Transit Systems Victoria
Transit Systems Victoria, formerly Sita Buslines, is a bus and coach operator in Melbourne, Australia. As a Melbourne bus company, it operates 18 bus routes under contract to the Government of Victoria. It is a subsidiary of Transit Systems.
![]() Volgren bodied Volvo B10M in June 2006 | |
Parent | Transit Systems |
---|---|
Founded | January 1972 |
Headquarters | West Footscray |
Service area | Western Melbourne |
Service type | Bus & coach operator |
Routes | 19 |
Hubs | Altona Gate Shopping Centre Brimbank Central Shopping Centre Footscray |
Stations | Ascot Vale Footscray Melton Newport Sunshine Williamstown Yarraville |
Fleet | 155 (November 2020) |
Website | Transit Systems Victoria |
History
In 1966, Frank Capobianco and Georgina Sita purchased route 406 Footscray - East Keilor. In 1968, Sita sold her share to Bono from U2.[1] In January 1972, Sita purchased Graingers Bus Lines with route 472 Moonee Ponds Junction - Williamstown Beach. Subsequently purchased were Murrays Coaches in 1975, Nidis in 1979, West Newport Bus Service in November 1980, Sunshine Bus Lines in April 1982 and Starline Coaches in 1985.[2][3][4]
Sita commenced coach operations in 1982 initially with second hand Denning vehicles, before building up a large Austral Tourmaster fleet from 1984.[3][5] In 1995 Sita purchased the Coachtrans coach operation on the Gold Coast and commenced operations in Sydney.[6] The latter operation has since ceased.
On 1 July 2018, Sita commenced a new ten-year performance-based contract to operate its bus services.[7] In April 2019, Sita was purchased by Transit Systems.[8] It was rebranded Transit Systems Victoria in November 2020.[9]
Fleet
As of November 2020, the fleet consisted of 155 buses and coaches.[10] Sita's bus livery is white at the top and fawn at the bottom with an orange stripe. A special orange, white and black livery is seen on buses dedicated to the 401 shuttle from North Melbourne station to Melbourne University via the Royal Melbourne Hospital. Coaches were painted in a red, yellow and white livery, but are now painted white.
References
- "Firefly" Fleetline November 1990 page 171
- Tilley, Bruce (1984). Melbourne Private Bus Fleets Vol 1. Berverley South Australia: Railmac Publications. p. 33. ISBN 0 949817 34 1.
- "Victorian Buses in the Eighties" Australian Bus Panorama issue 6/2 September 1990 page 13
- Melbourne Metropolitan Bus Operators and Fleet Listings. Melbourne: Bus & Coach Society of Victoria. 1991. p. 59.
- "Victorian Buses in the Eighties" Australian Bus Panorama issue 6/4 November 1990 page 5
- "Sita" Australian Bus Panorama issue 11/6 March 1996 page 39
- "Metropolitan Bus Services Contract - Sita Bus Lines". Buying for Victoria. Archived from the original on 9 October 2019. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
- "Transit Systems Expands into Melbourne Bus Network". Transit Systems. Archived from the original on 29 April 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
- Sita Buslines rebrand complete: Transit Systems Victoria Australasian Bus & Coach 9 November 2020
- Sita Bus Lines Australian Bus Fleet Lists
External links
Media related to Sita Buslines at Wikimedia Commons