Between December 1967 and 1969, ACTION received 14 AEC Swift MP3R buses with body by Athol Hedges.
The Swift was a rear-engined alternative to the AEC Reliance. Initially ACTION ordered four Swifts (Buses 121 122 123 & 125) to evaluate alongside the mid-engined Reliance with the same body and engine specification (AEC AH505). These were the first rear-engined buses to operate in Canberra and were among the first in Australia.
In 1969 a further 10 units were ordered (Buses 145-154); these 14 buses were fitted with a manual gearbox and were among the last manual buses to operate in Canberra. A further 87 AEC Swifts (with semi-automatic gearbox) were delivered from 1970-75 built by three different body types.
The Hedges-bodied AEC Swifts only saw 10 years of service, having been withdrawn in 1977-78 and replaced by MAN SL200s.
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This page was last updated on 15 July 2023
