Kinetic expands Tasmanian operation with East Tamar acquisition

Credit: Kinetic

Kinetic has announced that it is set to expand its presence in Tasmania’s northeast with the acquisition of family-run business East Tamar Bus Lines.

Established by Darrell and Glenda Lee in 2020, East Tamar operates three government contracted bus services primarily between Launceston and George Town. The Lee’s also operate a charter business, Lee’s Coaches, which will not be included in the sale.

East Tamar has six buses and 10 employees with all staff to be offered continued employment with Kinetic.

Currently, Kinetic also operates SkyBus Hobart, Redline Coaches and MerseyLink, with its network in Tasmania now including 209 buses and 244 people, making it the largest privately owned government contractor in the state.

The investment will expand Kinetic’s commitment to Tasmania and partnership with the Department of State Growth to deliver bus services that are safe and reliable and which have a positive social impact.

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Kinetic Co-CEO Michael Sewards said: “This is a fantastic family-run business, and we congratulate Darrell and Glenda personally with a commitment to building on the legacy they have created. We are committed to making bus travel safer, cleaner and greener for Tasmanians and that’s something we’ve been passionate about since launching SkyBus at Hobart Airport in 2018. This year (2022) we put our first two fully electric buses on the road, which have had an immediate impact displacing around 36 tonnes of CO₂, and we will continue to invest in sustainable transport for generations to come.”

Glenda Lee said: “Mum and Dad started school bus services on Flinders Island when I was six, so this is somewhat of a nostalgic feeling for us as we, and our family, say goodbye to buses with no remaining connection to the industry.”

Darrell and Glenda have said that the sale to Kinetic will be positive for passengers and East Tamar staff and extended their thanks to the George Town and East Tamar communities for their support and patronage over the last 17 years.

“Kinetic is widely known and respected and at the end of the day, that makes us comfortable that we are doing the right thing by our staff and our customers. We have had wonderful and loyal staff members over the years who have also gone away and come back to work with us – and that loyalty is something that is really appreciated,” said Glenda Lee.

The sale is expected to complete at the end of September 2022.