Forest Coach Lines facts for kids
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Custom Bus bodied Volvo B7RLE in Sydney
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| Parent | ComfortDelGro Australia |
| Headquarters | Terrey Hills |
| Service area | Mid North Coast North West Slopes Former: Hornsby Macquarie Park Chatswood Willoughby Northern Beaches |
| Service type | Bus services |
| Depot(s) | 4 (December 2023) |
| Fleet | 88 (December 2023) |
| Chief executive | Nicolas Yap (as CEO of CDC Australia) |
Forest Coach Lines is an Australian company that runs buses and coaches. It started in 1930 in the Northern Suburbs of Sydney. Since 2016, the company has grown a lot. It bought other bus companies in the Mid North Coast and North West Slopes areas of New South Wales. Forest Coach Lines is now part of a bigger company called ComfortDelGro Australia.
In early 2023, the Forest Coach Lines name was changed in Sydney. Their buses in Sydney now use the CDC NSW brand. But the buses in the Mid North Coast and North West Slopes still use the Forest Coach Lines name.
Contents
The Story of Forest Coach Lines
Forest Coach Lines began in March 1930. Two brothers, Eric and Trevor Royle, started the company. They bought two bus routes and three buses from another owner. These routes went from Chatswood station to Roseville Chase and from Roseville station to Roseville Chase.
In October 1941, they started a new bus service. This service crossed the Roseville Bridge to Terrey Hills. The area around Frenchs Forest grew very quickly after the late 1940s. By 1960, the Royle Brothers had 12 buses in their fleet.
The company changed its name to Forest Coach Lines in February 1964. They also moved their main bus garage, called a depot, to Belrose. In May 1965, one of their original routes, route 201, stopped running. The company also started offering special coach trips. They created a separate business for this called Forest Trailways. It had its own depot in Manly Vale. Eric and Trevor Royle retired in the mid-1960s. Trevor's sons, Bernard and Tony, took over the business.
In 1973, their bus services reached Duffys Forest. In February 1982, they extended services to Warringah Mall, a large shopping center. In August 1979, a new, bigger depot opened in Terrey Hills. This new depot replaced the older ones in Belrose and Manly Vale.
A new law in 1990 allowed Forest Coach Lines to start running buses into the Sydney central business district (the city center). This began in July 1992. The company also grew by buying other bus operations. In August 1991, they bought Warringah Bus Lines. In July 1998, they bought part of St Ives Bus Service.
In November 2012, Forest Coach Lines won a new contract. This meant they would continue to operate buses in Sydney Bus Region 14. In December 2014, a company called Next Capital bought most of Forest Coach Lines.
The company continued to expand. In September 2016, they bought Manly Coaches. In November 2016, they bought Ryan's Bus Service in the Mid North Coast area. This included depots in Coffs Harbour and Woolgoolga. In April 2017, they bought Sawtell Coaches, which had a depot in Toormina. In September 2017, they bought Wolters Bus & Coach Service. This company operated in the North West Slopes and had depots in Narrabri and Wee Waa.
In September 2018, ComfortDelGro Australia (CDC) bought Forest Coach Lines. In November 2022, CDC won the contract to keep running buses in Region 14. The Forest Coach Lines name in Sydney was changed to the CDC NSW brand on May 21, 2023. However, the Forest Coach Lines name is still used for their buses in regional New South Wales.
What Kinds of Buses Do They Use?
As of December 2023, Forest Coach Lines has 88 buses in its fleet.
Forest Coach Lines used to buy many Leyland buses. In 1972, they were the first company in Sydney to use a Volvo bus. Since then, most of their new buses have been either Volvo or Mercedes-Benz. In March 2013, they even added two Bustech double-decker buses.
When the company changed its name to Forest Coach Lines in 1964, they introduced new bus colors. The buses were white and green. These colors stayed until 2013. Then, because of a new bus contract, Forest Coach Lines had to change their buses to the Transport for NSW colors, which are white and blue.
Bus Routes They Used to Run in Sydney
These are the bus routes Forest Coach Lines operated in Sydney before their name changed to CDC NSW in May 2023:
- 141: Austlink to Manly via Belrose, Northern Beaches Hospital, Seaforth, Balgowlah & Fairlight
- 193: Austlink to Warringah Mall via Northern Beaches Hospital, Beacon Hill & Narraweena
- 194: St Ives Village Shops/St Ives Chase to City QVB via East Killara, East Lindfield, East Roseville, Middle Cove, Northbridge and Cammeray
- 194X: St Ives Village Shops/St Ives Chase to City QVB via East Killara, East Lindfield, East Roseville & Alpha Road (Express Service)
- 195: Gordon to St. Ives Chase Loop
- 196: Gordon to Mona Vale via St Ives Village Shops and Austlink
- 197: Macquarie University to Mona Vale via Macquarie Centre, Macquarie Park, West Pymble, Gordon Station, St Ives Village Shops and Austlink
- 260: Terrey Hills to North Sydney via Frenchs Forest, Forestville, Northbridge and Cammeray
- 270: Terrey Hills to City QVB via Frenchs Forest, Forestville & Alpha Road
- 270X: Terrey Hills to City QVB via Frenchs Forest, Forestville & Alpha Road (Limited Stops)
- 271: Terrey Hills/Austlink/Belrose to City QVB via Frenchs Forest, Forestville & Alpha Road
- 273: Killarney Heights to City QVB via Frenchs Forest, Forestville & Alpha Road
- 274: Davidson to City QVB via Frenchs Forest, Forestville & Alpha Road
- 277: Chatswood to Castle Cove
- 278: Chatswood/Forestville to Killarney Heights
- 280: Chatswood to Warringah Mall via East Roseville, Forestville, Frenchs Forest, Skyline & Allambie
- 281: Chatswood to Davidson via Forestville & Frenchs Forest
- 282: Chatswood to Belrose via Forestville, Frenchs Forest & Davidson
- 283: Chatswood to Belrose via Forestville & Frenchs Forest
- 284: Chatswood to Duffys Forest via Forestville, Frenchs Forest & Belrose, Austlink & Terrey Hills
Bus Routes They Run in Coffs Harbour
These are the bus routes Forest Coach Lines currently operates in the Coffs Harbour area:
- 362: Boambee to Coffs Harbour via SCU Coffs Harbour Campus & CH Base Hospital
- 363: Boambee to Coffs Harbour via Pacific Hwy
- 364: Sawtell to Coffs Harbour via Hogbin Dr (Loop Service)
- 370: Sawtell to Coffs Harbour via Toormina & SCU, Coffs Harbour Campus
- 371: Toormina to Boambee (Loop Service)
- 372: Coffs Harbour to Grafton via Woolgoolga
Images for kids
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Forest Coach Lines Volvo B7RLE in a green Transport for NSW livery.
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Forest Coach Lines Volvo B12BLEA in its corporate livery.
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BusTech bodied Volvo B7RLE, in current Transport for NSW livery.
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