BUNDOORA, VIC. — The Dyson family has officially marked the end of its time owning the Victorian operator as the Kinetic acquisition begins.
The acquisition of Dysons by Kinetic has formally occurred, meaning 74 years of the Dyson family owning the business have come to an end.
The business’s ownership started with Laurie Dyson in 1952 through four buses and a single route in Melbourne’s north before growing into a business running hundreds of buses across Victoria and beyond.
The family marked the end of its ownership yesterday with a message for the industry.
“For our family, Dysons has always been about much more than buses. It has been about the people we worked with, the passengers we carried and the communities we became part of,” the business said.
“We are incredibly proud of what was built over four generations, but even more grateful to everyone who played a part in it.
“To our passengers, local communities, schools, sporting clubs, suppliers, partners and friends, thank you for your support, trust and friendship over the past 74 years. It has been an incredible journey and a privilege to have the Dyson name on buses travelling through your communities every day.
“From the entire Dyson and Deacon family, thank you for being part of our story.”
Kinetic now welcomes Dysons in a major step in the former’s growth as a leading bus transport operator in Australasia, saying all Dysons routes, school and charter services will continue to operate as normal.
Dysons boosts Kinetic services in Victoria and regional New South Wales with the addition of nearly 1,200 team members, a fleet of more than 600 vehicles and 12 depots.
Kinetic Group CEO Michael Sewards welcomed the acquisition as a strong business and cultural fit.
“Dysons brings a heritage of servicing communities for more than 70 years. With Kinetic’s origins dating back to 1978 with the start of SkyBus services in Melbourne, we both share homegrown, community-focused foundations,” he says.
“Everyone in Kinetic is excited to welcome the Dysons team into our business and to maintain and build on a tradition of providing quality bus services in their communities.”
Kinetic Managing Director (Australia) Matthew Campbell says Dysons’ focus on safety, reliability and community is shared by Kinetic.
“The features that define Dysons align with what matters most to us at Kinetic,” he says.
“We look forward to working with Dysons’ many partners and building on the strong relationships they developed over many years with local schools, businesses and community groups.”
After serving in WW2 English immigrant Laurie Dyson bought a bus business from his old boss, who had recently passed away – four “clapped out buses, bits of bombs”, as he later noted. The year was 1952, and Dysons was born as a company.
