The Big Red Kidney Bus project, spearheaded by dialysis patient Vince Tripodi who died in February, has steadily gathered momentum, attracting donations and widespread support.

A local team is now committed to seeing Vince's dream of having the dialysis bus on the road by the end of the year, become a reality.

Past weeks have been significant for the team of Latrobe Regional Hospital dialysis patients and staff, Kidney Health Australia staff and Vince's family, who remain devoted to the cause and recently accepted an award on their father's behalf.

Vince's son Marco told The Express the award, presented by KHA and received by himself, his mother and two sisters, was a "fantastic honour".

He said his father was aware he was to be recognised formally for his work in leading the Big Red Kidney Bus campaign but "he wasn't overly impressed because he figured he hadn't done anything yet because it wasn't finished".

"It has been a fantastic achievement though," Marco said, of the project which has so far raised $25,000 towards fitting out a bus which it secured, via donation, from Grenada.

Latrobe Valley Bus Lines has also offered drivers for the bus, while multiple local organisations have donated goods in kind to help equip it.

About $100,000 is required to renovate the bus to hospital standards, which will then be staffed with nurses and positioned in holiday locations across Victoria.

Renal patient and active committee member Suzie Picken, together with dialysis unit nurse Bernardette Lewindon, recently presented a paper on the bus project to the Renal Society Australasian Conference 2012 and predicted "once this is operational it's going to be a world first".

"I believe there are other buses out there now but none are staffed and this would be the first staffed satellite unit of its kind," she said.

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