Bus and coach operator, Fallons Bus Group, has taken delivery of its 70th MAN bus from Penske Australia & New Zealand.
To be displayed at this week’s Australasia Bus & Coach Expo in Sydney, the 70th bus comprises MAN’s highly innovative and reliable 330hp RR8 chassis with a Coach Concepts body.
A Victorian-based family business, Fallons Bus Group is now run by the three grandsons of original business owners, Frank and Lorna Fallon.
Initially introduced to the MAN brand through the acquisition of two 1996 16.290 MANs and a 2002 18.360 MAN, Fallons Bus Group still has the latter in its fleet, running strong with over 1.3 million kilometres on the odometer.
“The business began in 1962 when my grandparents won a tender for one bus to service a school in Neerim South, Victoria,” said Luke Fallon, a director of Fallons Bus Group.
“My father, Larry, successfully tendered for four bus runs in 1972, before buying the business from my grandparents, and the business grew from there.
“My brothers, Brock and Heath, are also directors in the business. Together, we operate five business entities and 10 depots.
“I personally first became familiar with the MAN brand when I worked in Europe as a driver and was very impressed by the product.
“At Fallons, we transitioned to MAN as our primary chassis supplier in 2012.
“I believe MAN is the industry-leading chassis, and key to that is the safety features and innovative driver assistance systems like adaptive cruise control, which is fantastic, especially at night.
“Plus stability control, traction control, ABS, and descent control, together with the powertrain, which dominates other brands on the market.
“It all comes down to safety, reliability, cents per kilometre, and MAN ticks those boxes.
“And the support we get from MAN and Penske is paramount to keep our fleet on the road at all times. The team at Penske is fantastic.”
Derek Schroff, head of MAN Truck & Bus at Penske Australia & New Zealand, added that the delivery of the 70th MAN to Fallons Bus Group was a testament to the strength of the partnership between the organisations.
“Reaching the milestone of 70 MAN buses is a significant achievement and reflects the confidence that Fallons Bus Group has placed in the MAN brand over many years,” said Derek.
“A highly respected family-owned business with a proud history of delivering safe and reliable passenger transport services, we are honoured to be part of the journey.
“We thank Luke and the entire Fallon family for their continued trust in MAN and Penske, and we look forward to continuing to work together.”
