Our History, Our Plan

We are looking for notable kiwi's, businesses or individuals who can provide guidance, sponsorship and support for our ideas. The idea is to curate a fleet showcasing the best in Auckland's history, for for all to enjoy and reminisce. This is to be completed in stages, as all good things take time. We also intend to operate a handful of vehicles for events and special occasions. Auckland's heritage is important, we would like to look back on the past and bring some of those nostalgic memories back to life! 

It is our intention to establish pathways toward successful grants, sponsorships and general donations in order to restore Auckland's history. A key element to achieving our goals would be the involvement of people, so we can build a wealth of knowledge and experience to tap into, not only from our members but also from the wider bus and coach industry. We believe the interest is out there. With the correct support, we can achieve our goals and so much more. 
 

The ARA Heritage Buses group came to fruition in 2019, after our membership base wanted to do what other groups and museums were not doing, celebrating Auckland's rich bus history, which led to the purchase of our first bus, MAN SL200 #1662. In 2020, we became an Incorporated Society, with plenty of plans and plenty of ambition going forward. As we grew, we added more vehicles, including our Daimler #511, a project our member Lyle wanted to see saved instead of thrown to the history books.

In January 2021 saw the introduction of the Negotiator role as the society grew, which led to further acquisitions such as #582 from NZBus when it was retired from active service. We also picked up our first vehicle that was not ARA related, Waiheke Bus Company #210, a 1994 MAN 11.190.2022 to 2024 saw incremental growth, with further fleet acquisitions, including Auckland's first Mercedes O305 #301 and our first Peanut, nicknamed "The Waka" along with incremental growth in membership and support base. We also saw the  addition of more buses to our group and our relocation to our new home in Silverdale in Auckland.