AN INTERNATIONAL CANBERRA BUS

The life story of BUS 674. By Ian Cooper.

ACTION has owned several widely travelled buses - vehicles which have been used as demonstrators in cities as far apart as Adelaide, Auckland, Darwin and Hobart.

However these exploits are insignificant when compared with ACTION BUS 674 - RENAULT PR100 M1 PN 100001. Built in Lyon, France in 1980 as a PR100 demonstrator bus for Singapore Bus Service, this vehicle was the first right hand drive PR100.

It was exhibited at the 1980 International Motor Show, held at the Exhibition Centre, Birmingham and was later demonstrated to a number of UK operators.

The next chapter in the life of the demonstrator is a little obscure, but by 1984 it was stored in the Lyon factory of RVI. Number 100001 had attracted the attention of Mack Trucks Australia [by then partly owned by Renault] which was about to enter the Australian bus market.

Later in 1984 number 100001 was upgraded mechanically and body modifications were made for its new role as a demonstrator in Australia for the later model Renault PR100.2. Number 100001 thus became a PR100/PR100.2 hybrid.

In early 1985 the bus arrived in Australia for a demonstration tour. Between 4 and 15 March the Renault/Mack was demonstrated to ACTION using temporary registration plates ZIR888, but not carrying passengers.

Perth was the next stop and in late March the Renault/Mack became number 10 in the MTT fleet in that city. In July 100001 was back in Canberra for a full scale, in service, demonstration. On 4 July it was temporarily registered as ZIB672. On 11 February 1986 the Renault/Mack was temporarily re-registered ZIB674 to make way for a demonstrator articulated bus purchased from MAN.

It was officially registered ZIB674 on 25 June 1986 after Mack was awarded a contract to purchase Renault buses.

In 2000 it was sold to Cavanagh's in Kempsey [MO5083] where it is still in service.