Renault Pr100.3
Encyclopedia
Renault Trucks
Renault Trucks is a French truck manufacturer with its corporate headquarters at Saint-Priest near Lyon. Originally part of Renault, it has been owned by Volvo Group since 2001....
PR100.3 was a city bus marketed in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, based on the Renault R 312
Renault R 312
The Renault R 312 is a class of buses produced by the bus division of Renault Trucks from 1987 to 1996. It succeeded the SC 10, which was originally a Saviem design from the 1960s...
. The bus, like the PR100.2, was a package with a standard R 312 front, chassis and dash (with steering column), and choices of bodywork.
Australia
Only three operators in Australia purchased the PR100.3: ACTIONACTION
ACTION is a public bus service operating in Canberra, ACT, Australia. It is operated by the ACT Department of Territory and Municipal Services...
buses (A.C.T), Transperth
Transperth
Transperth is the brand name of the public transport system in Perth, Western Australia. It is operated by the Public Transport Authority.-History:...
(W.A), and the former King Bros Bus Group (which had its 25 PR100.3s taken over by Busways). They are mainly on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, but a few have made their way to Blacktown, in Western Sydney
Greater Western Sydney
Greater Western Sydney is a term used to describe the western region of the metropolitan area of Sydney, Australia. The University of Western Sydney defines Greater Western Sydney as comprising 14 local government areas...
.
Busways
Busways inherited 25 units when King Bros went into receivership in 2003. Twenty were Custom Coaches CB50-bodied, four were Custom Coaches 510-bodied, and one was bodied by North Coast (NCBC) as a semi coach.ACTION
ACTION purchased 42 PR100.3 buses, all with Austral Denning bodies. These buses look more like their European counterparts than the Transperth version. Forty of the buses are dieselDiesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
powered (PR100.3), while only two are powered by natural gas
Compressed natural gas
Compressed natural gas is a fossil fuel substitute for gasoline , diesel, or propane/LPG. Although its combustion does produce greenhouse gases, it is a more environmentally clean alternative to those fuels, and it is much safer than other fuels in the event of a spill...
, designated by ACTION as the PR100.3NGV. Seven of the buses are also wheelchair accessible
Accessibility
Accessibility is a general term used to describe the degree to which a product, device, service, or environment is available to as many people as possible. Accessibility can be viewed as the "ability to access" and benefit from some system or entity...
, and are classed as the PR100.3a. Although the bus is marketed as a Renault, six of the wheelchair-accessible buses (all of the final order) were badged as Mack
Mack Trucks
Mack Trucks is an American truck-manufacturing company and a former manufacturer of buses and trolley buses. A wholly owned subsidiary of Renault Véhicules Industriels since 1990, Mack Trucks is currently a subsidiary of AB Volvo. The company's headquarters are located in Greensboro, North Carolina...
rather than Renault. This included an oval bulldog logo in place of the Renault diamond on the front, and “MACK” on the rear window above the Austral Denning wording. Bus are numbered as follows:
| PR100.3 | PR100.3a | PR100.3NGV |
|---|---|---|
| 100-112 114-125 992-999 |
113 126-131 |
990-991 |
Number 113 is the only official Renault badged PR100.3a. The reason for this is that the bus was originally a normal PR100.3. The bus was first placed in service on trial with Brisbane Transport
Brisbane Transport
Brisbane Transport is a business unit of Brisbane City Council, operating suburban and urban bus services under the TransLink integrated public transport scheme in Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. The origins of Brisbane Transport can be seen as far back as 1885 when horse...
, and sported the orange, blue and grey of ACTION on the sides, with the white and yellow surround triangle of Brisbane Transport on the front. It was converted to a wheelchair-accessible bus after its service with Brisbane Transport. It was never in Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
service as a normal PR100.3.
The PR100.3 in the A.C.T. introduced a simplified ACTION livery based on a previous livery nicknamed the 'Z Stripe'. The PR100.3 livery is white above the window/door line, orange underneath with grey panelling at the bottom. Breaking the orange and grey is a light blue stripe which fits in with the exact size of the indented portion on the front and runs the length and width of the body. Breaking up the light blue stripe is a small dark blue reflective stripe only found on the sides of the bus.
Both NGV buses and all .3a buses have being modified: the NGV buses have been converted to run on diesel fuel, and the .3as are no longer wheelchair accseible (but kept the kneeling supension). (Number 113 may still be wheel chair accsesible.)
Transperth
There is only one PR100.3 in the Transperth fleet (owned by Path TransitPath Transit
Path Transit is a transport company operating 320 buses in Perth, Australia since 1996.It has depots in :* Bayswater* MalagaPath Transit also provides rental of vehicles for private functions.-Vehicles:...
), and was built with a Volgren
Volgren
Volgren is an Australian bodywork company previously owned by Volvo and the Grenda Corporation but is now entirely owned by the latter. It was established in 1977, initially supplying bodywork for Volvo buses sold in Australia, and later supplying bus bodywork on all types of chassis for both local...
body. This bus differs in many ways from the ACTION fleet in the shape and design of the body and interior (looking less like the European R312), and also has an evaporative cooler. The only similar features are the dash, chassis, steering column and the R312 front.
This bus is numbered 1133 in the Transperth fleet and was offered for sale in 1993, but there was no buyer. The bus is technically still in service today, but, is normally used only when it is critically required as poor performance still haunts it. It is painted in Transperth corporate colours—green and white—and is garaged at Malaga Depot. It was converted to CNG fuel by Transcom.