Adelaide Metro Volvo B10M Bus PMC Adelaide 2405

I had the opportunity to catch an old favourite bus model of mine, the Volvo B10M. This video documents the journey on the bus which also bring back childhood memories catching those buses all around Adelaide.

2405 is a Volvo B10M-5600, bodied by PMCSA with a “commuter” body. It entered service in 1981 at Lonsdale depot with the State Transport Authority, and was one of 15 other B10Ms (numbered 1436-1450). These B10Ms were very similar to the 65 Volvo B58s introduced as part of the same order that these buses came in. B10Ms have a more modern suspension and chassis compared to the (even at the time) aged B58.

Originally delivered in the well known “Brown Bomber” livery, 1440 remained at Lonsdale depot until 2006, when it was retired from active service and put into storage. However, later that year it re-entered service at Torrens Transit’s Morphettville depot due to a bus shortage. By the end of 2006 it had been retired from metro service for good.

After retirement from government service, it was purchased by Charter/School Bus operator Kanga Coachlines, where it earned its keep running charters and school buses. Due to new legislation mandating a 25 year age limit on buses, it was retired in 2011, 30 years after it first entered service.

A to-be BPASA member purchased it from Kanga in 2011, and it has been enjoying a relaxed life in preservation since. As it was the last B10M/B58 in service in Adelaide, it will remain in its all over white livery.

2405 is something of a fan favourite, with a very “screamy” ZF 4HP500 transmission.