“I thank Busways for doing this project and investing money in our area,” Mr Simmons said.

His expressions were shared by Justin James who represented the Grafton Chamber of Commerce at the official opening.

“It’s a great new investment for Grafton and I think the new workshop looks amazing,” he said.

“It really is great that these things are happening locally.”