Kinetic Group

Kinetic Group is an Australian-based bus company that was known as AATS Group until August 2019. It operates buses in Australia and New Zealand. Among its subsidiaries is SkyBus, which operates bus services to a number of airports in both countries. Kinetic is majority owned by Canadian pension fund OPTrust and Australian infrastructure manager Infrastructure Capital Group.[1]

Kinetic Group
IndustryBus transportation
Founded2014
FounderMichael Sewards (co-CEO)
Adam Begg (co-CEO)
Headquarters
Melbourne
Area served
Australia
New Zealand
ParentOPTrust (51%)
Infrastructure Capital Group (49%)
SubsidiariesGo Bus
Greyhound Resources
Kinetic Melbourne
Love's Bus Service Queensland
SkyBus
Sunbus
Surfside Buslines
Telfords Bus & Coach
Redline Coaches
Websitewearekinetic.com

History

AATS started in 2014 as a consortium that included Catalyst Direct Capital Management and OPTrust Private Markets Group to purchase SkyBus.[2][3] Michael Sewards and Adam Begg were the founders and became the co-CEOs of the company.[4]

AATS purchased Transit Australia Group (TAG) in April 2019, including bus companies Sunbus and Surfside Buslines.[5][6] It was rebranded the Kinetic Group in August 2019, and remains the parent company of SkyBus and TAG.[7][8] In the same month, OPTrust began to seek a co-investor in Kinetic Group, who would hold a minority share in the group.[9]

Kinetic acquired Sydney bus and coach charter company Telfords Bus & Coach in November 2019,[10][11] followed by Cairns bus operator Love's Bus Service Queensland in January 2020.[12][13]

In March 2020, it was announced that Kinetic would buy GoBus with 1,700 buses, subject to approval by the New Zealand Overseas Investment Office.[14] Approval was given in June and the acquisition was completed in August 2020.[15][16]

In December 2020, Campbell's Coaches, Townsville was acquired.[17][18] In February 2021, Kinetic announced it had agreed terms to purchase Greyhound Australia's resources business Greyhound Resources that provides mine transport for workers in the Bowen Basin, Hunter Valley, South Australia and Northern Territory with 170 vehicles.[19] The deal was expected to close in April 2021.[20][21]

In April 2021, it was announced that Redline Coaches of Tasmania would be acquired.[22]

Following OPTrust's 2019 announcement of seeking a co-investor, Infrastructure Capital Group acquired a 49% shareholding in Kinetic in October 2021.[23][24]

On 31 January 2022, Kinetic Melbourne took over the routes operated by Transdev Melbourne, with 531 buses, under a contract which runs until June 2031.[25][26] In February 2022, Kinetic acquired Sainty's North East Bus Service, with vehicles and drivers joining Kinetic's Redline Coaches business.[27]

In March 2022, Kinetic announced its acquisition of NZ Bus, which operates in Auckland, Tauranga and Wellington and is one of New Zealand's biggest urban bus operators, with 800 buses and 14 depots.[28] In the same month, Kinetic also announced the acquisition of Mersey Bus & Coach Services (Merseylink), the largest private operator in Tasmania which operates 51 general and school bus services in Devonport and north-west Tasmania.[29]

Operations

Kinetic operates the following brands:[30]

Northern Territory

  • Greyhound Resources

Queensland

New South Wales

South Australia

Tasmania

Victoria

New Zealand

References
  1. "Our shareholders". Kinetic. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  2. OPTrust, Catalyst acquire Australia’s SkyBus AltAssets 8 September 2014
  3. "About Skybus". SkyBus. Archived from the original on 13 July 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  4. "Our leadership team". Kinetic. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  5. "SkyBus Operator AATS Group Acquires Transit Australia Group" (PDF). Kinetic. 2 April 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  6. "Skybus Operator to Acquire Transit Australia Group - Bustech not Included". Australasian Bus & Coach. 2 April 2019. Archived from the original on 22 April 2019. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  7. "Leading Australian Transit Provider Relaunches as Kinetic" (PDF). Kinetic. 8 August 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  8. "Skybus parent relaunched as 'Kinetic'". Australasian Bus & Coach. 8 August 2019. Archived from the original on 20 August 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  9. "OPTrust brings in bankers to find new partner for SkyBus owner Kinetic". Australian Financial Review. 18 August 2019. Archived from the original on 18 August 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  10. "Kinetic bolsters Queensland footprint with new acquisition" (PDF). Kinetic. 21 November 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  11. Telford's sold to Skybus Kinetic Group Australasian Bus & Coach 21 November 2019
  12. "Kinetic bolsters Queensland footprint with new acquisition" (PDF). Kinetic. 21 January 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  13. "Kinetic Acquires Second Cairns Company: Love's Bus Service". Australasian Bus & Coach. 22 January 2020. Archived from the original on 28 January 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  14. "SkyBus operator set to buy Go Bus from two iwi". RNZ. 16 March 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  15. "Kiwi transport company Go Bus sold to major Australian operator Kinetic". Stuff. 4 August 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  16. "Kinetic completes NZ Go Bus acquisition". Australasian Bus & Coach. 4 August 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  17. Kinetic welcomes Campbell’s Coaches, expands regional Queensland footprint Kinetic Group
  18. About Campbells Coaches Townsville Campbell's Coaches with Kinetic name at botom
  19. About Greyhound Resources Greyhound Australia Retrieved 5 February 2021
  20. Greyhound Resources sold to Skybus-Kinetic Australasian Bus & Coach 4 February 2021
  21. Kinetic bolsters specialist mass transit capabilities with Greyhound Resources acquisition Kinetic Group
  22. Abblitt, Ebony (22 April 2021). "Tasmanian Redline Coaches is being acquired by SkyBus operator Kinetic". The Examiner.
  23. "Infrastructure Capital Group acquires interest in Kinetic". Kinetic Group. 14 October 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  24. "ICG bets on public transport growth with Kinetic bus deal". Infrastructure Investor. 13 October 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  25. "New Bus Franchise To Jump Start Zero Emissions Pledge". Premier of Victoria. 2 October 2021.
  26. "Kinetic wins Victorian Government contract to run a third of Melbourne's bus network". Kinetic Group. Archived from the original on 5 October 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  27. "Kinetic acquires Tassie's Sainty's Bus Service". Australian Bus & Coach. 3 February 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  28. Cotter, Fabian (11 March 2022). "Kinetic to acquire NZ Bus Ltd". Australasian Bus & Coach. Archived from the original on 12 March 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  29. "Kinetic expands commitment to Tasmania with Merseylink acquisition". 15 March 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  30. "Kinetic - Our brands and network". Kinetic. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
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