Renault PR100.3

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Renault PR100.3

An ACTION PR100.3 at Tuggeranong Interchange. This bus sports an Austral Denning body.
PR100.3 insignia

The Renault PR100.3 was a city bus marketed in Australia, based on the Renault R312. The bus, like the PR100.2, was a package with a standard R 312 front, chassis and dash (with steering column), and choices of bodywork.

Australia

Only three operators in Australia purchased the PR100.3: ACTION buses (A.C.T), Transperth (W.A), and the former King Bros Bus Group (which had its 25 PR100.3s taken over by Busways). They are mainly on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, but a few have made their way to Blacktown, in Western Sydney.

Busways

Busways inherited 25 units when King Bros went into receivership in 2003. Twenty were Custom Coaches CB50-bodied, four were Custom Coaches 510-bodied, and one was bodied by North Coast (NCBC) as a semi coach.

ACTION

ACTION purchased 42 PR100.3 buses, all with Austral Denning bodies. These buses look more like their European counterparts than the Transperth version. Forty of the buses are diesel powered (PR100.3), while only two are powered by natural gas, designated by ACTION as the PR100.3NGV. Seven of the buses are also wheelchair accessible, and are classed as the PR100.3a. Although the bus is marketed as a Renault, six of the wheelchair-accessible buses (all of the final order) were badged as Mack rather than Renault. This included an oval bulldog logo in place of the Renault diamond on the front, and “MACK” on the rear window above the Austral Denning wording. Bus are numbered as follows:

PR100.3 PR100.3a PR100.3NGV
100-112
114-125
992-999		 113
126-131		 990-991

Number 113 is the only official Renault badged PR100.3a. The reason for this is that the bus was originally a normal PR100.3. The bus was first placed in service on trial with Brisbane Transport, and sported the orange, blue and grey of ACTION on the sides, with the white and yellow surround triangle of Brisbane Transport on the front. It was converted to a wheelchair-accessible bus after its service with Brisbane Transport. It was never in Canberra service as a normal PR100.3.

The PR100.3 in the A.C.T. introduced a simplified ACTION livery based on a previous livery nicknamed the 'Z Stripe'. The PR100.3 livery is white above the window/door line, orange underneath with grey panelling at the bottom. Breaking the orange and grey is a light blue stripe which fits in with the exact size of the indented portion on the front and runs the length and width of the body. Breaking up the light blue stripe is a small dark blue reflective stripe only found on the sides of the bus.

Both NGV buses and all .3a buses have been modified: the NGV buses have been converted to run on diesel fuel, and the .3as are no longer wheelchair accessible (but kept the kneeling suspension).

Transperth

There is only one PR100.3 in the Transperth fleet (operated by Path Transit), and was built with a Volgren body. This bus differs in many ways from the ACTION fleet in the shape and design of the body and interior (looking less like the European R312), and also has an evaporative cooler. The only similar features are the dash, chassis, steering column and the R312 front.

This bus is numbered 1133 in the Transperth fleet and was offered for sale in 1993, but there was no buyer. The bus is technically still in service today, but, is normally used only when it is critically required as poor performance still haunts it. It is painted in Transperth corporate colours—green and white—and is garaged at Malaga Depot. It was converted to CNG fuel by Transcom.

References

External links

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