Vehicle Specifications
| Chassis | Renault PR180.2 |
| Depot | Tuggeranong |
| Entered Service | 1988 |
| Removed From Service | June 2013 |
| VIN | VF6PU04A200000019 |
| Body | Ansair |
| Body Number | R1853 |
| Body Date | June 1988 |
| Destination Equipment | BROSE Roller Blind |
| Seating | AB65FR |
| Fuel Type | Diesel |
Vehicle History
- Bus 717 was delivered to ACTION in July 1988
- In September 1989, Bus 717 was transferred from Belconnen Depot to Tuggeranong Depot along with Buses 716, 718 and 719 as extra shifts were created at Tuggeranong following the extension of the 333 to Tuggeranong Station.
- It was withdrawn from service at Tuggeranong Depot in late May or early June 2013.
- In February 2021, it was purchased from a private owner by the Canberra Transport Museum for preservation. It is registered as (NSW Historic) 16343-J.
Vehicle Restoration
BUS 717 was purchased by CTM members in February 2021 for restoration. Shortly after the vehicle was given a full professional clean including external buffing by one of the CTM sponsors, LMS Detailing, who made the mistake of telling us they will detail anything on wheels!
After some minor mechanical work the bus was registered on NSW Historic Registration 16343-J and took part in the 2021 Rise Above Cancer Convoy along side BUS 967. It then ran around Canberra for the rest of the afternoon as part of a CTM Bus Tour. Retracing some old historic bus routes across Canberra.
717 was recently moved to it’s new home and is awaiting further works in the coming months. Luckily, the vehicle was kept mostly in original condition after withdrawal from ACTION, so there is very little to do visually other than some minor repairs such to items such as window rubbers, window handles and trims that are damaged etc.
Also in February, ABC Canberra Radio presenter Lish Fejer came out to visit the CTM and conducted a short interview inside 717 for her breakfast radio show. Lish took great interest in what the CTM was doing with our vehicles.
717 will hopefully appear in future events once we are able to run them again, and minor works to finish the restoration of the vehicle will continue to be undertaken in the meantime.
