References to the beginnings of public transport between Queanbeyan and Canberra were reported in The Queanbeyan Age on 11 September 1923 and referred to Mr RF Tetley intending to run a regular motor service between Queanbeyan and Canberra, called the Tetley Motor Service. Services were operated on tracks and crude roads linking workers on the development of Canberra with the shops and other commercial opportunities of Queanbeyan.
In 1925, reference was made to the Barton family who started a service between Queanbeyan and Canberra in 1925. Mrs Barton’s Safety Coach service was augmented in 1926 when demand required a second bus to meet capacity.
When The Canberra Times reported the death of Mrs Barton in April 1938, it noted she disposed of her interest in the bus service to the Quodling Bros about three years prior. The Quodling Bros operated for more than 30 years, eventually selling to the Lever family in 1977. By that time, the business was operating 11 buses on school and route services in the Queanbeyan–Canberra district.
The Qcity and Transborder Express Story
The Lever family continued to support the growth of the Queanbeyan district, eventually selling to the Deanes in 1990, becoming Deane’s Bus Lines. By that time, the business comprised of about 40 buses and coaches serving the Queanbeyan region.
Despite some prior connections, Yass was finally linked to Canberra in 1958 by a regular bus service – the Yass–Canberra Passenger and Freight Service – owned by the Williams family. It then became Yass–Canberra and, by the early 1980s, the Transborder bus company.
In 2008, the current business linking the capital region and the ACT was formed when Deane’s Bus Lines acquired the Transborder Express business, with more than 85 buses and coaches connecting the Canberra, Queanbeyan, and Yass districts.
In 2012, this growth continued with the Deane family selling to ComfortDelGro Corporation Australia (CDC). Currently one of the nation’s largest privately owned bus operators, CDC operates buses in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, and the Northern Territory, predominantly under contract to governments for route and school services.
In July 2013, the Deane’s brand was replaced with Qcity Transit. The Transborder Express name remained for the Canberra-Yass corridor.
Our Next Chapter
At CDC, our commitment to supporting local community needs is at the core of our values. We are constantly reviewing our businesses to ensure we appropriately support the needs of our communities. It is expected both the Queanbeyan and Yass corridors will continue to experience significant growth.
In January 2023 we entered a new era, aligning both the Qcity Transit and Transborder Express businesses to the branding of our parent company, ComfortDelGro Corporation Australia (CDC).
Following 11 years of CDC ownership, Qcity Transit and Transborder Express is now known as CDC Canberra. Locally, our same friendly drivers now wear new-look uniforms bearing the CDC Canberra logo and our buses feature the renowned bright orange and blue livery of the CDC bus transport brands.
