The Otago Heritage Bus Society was founded on 14 October 2010 as a not-for-profit organisation with the purchase of Dunedin’s last city owned Leyland Leopard which was withdrawn from service the same day the Society was founded with the purchase of Leyland Leopard 194.
On 11 March 2011 the Society was incorporated as an incorporated society with the New Zealand Government.
After many man-hours of volunteer labour, work on Leyland Leopard 194 was finally completed and she was once roadworthy and ready to take to the streets under our own public transport license with a short excursion after our AGM in October 2011.
Since 2010 the Otago Heritage Bus Society has taken some rather great leaps and bounds with many milestones, including operating a public bus service on Christmas Day, Good Friday and Easter Sunday, providing local residence and visitors to Dunedin public transport. Out of town excursions to Kingston, Queenstown, Alexandra and Palmerston for both public excursions and private charters and hires.
Since the purchase of Leyland Leopard 194 our organisation has 3 operational vehicles, Leyland Leopard 194, a Dunedin built Emslie Leyland Leopard 170 and the prototype former Mount Cook Denning, # 501 for the long distance trips out of town. We have also secured 2 more vehcles for restoration which are out of the Dunedin area, sister bus to 170, Leyland Leopard 174 in Ashburton and in Wellington, Dunedin City Transport’s Trolley Bus #1. Both of these vehicles will be making their way to Dunedin in 2013 / 2014. Currently our operational fleet resides in Burnside and is available for viewing. You can view the fleet by making an appointment by clicking here.
All of our services are operated by volunteers. Our volunteers have many passions that are expressed in many and varied ways, including restoration, preservation, maintenance and operations of the Society. Without our volunteers and generous individuals, businesses and companies of Dunedin our society would not have been established nor succeeded to what we are known for doing today.