Australian TAGLaw member, Piper Alderman, has advised five bus operators on contract negotiations with the Queensland Government for the provision of public passenger bus services across South East Queensland for the next seven years.
The SEQ Translink Contract negotiations were the culmination of negotiations in excess of four years between the Queensland Government and Bus Operators.
The Piper Alderman team who acted for the bus operators are highlighted below.
Westside Bus Co. Pty Ltd, Bus Queensland Pty Ltd, Bus Queensland (Lockyer Valley) Pty Ltd
- Maria Capati, Partner
- Andrew Rankin, Partner
- Kara Pennisi, Senior Associate
- Ben Motro, Special Counsel (Employment)
Kangaroo Bus Lines
- Peter Dwyer, Partner
- Mark Askin, Partner
- Tim Capelin, Partner (Employment)
- Laura Spalding, Lawyer
Mt Gravatt Bus Service
- Nick Burkett, Partner
- Tim Lange, Partner (Employment)
Thompson’s Bus Services
- Gordon Grieve, Chairman of Partners
- Josh Steele, Partner
Brisbane Bus Lines
- Sebastian Greene, Partner
Commenting on the completion of the negotiations, team leader Peter Dwyer, said:
“All of our clients were successful in having new contracts awarded for another 7 years. I am very grateful for the passion and pride that all of our partners and lawyers demonstrated in achieving this great result for the firm and the respective clients as the contracts were incredibly complex.”
One of the bus operators that Piper Alderman represented was Kangaroo Bus Lines. Their Chief Executive Officer, Darren Webster, commented:
“Kangaroo Bus Lines (KBL) is a bus and coach operator based at Burpengary on the north side of Brisbane, proudly owned and operated by the Webster Family, currently a third-generation business. KBL operates a fleet of 125 buses and coaches and employs over 215 people.
I have had a business relationship with Peter Dwyer that dates back over 15 years. KBL has been proud to have Peter and his team at Piper Alderman as our Commercial and Legal advisors for the last eight years.
In November 2014, Peter and his team at Piper Alderman were engaged by KBL to act for KBL in the renewal of our Translink Contract for the delivery of Public Transport to the Moreton Bay Region.
From this initial engagement, Peter and his team advised the KBL directors on what to expect throughout this process, based on his experiences in other jurisdictions within Australia.
We found that Peter was very informative, professional and had a wealth of knowledge dealing with State Government representatives when dealing with very complex contracts.
Peter engaged with my family from the outset and advised us on what the team would be required to undertake this complex project, to which we are very grateful. Peter often spoke form the heart to our family about our options as he always had our interests at heart.
The Webster family, Management and all the staff at KBL are very privileged to be represented by Peter Dwyer and the Piper Alderman team throughout this process in what was a very challenging procurement by the Queensland Government.“
