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Able Bus & Coach manufactures robust, safe, comfortable and practical 4WD and 2WD buses and
coaches for harsh and hazardous conditions.
We offer a variety of mine site and tour coaches with seating capacity between 10 to 50 people.
Our vehicles meet Australian Standards and Australian Design Rules. They have good ground
clearance and are easy to maintain.
About Able Bus & Coach page
Able Bus and Coach supplies buses to remote areas throughout Australia particularly in the mining,
tourism and community sectors.
Company Director, Kevin de Bruin, commenced building buses on a small scale in 1998 and, since
that time, the team at Able Bus and Coach has developed and built over 240 buses and coaches.
Able's buses will fulfil your requirements for a robust, comfortable, practical, safe, reliable, durable
and affordable vehicle with good ground clearance and easy maintenance.
We offer a variety of 2WD and 4WD mine site and tour coaches with seating capacity between 10 to
50 people.
Able Bus and Coach's original design has a proven record of over 14 years with 34 repeat order
customers.
Our on-going customer list includes:
BHP BILLITON
NATIONWIDE HIRE
LEIGHTON CONTRACTORS
AUSTRALIAN PACIFIC TOURING (APT)
BGC CONTRACTING
RIO TINTO
B.M.A.
All of Able's bus and coach modules are fixed onto 4WD or 2WD truck cab chassis which can be
removed and placed onto a new cab chassis at a later date reducing expensive replacement costs.
Other unique features which guarantee customer's satisfaction include:
tilt cab remains in place for easy maintenance
and access to the motor
air conditioning designed and built for extreme
heat and vibration
full size coach seats with seat belts
driver's air bag
higher ground clearance than conventional bus
chassis ideal for remote areas
Australian Design Rule rollover compliance
Able Bus and Coach are proud to have a highly motivated and skilled workshop team and, together
with our professional office and management personnel, guarantee excellent after sales service and
assistance.
If you have any queries or would like to discuss your bus requirements, we would be pleased to
assist you.
KEVIN DE BRUIN, Managing Director
Why choose us? page
The new drive to safety, efficiency and comfort in minesite vehicles
Mine operators are turning to remote area buses for greater safety, efficiency and passenger
comfort.
Commutes to site in hot, miserable cramped buses unsuited to harsh and hazardous mine sites are
becoming a thing of the past.
Mine operators are beginning to acknowledge that remote area buses offer a safer, more efficient
and more comfortable means of transportation.
Our buses carry far more passengers than commuters or landcruisers - our 18 seaters, for instance,
are particularly popular.
Greater seating capacity means fewer trips - less fuel and less wear and tear on vehicles and fewer
drivers for operators using fleets of coasters or people movers.
Having fewer vehicles on site also reduces the likelihood of accidents.
The other key safety advantage of specialised remote area buses is that they have a greater
presence; they’re more visible to drivers of larger vehicles such as haul trucks.
Our business philosophy is to build tough yet safe, reliable and comfortable vehicles that meet the
highest standards are customers such as BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and NationWide Hire and a repeat
business rate of 90 per cent.
Robustness
A key proposition of our vehicles is robustness.
We build our buses on a bigger truck and put less passengers in. It may cost a little more but it’s
better in the long run, giving a stronger, more reliable vehicle.
Another key feature of the buses is inter-changeability with passenger modules that can be removed
from older cab chassis and placed on a new cab chassis reducing replacement costs for companies.
Able Bus & Coach’s vehicle make of choice is Isuzu - and for good reason: Isuzu isn’t just a good
make of vehicle; after sales service is unsurpassed.
Easy maintenance
The tilt cab of the chassis also allows easy maintenance and access to the motor.
A higher ground clearance than a conventional bus chassis is also ideal for mine site and remote
areas.
Extensive safety features also come standard with the coaches. These include a built-in Rollover
Protection System (ROPS) to Australian Standards 1636.1 and 2294.2 and Australian Design Rule
rollover compliance, full size coach seats with seat belts and driver’s air bag.
ROPS is becoming essential on mine sites and not having to retrofit a ROPS is a huge cost saving.
.
Other safety features with Able Bus & Coach vehicles include seatbelts on all seats, a speed limiter
and lockable battery isolater switch.
The bus is not over-engineered. Its simple built-for-purpose design means it gets the job done
without overselling itself.
For safety compliance, the buses meet strength and design requirements. All the engineering tests
are validated. It especially met the Australian design standards.
Airconditioning for harsh conditions
Air conditioners designed and built for extreme heat and vibration come standard.
Our buses are built from the ground up to cope with the extreme environments and this is the
reason why we have so many repeat customers.
Every part our coaches, from the air-conditioning to the door locks and hinges have been tried and
tested in rugged environments
The interior features of the Able Bus & Coach vehicles are another advantage over smaller vehicles.
There’s more room in the Able Bus & Coaches: proper coach seats and seat belts. There’s more leg
room in general, but also more headroom.
Having separate air-conditioning systems for the cab and cabin is another good feature.
The cabin air conditioning system is also up high and out of harm’s way - unlike air-conditioning units
in the coasters that are down low and susceptible to damage.
Standard Able Bus & Coach Features page
We build our buses on a bigger truck and put less passengers in. It may cost a little more but it's
better in the long run, giving a stronger, more reliable vehicle.
The passenger module can be removed from an older cab chassis and placed on a new cab chassis
reducing replacement costs for companies.
