A steam tramway system provided most of the local transport requirements in Broken Hill from 1902 to 1926. From the closure of the tramway in 1926 until 1935 several bus operators provided the replacement services in an uncoordinated fashion; this lead to fighting between operators and naturally instability.

Rationalisation occurred in late 1935 when a number of bus operators (with sufficient influence) formed the Murton (Street) bus syndicate that brought about some regulation to the operation of local buses in the town.

The syndicate was incorporated as a private company in 1945 and has traded successfully over the years. It has a tradition of providing a range of bus and coach transport services to the city of Broken Hill and has enjoyed good local support over the years.

Up until 1985 the company was owned by a number of private shareholders, who all worked in the business and participated in the management of the business. The business operated along the lines of a family business for many years.

Its key activities involved operating:

• A daily express service between Broken Hill and Adelaide
• Local Town Services
• Local and long distance charter services
• School services

The company held a number of tour, charter and route licences, which allowed it to operate such services, with a degree of exclusivity and protection.

In 1984 the assets of Murtons were sold to an Adelaide based coach company, Briscoes Pty. Ltd.

At the time Briscoes was developing a national express coach service and its interest in acquiring Murtons was primarily to gain control of the Adelaide/Broken Hill service. A new company, Murton Staff Pty. Ltd. was formed.

All of the original staff had the option to remain in the business and one of the original shareholders, John Hillier, was appointed as a local Manager.

The Managing Director of Briscoes at the time, Brian Coucill, had responsibility for the overall management of the business and Tim Williams, Briscoes’ Finance Manager, had responsibility for the accounting functions.

Brian Coucill, Tim Williams and John Hillier, the shareholders and Directors of Murtons all had the opportunity at the time of the change in ownership to take up equity in the new Company.

In February 1986 Briscoes was acquired by a national coach company, Bus Australia Pty. Ltd. Brian Coucill retained his position as Managing Director of Briscoes and subsequently became a Director of Bus Australia and also it’s public holding company, Bowra Pty. Ltd.

Bus Australia Pty. Ltd. had no interest in the local business in Broken Hill and in December 1987 sold its interest to the existing Murtons shareholders.

The business was progressively then restructured to focus on its core business, ie. providing local transport services. Tour and Charter coaches were sold and discussions initiated with the then NSW Department of Transport (now known as the Ministry of Transport, NSW) resulted in the Company being accredited and awarded a 5-year Commercial Contract to provide town and school services to the city of Broken Hill. This contract has been twice renewed, with the contract now current to May 2009.  

As a result of these changes, the business profitability was increased significantly and the company has traded profitably most years.

The Commercial Contract defines the company’s responsibilities in operating the services and provides some security of revenue levels. The Ministry of Transport NSW has audited the Company’s operation on several occasions and has expressed confidence in the Company’s ability to meet the requirements of the Contract.

With the purchase of 4 new Mercedes buses from 1997 to 2000 the opportunity was taken to relaunch the operation as Murton’s City Bus in July 1997. The new buses were painted in a distinctive new livery, have wool covered seats, and a bright interior. A media release with photographs of the buses appeared in the local paper and a glossy full colour timetable and route map was distributed to all households in the town.

More recently Murtons have placed a greater emphasis on occupational health and safety in the workplace by the introduction of a formal policy in this area and as a positive acknowledge of this, the company has received a 5% discount from the Workers Compensation Underwriters.

John Hillier retired in 2004 and sold his shares in the company to the two remaining shareholders, Brian Coucill and Tim Williams who will continue operating Murtons with the assistance of John Hillier’s son Phillip (Maintenance Supervisor) and daughter-in-law Samantha (Operations Manager). John will remain in a consulting role overseeing maintenance.

The introduction of air-conditioned, wheel chair accessible Mercedes 815D buses on the town service in early 2005 sees a new era in passenger transport in Broken Hill providing a safe, comfortable and fully accessible bus service throughout the town