Shorelink is owned, operated and maintained by TransdevTSL, which combines Transdev’s longstanding experience in the public transport sector with Transfield Services’ world leading operations and maintenance expertise.
TransdevTSL also operates and maintains Melbourne’s tram network through Yarra Trams and Brisbane City Council’s Ferry service through MetroLink Brisbane Ferries.
TransdevTSL’s public transport services have a strong track record for making real improvements to both the operations and maintenance of public transport systems.
Shorelink began life as Ku-Ring-Gai Bus Co. Pty Ltd, which was formed in the 1920’s and operated from Chatswood Station along the Pacific Highway to Hornsby. The depot was located at 1398 Pacific Highway Turramurra, at what is now the site of a Mobil Garage.
In 1949, Mr James Huntly Knox purchased a shareholding in the company and subsequently in 1965 purchased the remaining shares off Mr and Mrs William Stonex.
During 1950 and up to 1965 the company had 9 buses, including Bedfords and ex Government Leylands. The operation had been extended to Mt Kuring-gai with a service along Parklands Road.
Subsequently the company bought Hornsby District Bus Co., as well as Pennant Hills - Hornsby Bus Co., Warringah Bus Lines, Griffith’s Bus Service, Berowra Coach Services and Talbot’s Transport Service, which operated in the Brooklyn area…and so became the Hornsby Bus Group.
In 1988, the company moved to new premises in Beaumont Road, Mt Kuring-gai and adopted a new trading name of Shorelink.
At the same time, Mr Knox purchased the majority of the Deanes Bus Service, which included all services North of Gordon and the Gordon to Macquarie service.
In 1991, Warringah Bus Lines, which operated from Pymble to Mona Vale, was sold to Forest Coach Lines.
In October 1992, the company was sold to John A. Gilberts Pty Ltd, but continued to operate as Shorelink. They then sold the company in March 1996 to Mr Frank D’Apuzzo and Peter Simpson, who continued to operate it until 2001, when it was sold to Transdev.
In July 2004, the New South Wales Government divided Sydney into 15 contract regions. Shorelink is contracted by the NSW Ministry of Transport to provide bus services in Region 12 in Sydney’s North Shore region.
Region 12 covers areas along the Pacific Highway from Chatswood to the Hawkesbury River and cross-region services to Macquarie Town Centre.
Shorelink operates 22 routes in Region 12 and carries over three million passengers every year, including approximately 26,000 school pupils each day and a number of peak-hour services to and from the CBD.
Shorelink also provides an extensive range of charter bus services to a wide variety of clients and operates NightRide services between midnight and dawn to replace railway services.
Shorelink has a fleet of 85 vehicles and approximately 120 employees.
Transdev acquired the Shorelink bus company in 2001. In 2006, Transfield Services acquired 50 per cent of the company giving both organisations an equal share in the business.
In 2007, Transdev and Transfield Services formalised a joint partnership, TransdevTSL to pursue new public transport opportunities.
TRANSDEV is one of France’s largest public transport operators and a leading operator of integrated urban public transport systems in Europe. The company specialises in public private partnerships and manages urban and rail transport networks on behalf of governments and local transport authorities. These partnerships exist within a variety of contractual agreements and legal and financial frameworks, ranging from management contracts without commercial risk to fully franchised and integrated public transport services. Currently, the TRANSDEV group has interests in 25 joint ventures with local governments and in 80 companies in France and abroad, with a majority interest in almost all of these.
TRANSDEV’s transport assets comprise a total of 89 urban public transport networks (bus only or bus & light rail/automated driverless light metro) and 44 inter-city networks, including five fully-integrated bus / light rail networks and an automated driverless system. It operates 9 major tramway or subway systems, with mass transit systems serving 20 urban areas with populations over 100,000, including eight metropolitan areas with populations over 300,000. Overall, the TRANSDEV Group operates a total fleet in excess of 950 tramway vehicles (including 474 tram vehicles of the Yarra Trams network in Melbourne), 10 automated light rail metro vehicles, and over 9,540 buses and coaches. The company has a staff complement of around 30,000 employees. Worldwide, TRANSDEV operates a total of one billion rides per year, carrying almost three million passengers each day.
TRANSDEV’s networks have extensive experience in transporting large numbers of people to and from large special events, such as major soccer and football games in Europe and Australia (attended by up to 65 000 people per match), as well as the Formula One Grand Prix and Australian Tennis Open in Melbourne. In cities such as Nantes, Strasbourg, Montpellier and Toulouse in France, TRANSDEV’s transport networks were commended for their efficient performance during the 1998 Soccer World Cup. This particular event involved the transportation of hundreds of thousands of people by tram and/or bus over a two-week period.
TRANSDEV also operates a regional revenue clearing house in Central France, and is a shareholder in a similar clearing house in Melbourne. It is also currently a key participant in the development of a major revenue clearing house for the multi-operator, multi-modal public transport system servicing the Paris region.
One of TRANSDEV’s core competencies has been in maximizing operational efficiency. It also has experience in devising effective marketing strategies to promote its services to commuters. The company prides itself on high quality customer service, and its ability to devise sophisticated integrated ticketing systems, as well as providing effective travel information to ensure that passengers have a pleasant and stress-free journey.
TRANSDEV’s majority shareholder is the CDC group (Caisse des Dépôts Développement), the holding company of subsidiaries which form part of Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations (CDC), which include, among others, TRANSDEV SA.
Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations (CDC)
Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations (CDC) was founded in 1816. It is the French national savings bank and is both a public fund management company as well as an institutional investor. CDC’s financial solidity is reflected in its AAA rating.
CDC has worked with the French Government to further the country’s economic and social development and to modernise France’s financial systems. Together with its subsidiaries and affiliated units, the group constitutes a powerful fund manager, conducting both public sector as well as free market financial activities.
CDC’s balance sheet stands at 380 Billion Euros, making it one of the world’s largest financial institutions.
CDC provides equity, debt and intermediary financing for major infrastructure projects. In particular, its subsidiary, CDC Projects, specialises in investing equity in Build, Own, Operate & Transfer (BOOT) projects.
Public Transport Expertise
As a public transport operator, TRANSDEV is committed to providing reliable, user-friendly and cost-effective services to commuters. This includes the use of ticketing systems that are integrated into other modes of public transport. It has been proven that overall inter-modal integration is a key success factor when measuring customer service satisfaction.
