Calvin West ‘Westy’Kiwi Coaches

Kiwi Coaches have come a long way since its humble beginnings as a one man, one vehicle operation to its current operation of 50 buses and 35 staff. Based in Mangere Bridge, Auckland, charismatic owner and manager Calvin West, ‘Westy’ to his staff and customers, has been involved with the bus and coach industry for over 20 years. When asked why Kiwi Coaches decided to add an Ankai K58 41 seat coach to their fleet, Calvin says “The cost to value ratio with Ankai when compared to other coaches was unbeatable. I had to look at the deal”. Since mid-2018 Kiwi Coaches have enjoyed 25,000 kilometers of trouble-free operation and are planning to add another Ankai to the fleet. In an industry filled with customers with very high expectations, bus and coach operators cannot afford to have vehicles off the road for long periods of time waiting on parts or aftersales support. When asked about the parts and service support from Ankai, Calvin says “Magic. Both times I have required parts have been on public holidays. The parts were in stock and arrived the same day. Also, the parts that were required were not due to failure but were needed due to accident damage”. Kiwi Coaches offers a wide range of services. Calvin says of the Ankai K58’s place in the fleet- “It is well able to take care of our mid-size tour and coach work, being a 41 seater, it is ideal.” As for the reliability and performance of the running gear, the 6 cylinder Cummins 285hp engine and 6 speed ZF automatic gearbox makes the K58, in Calvin’s words, “A pleasure to drive”.