Who would have thought that a small bus service in the 1970’s, operating just 6 vehicles in the Moreton Bay district, would rapidly grow into the corporate coach company that it is today? With our expanded services now running across many parts of the East Coast of Australia, we’re extremely proud to say that Kangaroo Bus Lines (KBL) has hit a huge milestone with reaching our 40th Anniversary.
40 YEARS OF HIGHLIGHTS
There are many highlights throughout the past 40 years that we couldn’t be prouder of. It was a few small milestones across the years that really emphasised the growing impact our company had, making our business more than just another transport service.
These highlights were:
1978 – Kangaroo Line was purchased by Daryl & Jan Webster – fleet of nine buses
1978 – First Kangaroo Lines Depot located in Haunton Road, Morayfield
1979 – New Leyland bus, KBL 011, was purchased
1981 – Relocated to Morayfield Road Depot location – 12 buses in total and we rebranded to ‘Kangaroo Bus Lines’
1998 – Rail Replacement Contract signed for Queensland Rail
2000 – Opened new office at the Morayfield Road depot location – fleet size now 30 vehicles
2001 – Commenced camping safari tours including the famous Birdsville Races
2004 – Began partnership with the State Government’s ‘TransLink Transit Authority’ which would expand our business in the public transport sector exponentially
2008 – Darren Webster (only son of Daryl and Jan) took on the role of General Manager
2009 – Awarded Outstanding Contribution Award by Queensland Bus Industry Council (QBIC)
2010 – Rapid growth in our Outback Touring programme becoming the official transport partner for the Birdsville Races
2012 – Moved into our new depot location at Motorway Drive Burpengary – Fleet size of 88 vehicles
2013 – Topline Coach Tours purchased
2014 – Partnership with the Caloundra Music Festival signed
2016 – The grand opening of our second branch and depot located on the Sunshine Coast – fleet size of 3 vehicles
2016 – Inbound Tourism Cruise Ship contract signed providing shuttles and local tours for Cruise Ships into Brisbane and Mooloolaba
2017 – KBL announced winners of the Sunshine Coast Business Tours Awards within the “Tours” category
2018 – Signed contract for the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games to assist transporting VIPs and spectators
2018 – Renewal of our Queensland Government ‘TransLink’ contract for another 7 years providing urban and school services to the community.
2018 – Fleet size increased to 127 with total staff across both depots of 216
ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS
In KBL fashion ‘Go Big or Go Home’, we decided to commemorate our 40 years of operation with two celebratory events. These would include the support of family, friends, staff, business partners, colleagues, suppliers and customers.
OCTOBER 13TH // STAFF EVENT
The KBL 40-year celebration kicked off in early October at our head office in Burpengary. This function was for our dedicated staff who have helped shape and grow KBL into the successful company it is today. Shocked by the 210 employees in attendance, the KBL Chief Executive Officer, Darren Webster emphasized his awe to witness the significant growth of the company since it was established.
The event carried through with a special mention to KBL’s longest staff member, Mr John Walker, who commenced at KBL on the 2nd October 1995, totalling twenty-three years of service! Darren was also proud to present crystal awards to ten of his employees who have been with the company for over 10 years, namely:
- Bronwyn Maxwell
- Cameron Beare
- Greg Stone
- John Carpenter
- Kevin McPherson
- Michelle Mitchell
- Phillip Nielson
- Trevor McLaren
- Warren Buchanan
- Warren Eckhardt
A highlight of the night was the exciting reveal of the 40th Anniversary KBL themed coach. This coach was wrapped with a timeline of photographs from KBL’s 40-year history, including our old design and logo. It was certainly well received from the reaction of the staff as you can see in the video below! We strongly encourage everyone between the Redcliffe and Caboolture Stations to keep their eyes peeled as you can find this newly wrapped coach assisting in the 660 services!
Check out the bus reveal below!
OCTOBER 27TH // CORPORATE EVENT
The second 40th Anniversary function we will be hosting will include all our business partners, colleagues, suppliers and customers. To reflect on how we feel is quite hard to put into words. As a company, we’re extremely honoured to have developed a long-lasting relationship with our community. We’re very excited for everyone to come together and celebrate a huge milestone for our family-owned business and are looking forward to the 175 guests who have already RSVP attending!
As we have done for many years, KBL will continue practising our commitment to deliver outstanding transportation services. We promise to continue to deliver our exceptional services, always strive to enhance all visitor experiences and exceed consumer expectations across South East Queensland.
