Last Mercedes 305 goes to depot in sky

They arrived in Auckland just as George Simon began his bus-driving career 32 years ago, and carried generations of his passengers in style to the end of the road.

Mr Simon signed on as a driver for the old Auckland Regional Authority the same month as the first of hundreds of gleaming new Mercedes-Benz 305 buses arrived, in October 1973.

The solid vehicles, bought after an exhaustive and controversial international search for a diesel replacement for the region's old electric trolley buses, exceeded all expectations of longevity after a mid-life upgrade.

But on Friday, a proud though reflective Mr Simon was at the wheel to escort passengers on the last of the grand old workhorses - bus 1327 - before it was retired at day's end to Auckland's Museum of Transport and Technology.

"It will be sad to see the old girl go," the Glen Eden man said.

"If I had an option, I'd drive this bus any day and every day - it is more reliable than many of the modern buses in a lot of ways."

The first 150 of the buses were bought for $5.25 million - $1 million more than the Leylands the British had for sale - after regional authority transport chairman John Allsopp-Smith and his operations director toured 17 countries for a replacement for the non-polluting trolleys.

"I am certain Aucklanders will be amazed at the quiet, fume-free buses that will grace their streets in the not-too-distant future," Mr Allsopp-Smith wrote to the Herald in a bid to defuse controversy over the purchase.

The Mercedes set a new standard with fully automatic transmission, power-steering and air suspension.

"They were absolute luxury," Auckland Tramways Union president Gary Froggatt said yesterday.