ParentBarry & Paul Crowther
Commenced operationcirca 1900s
HeadquartersMascot
Service typeCoach charter services
Depots1
Fleet3 (May 2014)
Websitewww.crowtherscoaches.com.au

Alura Coaches, formerly Crowthers. is an Australian coach charter coach company in Sydney. Until January 2009 it operated route bus services in the Sutherland Shire.

History

Former Crowthers logo

In the early 1900s, S Crowthers and Sons Pty Ltd established a small bus service in Thirroul eventually expanding further south to Dapto.[1] In July 1952 Crowthers began operations in Sydney purchasing route 65 that operated between Cronulla railway station and South Cronulla from Ryder & Moore.[2] In 1966 the service was extended to Caringbah.[3]

In 1998 Barry and Paul Crowther purchased the company from their family.[3]

For the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000 Crowthers were contracted to manage a fleet of 126 buses and over 200 drivers Olympic sponsors.[3]

When the Sydney Metropolitan Bus System Contracts were established in 2005, the operation area of Crowthers Bus Service belonged to part of region 11, which was shared with Maianbar Bundeena Bus Service and Tiger Tours.[4]

In January 2009 Veolia Transport purchased the route bus operations of Crowthers with six buses.[5]

Crowthers had also operated coaches since at least June 1981 when a new Domino Tourmaster was purchased.[6] From 2005 until 2012, two coaches were painted in Australian Pacific Tours livery with Crowthers acting as a sub-contractor to the tourism company.[7][8] In September 2023, Crowthers was rebranded Alura Coaches.[9]

With the introduction of the Passenger Transport Act of 1990, there was a consolidation of routes. Both Crowther's routes 65 and 66 and Nicholson's route 67 Cronulla to Kurnell were covered by one contract, leading to the operators combining their services under the BusLink brand in November 1992.

The routes were restructured with 984 and 985 operated by Crowthers and 987 by Nicholsons:[10][11]

In May 2000 Crowthers took over the operation of Nicholson's service.[12][13]

Crowthers also operated the Shire Shuttle, a Sutherland Shire Council sponsored late-night/early morning service providing free transport from major pubs and clubs.[14] Crowthers also ran a service called the Sharks Shuttle which provided a free service to Endeavour Field from Heathcote, Engadine and Sutherland during Cronulla Sharks home games.[15]

References

  1. ↑ Obituaries Fleetline July 1994 page 130
  2. ↑ New Bus Routes, Alterations, Transfers Truck & Bus Transportation September 1952 page 9
  3. 1 2 3 History Crowthers
  4. ↑ Region 11 Transport NSW
  5. ↑ Crowthers Buslink sale to Veolia Australian Bus issue 32 March 2009 page 7
  6. ↑ New South Wales Bus Operators and Fleet Listings. Sydney: Historic Commercial Vehicle Association. 1993. p. 50.
  7. ↑ Sydney Day Tours/Sid Fogg Australian Bus Panorama issue 21/4 January 2006 page 24
  8. ↑ Competitive creature Australasian Bus & Coach November 2007 pages 31-33
  9. ↑ Exciting news, introducing Alura Coaches Alura Coaches 25 September 2023
  10. ↑ Routes, timetables and services Fleetline February 1993 page 34
  11. ↑ Bus Link Australian Bus Panorama issue 8/5 February 1993 page 37
  12. ↑ Crowther Australian Bus Panorama issue 16/1 August 2000 page 47
  13. ↑ Timetable and Service Changes Fleetline issue 268 September 2000 page 150
  14. ↑ Shire Shuttle Crowthers
  15. ↑ Sharks Shuttle Crowthers
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