Evolving from a long-time operator based in Far North Queensland to become an Australian bus and coach brand, Challenger provides a unique perspective of the industry that is hard to replicate.
While this niche experience is evident in its products, it’s the smaller details that set the brand apart from the rest.
“We pride ourselves on the manner in which we do business,” Challenger Victorian sales manager Dan Campbell told ABC.
“A large part of that pride comes from our team and their willingness to provide unparalleled support to customers.
“That’s what our founder Greg Sloan was always looking for as an operator, so that’s what we strive to provide.”
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Now, Challenger, in its drive to continue this philosophy, has recently appointed Glenn Davidson as its New South Wales sales manager, with his industry experience proving invaluable.
“I’ve been involved in fleet management, motor vehicles and heavy vehicles for around three decades,” Davidson told ABC.
“I started off in the truck industry, working in fleet management before making the slow transition over to buses.”
Starting off his career in 1996 as the NSW state sales manager for Das Fleet, Davidson then made his way across to Budget Car and Truck Rental, Suttons and VDI, picking up valuable knowledge as he moved along.
“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my move from trucks to buses,” he says. “I enjoy the customer interaction with people from the bus industry.”
While only being in the role since August, Davidson has already set out some clear goals for the brand, with building brand awareness at the top of his list.
“Challenger is in a different ballpark than other manufacturers,” he says.
“It’s because we can offer a variety of services and a different experience than some of the bigger players.
“We can custom build a bus, focus on local design and one-on-one customer service. That is a major part of our brand philosophy.”
When dreaming up the Challenger brand, Greg Sloan wanted to offer vehicles with exceptional life cost-efficiency, a guarantee of service throughout production and personalised, responsive after-sales support.
A large part of offering these services comes from the brand’s organic expansion across the country, ensuring they are perfecting each facet before moving on.
Opening its first depot in Melbourne back in 2017, Challenger now has locations in Perth, Brisbane and soon to be Sydney.
“We’ve had incredible success at our current depots, and we are very excited to open one in Sydney soon,” Davidson says.
“We’re looking at prospective spaces in Central Sydney where we will be able to complete a variety of services.”
The current depots are mainly used as spare parts holdings, with the goal being to provide a full suite of services when the time is right.
“The depots are used to hold stock of buses and significant stock of parts. We also use them to pre-deliver the vehicles, as offices and increasingly as show rooms where operators can come and view the vehicles and take them for a drive,” Davidson says.
“One of our future goals is creating a one-stop-shop for customers at the depots. This would include spare parts stock, repairs, maintenance, the whole lot.
“This is why we have been acquiring large spaces, so that as we grow, the service aspect will grow as well.”
Back in 2020, Challenger launched Australasian Bus & Coach Parts, a separate branch of the Challenger brand that encapsulates its parts ethos by focusing on service, breakdown and maintenance parts for all bus brands.
“Challenger has been built on the knowledge that parts are always going to be required by operators,” Campbell says.
“We know there’s nothing worse for operators than having a bus off the road and being unable to get parts.
We want to have parts well priced and in stock across Australia, ready for quick distribution when needed.”
Recognising that there can be many different brands that make up a bus, Challenger’s depots are stocked with parts that are compatible with its own buses, and even parts that aren’t.
“It’s not uncommon to hear of a bus that has been kept off road for months at a time because they are waiting for some small non-regular part to come in,” he says.
“So that was one of Greg’s goals, to act as a local connection for operators needing help with spare parts.”
Challenger now has access to national service networks for Cummins, Thermo King, ZF and Allison, providing its customers with the best on offer.
The brand also wanted to ensure its parts were accessible to all operators, selling them to customers at a wholesale rate.
“It’s these small things that set us apart in the industry,” Campbell says.
“We may be a smaller company, but we offer a completely unique experience to our customers. That’s what keeps them coming, and what will keep us around.
“Our doors are always open. Contact your local sales manager to arrange a time to come and view our vehicles.”
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