The family behind Kangaroo Bus Lines
Stan Webster, also known as David Webster, was born in 1921. In the early days, Stan operated Pakenham Bus Service located in Victoria and in 1978 moved his family to Queensland and purchased Kangaroo Line, a small six bus business in Caboolture. In 1948 his son, Daryl Webster, was born who would become the second generation Webster to continue the bus line operation. Stan passed away in 2000 and was proud of his son and their achievements.
Daryl commenced working in the newly purchased business and once he was old enough Stan, his father, taught Daryl the ropes on everything he needs to know about running buses. In 1979, Daryl took over the business from his father and continued expanding the business creating Kangaroo Bus Lines in 1980. Daryl steered the business through the early years of operating public transport, school bus services and charters. In 1971 his son, Darren Webster, was born who would become the third generation Webster to continue the bus line operation. Daryl to this day is still part of the KBL operation and drives charters every now and again.
Jan commenced working alongside Daryl in the newly purchased business, balancing raising their family while managing the office duties of KBL. During the early years of KBL, Jan also conducted many tours for the local community, and when KBL commenced Outback Safaris, Jan went on all these safaris as head cook, until she retired from Safari cooking in 2014. Jan is still involved in KBL during seasonal work for our Tourism division, providing guiding services to International visitors arriving in Brisbane aboard cruise ships.
Darren was born in 1971 and was destined to become a bus operator from a very young age. Stan and Daryl coached Darren on business and later in life Darren obtained his diesel mechanic qualifications. Darren transitioned from the workshop through to the operational aspects of KBL working closely with Daryl to grow the business. In 1992 Darren had his son, Dale, who was also destined to follow in his father’s trajectory. In 2012 Darren took over the business from his father becoming the third generation Webster in charge. As CEO of KBL, he is now navigating the business through the modern challenges of today’s bus and coach operations and continuing to actively grow the business.
Tania, the daughter of Daryl and Jan, joined the family bus business in 2000 at a time that the business was starting to grow rapidly. She worked closely with Daryl and Jan to learn and understand the financial side of the bus business and is now KBL’s Chief Financial Officer. Tania’s own son, Alex, has recently commenced his apprenticeship with KBL in the workshop under the guidance of his cousin, Dale.
Dale was born in 1992 and was destined to follow his father, grandfather and great grandfather’s footsteps becoming a bus operator. Dale chose to become a fully qualified diesel mechanic, like his father, and is now the KBL Workshop Manager. Dale is responsible for the management of all Equipment Maintenance and drives the cohesion and success of this function through our unified culture of safety, people, customer focus and operational excellence. When the time comes, Dale will become the fourth generation Webster to continue the Kangaroo Bus Line tradition.
Kangaroo Bus Lines is a family run business, with our four generations of Websters, history and passion.
It all started in 1978, when Stan Webster moved to Queensland and bought Kangaroo Line, a modest fledgling operation with a mere six buses in the then-wide open region of Caboolture.
His son, Daryl, helped run and build Kangaroo Line; offering the community new and improved transport services in the area. Daryl and his wife, Jan, started the touring side of the business and later had two children. Today, their daughter, Tania Hamilton (Chief Financial Officer), and son, Darren Webster (Chief Executive Officer), are helping to build Kangaroo Bus Lines into the efficient, streamlined operation it has become.
Darren’s wife Tish, and their daughter, Shari, work in accounts with Tania, Darren’s previously mentioned sister.
Dale Webster, Darren’s son, started his journey with Kangaroo Bus Lines as a school-based apprentice mechanic. Today, he runs the KBL workshop, servicing the company’s large fleet in excess of 140 vehicles.
Kangaroo Bus Lines truly is a family-run business, which is rare in today’s society. While the Webster’s deeply love and respect each other, working together makes for some unusual pressures on the family.
"We all believe in this business. So in that way, it has been good to share something successful together as a family.”
In recent years, Kangaroo Bus Lines has won the Tours and Transfers category of the Sunshine Coast Business Awards three years in a row. The wins are testament to the high calibre and holistic business model Daryl created and Darren built on.
The growth in recent years has been massive. In 2000, KBL had 28 buses. Seven years ago, when the business moved from Morayfield to its more spacious property at Burpengary, the fleet was 88-strong.
There are now over 120 vehicles at the Burpengary depot and 15 buses at the Sunshine Coast.
While Daryl made it a success, it is Darren who took it to a whole other level. Daryl feels no tension in that, just pride and admiration.
“It is about letting go of how things were done and investing in and becoming excellent at the new ways,” Daryl says. “Business is always about taking opportunities. It is never going to do well if you stand still and I never stood still. Darren is the same”.
“I am still involved. Darren asks my opinion and I have input, but he is in charge and I am very happy about that and how he runs things.”
Since the company’s inception, as a family, Kangaroo Bus Lines have always been motivated about the same things – wanting the business to grow – and had the same focus, which was to maintain high standards and stay focused on the people.
"It is critical to us to stay in the area. This is our heartland, as it were. It gives us access to our markets and enables the continued growth of key relationships”
Darren took over the business fully at age 41 and says the CEO role is light years from the time of his parents.
“Business today is vastly different and my era and my parents’ can barely be compared. The contract we have with government is more complicated, the time we spend on compliance is immeasurable,” he says.
The business does school runs for thousands of pupils. It shuttles uni students. It undertook enormous contracts for the G20 and Commonwealth Games and through fastidious organisation, pulled them off without a hitch.
Darren says he aims to continue to grow KBL.
“I believe the days of the small, family business surviving are over,” he says. “I don’t believe you can compete if you stay small. The economies of scale make it impossible. But we have managed to keep the values of when we were small – our motto being ‘People. Pride. Passion.” – and just apply it to a bigger operation. Quality on every level is important.”
Darren says the business’s heart is firmly in Moreton Bay.
“It will always be our home,” Darren says.
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