ABC #399

OPERATOR
NEAR OR FAR BUS AND COACH
Our determination kept us busy and we have
had our wheelchair accessible coach’s interior
refurbished and it looks fantastic.
Above:
It’s a family affair at
Near and Far, with
Rod and Justine’s four
children also involved
in the business.
Opposite:
Near or Far Bus and
Coach was set up
in 2017 by Rod and
Justine Williams.
Near or Far relies mostly
on toured charter. It holds a
standing order from Transport for
NSW for emergency busing, and
also works for a couple of schools
in the area. Its school contacts
were passed on from IHS
Coaches, when Rod purchased
the business from former owner
Kelvin Weatherburn, he explains.
Kelvin (affectionately called
Kel) continues his passion to
serve the local communities by
driving for Rod now.
LOVE FOR THE JOB
Justine continues to teach
at a local school, while taking
care of the ‘office’ side of
things, such as record-keeping
and compliance, while Rod
manages the day-to-day
operations and driving full-time.
“We love being able to serve
our local community. We’re glad
to have a wheelchair-accessible
coach in our fleet, which allows
us to cater to passengers with
special needs. Our determination
kept us busy and we have
had our wheelchair accessible
coach’s interior refurbished and
it looks fantastic,” Rod said.
“One of the other best parts
of running my own business is
having a team that is as devoted
to the work as Justine and I are.
“My team [Kelvin, Eddie, John
and Paul] is as much part of the
business as Justine and our kids.
“Our four children, Sienna,
Samuel, Ashleigh, Abigail, also
lend a helping hand in the family
business,” he said.
THE FLEET
Near or Far currently owns
four vehicles, ranging from a
53-seater to a 69-passenger
seat-belted coach. With the
charter business severely
crippled as a result of Covid-19,
the company recently sold its
fifth coach.
“We started out with one
bus that we bought from IHS
Coaches, but we sold that off
within the first year of operation,”
Rod explained.
“During the first year we also
started running a wheelchairaccessible
Scania coach. Today,
all our coaches are Scania and
we have a school bus that is
Volvo B10M.”
His team largely relies on
Quinlan’s Equipment Repairs in
Penrith for service and repairs
and Johnson’s Towing and
Mechanical in Bathurst.
“We need to have our
maintenance spot-on at all
times because being in the
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ABC November 2020 busnews.com.au