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Higer tops the class

A Geelong College not only sends its student through a rigorous testing process, but does the same with its buses as well

August 11, 2011

A Geelong College has applied a rigorous testing process to its bus procurement, rating Higer above two other bus brands.

Higer recorded buoyant sales figures for July defying a trend which has seen overall deliveries by Australia’s leading suppliers slump to record lows.

Melbourne dealer Prestige Higer has successfully targeted private colleges to arrest declining sales in the industry, recently placing an 8.5 metre 33-seat Ryder at a Catholic College in Geelong.

Clonard College at Herne Hill Geelong chose the Ryder after a rigorous selection process which looked at 10 major criteria.

The process saw the Higer Ryder record the highest score of three buses that made it to the final selection recording nine out of ten when judged on the ten criteria.

Clonard College Business Manager Tom Harriott says Higer was a clear winner in virtually every area in the college’s selection criteria.

“The Higer was by far the most cost effective bus,” he says.

Prestige Higer loaned a bus to the college for a week for a thorough evaluation which Harriott says gave the college confidence in going ahead with the purchase.

“The other bus makes were only prepared to offer us a quick demo which makes it hard to determine how the bus is going to perform in your particular operating conditions,” Harriott says.

“The main stake holders here are the bus drivers, they’re the ones that have to work with the bus and as far as our drivers were concerned the Higer was the best rated bus in the assessment,” he says.

Clonard College rated the Higer Ryder highly on seatbelt fitment, size of the bus, safety, both internal and external storage, internal noise levels, availability of an automatic transmission, passenger comfort, and price.

“The fact that it also utilised a tried and proven driveline using well known American components such as the Cummins engine and Allison automatic was also a major factor,” Harriott says.

He adds that while the Higer has only been on the school fleet for the past month the reaction from drivers and students has been positive.

“It is certainly working very well and we believe we have definitely made the correct decision,” Harriott says.

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