Volvo B58 #1403
Volvo B58 #1403 as originally delivered, crossing King William Street onto Currie Street.
📷Jim Bond ©www.perthbus.info
Volvo B58 #1403, one of 20 short-wheelbase “Hills” buses built for the State Transport Authority (STA), has made its way back home to Adelaide. Built by PMC Adelaide in 1980, #1403 spent most of its working life at Aldgate depot, serving the Adelaide Hills community.
In 1994, #1403 transferred from STA to TransAdelaide, then to Hills Transit in 1995, and finally to TransitPlus in 2000 before being replaced at Aldgate by a Scania L94UB. It later joined Southlink Lonsdale as #2445, primarily servicing Willunga, Aldinga, and Sellicks Beach routes before their conversion to Metroticket. Additionally, it saw service with Serco in Adelaide before being sold to Western Australia.
Volvo B58 2445 (ex 1403), at Noarlunga Interchange bound for Aldinga Beach on a 751.
📷Scott Mitchell
After a 40-year service life spanning South Australia and Western Australia, #1403 was offered for preservation in 2021. Due to COVID restrictions, it was purchased sight unseen by its new owner, who ensured it remained safe from the scrapyard. After some time in Western Australia, #1403 finally made the journey back to Adelaide across the Nullarbor by truck in late 2024.
While #1403 only ever wore the iconic “Brown Bomber” and all-white liveries during its service life, it is set to be restored in the striking Hills Transit livery as a tribute to its history.
Volvo B58 #1403 being unloaded after it’s long haul transport from WA