Northcoast Bus & Coach
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Bus manufacturing |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Founder | Wayne Smith, Daryl Wells |
| Defunct | 2014 |
| Headquarters | Caloundra , Australia |
| Products | Bus bodies |
Northcoast Bus & Coach operated as an Australian bus body manufacturer headquartered in Caloundra.
History
Established in 1985 by Wayne Smith and Daryl Wells, who previously worked at GBW, Northcoast began its operations in Maroochydore. The company’s inaugural bus body was constructed on a former Melbourne-Brighton Bus Lines Leyland Leopard chassis for Bellarine Bus Lines. In 1990, the business moved its facilities to Caloundra.
A preliminary agreement was reached in 1998 for Greyhound Pioneer Australia to acquire a shareholding; however, the transaction did not materialize as Greyhound proceeded to create Queensland Coach Company instead. Among Northcoast’s notable projects were manufacturing Volvo B12R buses for the Australian Defence Force, as well as producing Scania L113CRLs and L94UBs models for both Ventura Bus Lines and Metro Tasmania.
In 2010, Northcoast obtained a license to co-assemble the Eco Range buses from Gemilang Coachworks for distribution across Australia and New Zealand. The bus frames were fabricated via a Malaysian joint venture. Early orders originated from the Pulitano Group. This collaboration concluded by 2014 when Gemilang independently secured Australian Design Rules certification.
After manufacturing more than 600 bus bodies, Northcoast ended its production activities in 2014.