Renault PR100.3
The Renault PR100.3 was a step-entrance and low-floor single-decker bus marketed in Australia, based on the Renault R312. The bus, like the PR100.2, was a package with a standard R312 front, chassis and dash (with steering column), and choices of bodywork.
| Renault PR100.3 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Renault Véhicules Industries (RVI) |
| Assembly | Saint-Priest, France |
| Body and chassis | |
| Doors | 1 or 2 |
| Floor type | Step-entrance (PR100.3) Low floor (PR100.3A) |
| Powertrain | |
| Capacity | 34 to 50 seated |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 11950mm |
| Width | 2500mm |
| Height | 3000mm |
| Curb weight | 14.4 tonnes |
Australia
Only three operators in Australia purchased the PR100.3: ACTION, King Brothers and Transperth.
ACTION
ACTION purchased 42 PR100.3 buses, all with Austral-Denning bodies which incorporated the R312 front. There are 7 low-floor PR100.3As were introduced as ACTION's first wheelchair accessible buses that only BUS 113, BUS 129 and BUS 131 are remaining in service. Two of these vehicles were originally powered by compressed natural gas (CNG), but they were converted to operate on diesel in 2007; these two buses have since been withdrawn from service.
Busways
Busways inherited 25 PR100.3s when it purchased King Brothers from its receivers in 2004. Twenty-four were bodied by Custom Coaches and one by Northcoast Bus & Coach.[1] They are mainly on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, but a few have made their way to Blacktown, in Western Sydney.
Transperth
Transperth purchased one Volgren bodied PR100.3. It was operated by Path Transit. 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 was numbered 1133 in the Transperth fleet and was offered for sale in 1993, but there was no buyer. It was normally used by Transperth only when it was critically required due to its poor performance. It was painted in Transperth corporate colours—green and white—and it was garaged at Malaga Depot. It was converted to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) fuel by Transcom. This bus was withdrawn in 2016 and has since been sold to a private owner to be secured for preservation. [2]