Safety features
Isuzu Approved Bus Builder
Australian Desgin Rules (ADR) rollover compliant
Rollover Protection System (ROPS) to AS 1636.1 and 2294.2
Seatbelts on all seats
Speed limiter (100kph or lower, if specified)
Lockable battery isolator switch
Maintenance features
Tilt cab remains for easy maintenance access
L.E.D. lights inside and out (sealed, no globes)
Bus module transferable onto new cab-chassis when required
Interior features
Wide connection between cabins
Full size Style Ride Acacia coach seats in module
Ample leg room in all seats
Ducted air conditioning for extreme conditions
Radio/CD with speakers in saloon
Canvas Seat Covers
Cab connector is sound and heat insulated
Air conditioning
Designed and built in Perth for rugged and remote conditions
Flexible rubber hoses not rigid copper pipes
Control system is comprised of fuses and relays not electronics
Condensers protected and securely mounted in steel box on front wall of bus module.
Evaporators protected and securely mounted in aluminium boxes inside bus module.
Valeo compressor (made in Japan)
Simple system serviceable by any air con technician in remote areas.
Option of lowered receiver dryer and pressure switches and side access to condenser fans to
overcome working at height issues.
Ultra violet leak detection dye in gas
Easy clean air conditioning filters (no tools needed)
Other features
Coach like appearance
Aluminium panels
Long warranties extendable
Excellent parts back-up from our store
Frame grit blasted (class 2.5) and primed with (75mc inorganic zinc)
Every manufactured metal part is either zinc plated or grit blasted and primed in inorganic zinc.
Quality Isuzu truck with excellent back up
Tour models page
Able Bus and Coach started 17 years ago as a 4WD tour company for people with disabilities, so we
understand what tour operators want in a passenger vehicle.
Our buses and coaches are ideal for tour operators seeking a vehicle that can cope with harsh and
rugged conditions without compromising on passenger comfort.
Contact us about what we can offer.
Optional extras page
BMA/BHP Mine Spec Option
NPS Bull Bar
second spare tyre (in boot area)
rust proofing of chassis
Hella Rally 400 Spotlights
upgrade from 140 to 200L Fuel tank
UHF radio
DVD player and LCD screen
curtains to coach module
Reversing Camera
Extra Isolator (to isolate starter motor only, for maintenance safety)
CAT Jump Start Point
12 Volt power supply for mine radio & mounting bracket
Reflective Tape on Side of vehicle
Warning flag removal from ground level
Wheel chocks
Warning triangles
Flood light above Door
Key on Headlights on feature
Wheel nut indicators
Bus Hire - page
If you require BUS HIRE, we are confident to recommend our customer NATIONWIDE HIRE which
specialises in the hire of off road and project specific trucks and buses.
Able Bus & Coach have supplied Nationwide Hire with 26 buses to date.
What our customers say... page
We were first introduced to Able through Isuzu Aust as we were having issue’s with another supplier
and the Gross Vehicle Mass [GVM] capacity of the their competitors. The experience dealing with
them has been remarkable, they do what they say they will do which is far above what we get from
other suppliers. The bus acquired provides comfort while meeting all our operational requirements,
GVM capacity, safety and ground clearance.
The people at Able Bus and Coach are rofessional to deal with, do what they say they will do and
have a great name in the market. I rate them very high from their service through to their
management team."
- Michael Bourke
General Manager | Assets, Fleet & Equipment
Group Procurement
Transfield Services
The buses are perfect for a contract miner that moves personnel to and around the minesite. The
safety features and stability are particularly appealing and the vehicles’ ground clearance makes
them ideal for driving in and out of pits and accessing haul roads washed out with water.
- Mitch Wallace
Plant Manager
MACA
We have always been very satisfied with Able Bus & Coach. We choose Able Bus and Coach becuase
of their consistent high quality, functional, all round excellent product, and long term commitment
and loyalty from the owner Kevin De Bruin. The company is totally committed and dedicated to its
product and clients.
- John Wilton
CEO
NationWide Off Road Truck Sales
NationWide Hire
We were impressed with the 4WD buses because the smaller coasters we had on site just weren’t up
to it; we trialled 2WD and 4x4 coasters and they weren’t truly ‘4WD’ vehicles. Damage to coasters due to their lower ground clearance - and the downtime for repairs were an ongoing issue. It’s good
to finally have a vehicle that we can move our people around and not have any major issues.
There’s more room in the Able Bus & Coaches: proper coach seats and seat belts. There’s more leg
room in general, but also more headroom.
Having separate air-conditioning systems for the cab and cabin is another good feature. The cabin air
conditioning system is also up high and out of harm’s way - unlike air-conditioning units in the
coasters that are down low and susceptible to damage.
- Rick Barbeler
HSE Mining production manager at BMA’s Saraji Minesite and former pre-strip superintendent with
BMA
The bus is not over-engineered. Its simple built-for-purpose design means it gets the job done
without overselling itself. For safety compliance, the buses meet strength and design requirements.
All the engineering tests are validated. It especially met the Australian design standards. The
reputation of the product for safety is excellent.
- Peter Rogers
Maintenance Superintendent
I would like to thank you and your staff for all your assistance that you have provided this year.
You and your team have always been there to help out when it has been required. This has been
greatly appreciated by myself and I know others as well, within the APT Group.
Your team at Able Bus and Coach, has made my life this year at Connections Safaris, so much easier
by being so professional in your approach. You would be pleased to know, that the staff that you
dealt with at MVR here in Darwin also passed comment on this as well. To have a Government body
pass comment, is testament to the professionalism that you strive for.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and the staff at Able Bus and Coach. I look forward to
working with you next year in 2009.
- James Usher
Fleet Manager
Australian Pacific Touring Group