Busfleet shifts to Allison Automatics

Busfleet operates a fleet of hire coaches catering mostly to inbound tour operators who require vehicles to transport passengers as part of tours to tourism highlights and holiday destinations around the country.

Among its fleet of 45 hire vehicles, the company operates 15 Higer coaches, including nine Higer H7s, one H9, two H10s and three H12s, all of which are fitted with Allison automatic transmissions, with the remainder of the fleet being smaller mini-buses and people movers.

The Busfleet coaches are driven by a variety of different drivers working for tour operators and organisations who hire the coaches. According to Busfleet's Operations Manager, Ben Field, it means that an easy-to-operate and reliable automatic transmission is an absolute essential specification for their coaches.

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"We used to have a lot of manual buses, but now we are only buying coaches specified with Allison Automatics because of the reliability and lower cost of repair and maintenance," said Field. "At one point we replaced eight clutches in six weeks with our manual buses, so having the Allison Automatics has made life a lot easier and more cost effective as well."

Field explained that with a lot of different drivers getting behind the controls of its coaches, it is difficult for them to be able to guarantee the skill levels and capability of drivers.

"We have little control over who drives our vehicles and, while they have the right licensing, that doesn't mean they have the skill to use a manual transmission properly and not cause damage or problems," said Field. "There is an increasing number of drivers who cannot drive a manual so it is essential to have an automatic, and Allison is by far the best and most reliable for us.

"We have had no issues with any of our Allison-equipped Higers, whether it's with the smaller 28-seat H7 models or the larger H9s, H10s or H12s."

Field also cites the smooth shifting of the Allison automatics and the comfort that delivers tourists travelling on the coaches.

"They are perfect for the job and they certainly deliver a comfortable and seamless ride for passengers, whether that is climbing up into the Blue Mountains west of Sydney or negotiating stop-start city traffic down by Sydney Harbour," he said.

Busfleet is an accredited bus and coach operator with bases in NSW, Victoria and Queensland and prides itself on having a hugely experienced team with experience in all areas of the market. Between them, the team has close to 70 years of experience in the Bus and Coach Hire Industry.