GISBUS

GisBus was developed in 2008 in a collaboration between Public Transport Victoria and Sunshine Scenic Tours and commenced operating in January 2009. With Pino and Dominic Gattellaro of Sunshine Tours being the driving forces, GisBus continued to evolve into the service that has been offered to the Gisborne community and will do so until 30th June. 

During this period our vehicles have continually evolved, drivers have changed, passengers have come and gone, school children who have been with us from foundation to graduation have moved into further education, initial employment, and others on to their preferred careers and we hope we have contributed even just a little to their development– it’s now we take the opportunity to say thank you.  

Thank you to our long-term drivers Wally, Kelvyn, Henry, Gary, Chris, Gavin, Kevin, Trevor, Johnny, and Rod - apologies to anyone that has been forgotten. Best wishes and luck in your future roles. 

Thank you to Barb and Caroline from Caltex/Ampol petrol station - I’d hate to think how many litres we drained out of their tanks over the years but especially for the always friendly service we received.  

Thank you to Matt and Peter from Kumho tyres for keeping us on the road and Danny and Dom, the mechanical staff down at Sunshine Tours.  

Thank you to Windarring for the partnership we have built, supporting their clientele in learning and developing their own public transport experiences. 

Thank you to the senior railway station staff at Gisborne - Ronnie, Maureen, and Jo  - for the flow of information, all-round support, and friendship. This enabled GisBus to keep our passengers advised and made a significant difference in the running of our services.  

A special thanks to our IT guru Dave. Our website booking service became most effective once you took control of it, thanks buddy.  

Finally, thank you to every passenger that has utilised our services over the years. Your support, friendship, messages, best wishes, and conversations we have shared over the years was and is greatly appreciated! We certainly enjoyed your company.

Over the years, we have watched the Gisborne township continue to grow. Sunbury Coaches will now “Take Over the Reins” from 1st July and looking into the future with the continual growth of Gisborne will introduce low floor coaches into the service, allowing for larger passenger and school children capacity and then in the coming months introduce hybrid vehicles, contributing to a positive impact on global emissions.  We wish Sunbury Coaches all the very best as Gisbus becomes Gisborne Transit.  We trust the foundation GisBus laid can be built upon and continue to grow to service the community of Gisborne.

As for Tony? I will be joining Sunbury Coaches along with Gavin to continue our relationship with the Gisborne Community and look forward to seeing many of you. 

To the next time the road meets the rail, stay safe and stay healthy.   

Cheers,

 Tony & Pino and all of us at GisBus