Firefly Express is an Australian interstate coach operator.

History

Firefly Express' origins can be traced back to 1966 when Frank Bono and George Sita purchased route 406 Footscray to East Keilor from Barnes Buslines. In 1968 Bono took full control. In August 1974 route 504

Moonee Ponds Moonee Ponds is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, Central Business District, located within the City of Moonee Valley Local government ar ...

to Clifton Hill was purchased, being sold in December 1975. In November 1986 Firefly commenced operating an overnight

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

service. In July 1987 route 406 was sold to Westrans and the Melbourne charter licences of VIP Express purchased. In December 1987 a daylight service was introduced between Melbourne and Sydney but did not become a permanent feature. In September 1988 an overnight Melbourne to

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

service commenced. In 2008, Firely entered a

codeshare agreement A codeshare agreement, also known simply as codeshare, is a business arrangement, common in the aviation industry, in which two or more airlines publish and market the same flight under their own airline designator and flight number (the "airli ...

with

Greyhound Australia Greyhound Australia is an Australian coach operator that operates services in all mainland states and territories. It is owned by Entrada Travel Group. The company was established in 1928 and is not affiliated with similarly named companies ...

for the Adelaide service.Late News Items ''Australian Bus Panorama'' issue 24/4 December 2008 page 58 In 2008 Firefly commenced operating services between

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) () is a city in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 census, Ballarat had a population of 111,973, making it the third-largest urban inland city in Australia and the third-largest city in Victoria. Within mo ...

, Ararat,

Murtoa Murtoa is a town in Victoria, Australia, situated around Lake Marma on the Wimmera Highway, north-west of the state capital, Melbourne. The town is in the Shire of Yarriambiack local government area. At the , Murtoa had a population of 865 an ...

Horsham Horsham () is a market town on the upper reaches of the River Arun on the fringe of the Weald in West Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Nearby to ...

and

Nhill Nhill is a town in the Wimmera, in western Victoria, Australia. Nhill is located on the Western Highway, halfway between Adelaide and Melbourne. At the , Nhill had a population of 1,749. "Nhill" is believed to be a Wergaia word meaning "early ...

under contract to

V/Line V/Line is a statutory authority that operates Regional rail, regional passenger rail and Intercity bus service, coach services in the Australian state of Victoria (state), Victoria. It provides passenger train services on five Commuter rail, ...

. In July 2021, Firefly took over 10

Bacchus Marsh Bacchus Marsh ( Wathawurrung: ''Pullerbopulloke'') is a town in Victoria, Australia, located approximately north-west of the state capital Melbourne, at a near equidistance to the major cities of Melbourne, Ballarat and Geelong. As of the ...

Grammar school runs.

Fleet

Firefly commenced interstate operations using Austral Tourmaster and later HD1 coaches. In the 1990s it purchased double-deck Denning Landseer coaches, some second-hand. Since 1998 it has purchased Scanias with Coach Design and

Coach Concepts Coach Concepts is an Australian coach bodybuilder in Rocklea, Brisbane. History Coach Concepts was formed by former Coach Design partner Mark Gamer in 2004 and had bodied 190 coaches as at April 2013. Large purchasers have been Bayside Coaches ...

bodywork. As at July 2022, the fleet consisted of 27 vehicles.Firefly Express
Australian Bus Fleet Lists

References

External links

* {{Regional Victoria public transport Bus companies of Australia Transport companies established in 1966 1956 establishments in Australia