Business loans for bus and coach operators

Ardent Capital Group brings the same method to every client: execution and strategy, clear advice for smart lending, and long-term growth. That means the right lender, structure and timing, straight advice so you borrow with confidence, and today's deal built toward where you want to be tomorrow. We are specialists in helping business owners secure finance to purchase their own property, and we understand the complex structures that often sit around it, including multiple trusts, holding companies and self-managed super funds. Through that work we also understand what the business needs from its cash flow, and where an overdraft or line of credit fits for working capital. To a generalist credit desk, contract income paid 30 to 60 days in arrears and capital tied up in the fleet can read as lumpy cash flow, even when the contracts behind it are solid. Our role is to know the bank and non-bank lenders among the 60-plus on our panel that lend on how a bus and coach operation actually trades, so you are not approaching each one yourself. As you win new contracts, add coaches and take on the next depot, we stay on to grow the facility with the business. Every figure is subject to serviceability, lender appetite and approval.

It depends on how quickly you need it and what you are willing to offer as security. Unsecured facilities are assessed mainly on your contract trading and can be arranged in days, which suits a limit of $100K to $500K for payroll and mobilisation. Secured facilities, backed by property or the fleet, support larger limits and longer terms, and make sense once you are funding an acquisition or a depot. Most established operators end up with a mix, and we shape which sits where.

It depends on your contracts, your structure and the purpose, but lending here commonly runs from $100K to well into seven figures, and our range extends to $100M for larger operators. The binding constraint is usually serviceability rather than security, and contract income read properly does most of the work. We shape the funding early so you know your number before you commit to a bid or a purchase.

Yes, and the vehicles are normally the security rather than your property. Bus and coach finance can fund new or used passenger vehicles, and a batch for a new contract can go on one facility. Terms are typically matched to the working life of the vehicle, and established operators can often be assessed on bank statements and BAS rather than full financials. Dealer and manufacturer programs are available too, which we compare against a bank facility.

An unsecured facility can often be approved within 48 hours and funded inside a week where the operation is established and the BAS and bank statements are current. Secured facilities take longer, typically two to four weeks, because a valuation is involved. The practical advice is to open the limit before you mobilise, when you are planning the ramp-up rather than when the first payroll is already due. Timeframes are indicative and subject to lender appetite and approval.

By funding the ramp-up as well as the vehicles, which is the part operators most often underestimate. Putting drivers and buses on before the first payment lands means payroll and fuel run while the contract pays in arrears, so the facility needs to carry both. We size it to the mobilisation period and set repayments to start once the contract is paying at its full rate. Bring us the contract and the start date early, subject to serviceability and lender approval.

Yes. Many lenders assess established operators on 6 to 12 months of bank statements and recent BAS rather than full year-end financials, which suits operators whose accounts lag a contract they have just won. It works best where the trading account shows regular contract receipts and the ATO position is current. If you have a payment plan in place, say so early, because several lenders will still proceed when it is disclosed and being met.

Yes, and it is a commercial property deal rather than a working capital one. Owning the depot or yard takes a rising rent out of your cost base and builds an asset alongside the business, and owner-occupiers can generally borrow a higher proportion than a passive investor would. Our commercial property team handles these end to end through our transport depot commercial mortgage service.

Yes. Winning a larger contract, adding coaches or buying another operator all need capital ahead of the return, and we structure the funding around the contract that underwrites it. An acquisition brings the fleet and the contract book together, so we weigh an unsecured facility against bringing property or the vehicles in as security. We size it to the contract and your trading, subject to serviceability, lender appetite and approval.

Most of the time, no. We are paid a commission by the lender once your facility settles. Where a deal requires significant preparation or involves unusual complexity, a small mandate fee may apply. We will always be upfront about this before any work begins.

Although we are based in Sydney, we service clients across all major Australian cities, including Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Adelaide, Canberra and Hobart, along with their surrounding regional areas. Wherever your business is located, we can arrange your finance.

Although our main speciality is property loans for business owners, such as a property loan for your depot, we also assist with bus and coach finance and working capital. On asset finance, that covers buses, coaches and mixed fleet finance across the yard. On working capital, we arrange business overdrafts, lines of credit and cash flow funding. We also arrange commercial mortgages if you are buying or refinancing a depot or transport yard.