70th MAN bus milestone for Fallons

Bus and coach operator, Fallons Bus Group, has taken delivery of its 70th MAN bus from Penske Australia & New Zealand.

Displayed at last week's Australasia Bus & Coach Expo in Sydney, the 70th bus comprises MAN’s trusty 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, 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,” explained 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," he said.

“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.

Fallon said MAN became the primary chassis supplier for the business in 2012, due to its "industry-leading chassis".

The MAN chassis comes with a suite of driver assistance and safety systems like adaptive cruise control, which "is fantastic, especially at night".

“It all comes down to safety, reliability, cents per kilometre, and MAN ticks those boxes," he said.

“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.”