Who would know more about what buses need for Australian roads more than Australian bus drivers and operators?
This very question was the driving force behind Challenger Bus and Coach, wanting to manufacture buses and coaches designed by Australians, for Australians.
“As a bus operator for decades, Challenger’s director Greg Sloan was fed up with the quality of most of the products on the market,” Challenger sales manager Dan Campbell told ABC.
“He wanted a premium product of superior quality and finish that was more durable to Australia’s harsh and unique conditions, more reliable structurally and mechanically, and tailored to driver requirements and comfort.
“So he decided to take control, locally designing buses and coaches that are purpose built for the Australian market.”
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One of Challenger’s newest offerings, the Challenger Callibar, is the culmination of these ideals. With a successful run of its V10 and V12 models, operators started asking for a bus of that quality, in a smaller size.
“There was a definite market there,” Dan says. “So we have spent a lot of time to bring that vision to life.”
The road from conception to having a vehicle viable for the market is a complicated process, yet one that Challenger prides themselves on.
“We want to design buses with an ‘and’ not ‘or’ philosophy,” he says.
“‘And’ not ‘or’ means we simply chose the best every time. We create high quality buses and coaches made of the best materials, so you never have to compromise.”
The Challenger Callibar looks and feels like a luxury product, without the exorbitant price tag. Running a Cummins F3.8VI D170 engine and Allison T2200 transmission, operators don’t have to skimp on quality to save a few extra bucks.
Intrigued by the seven-metre mini-bus, ABC’s bus aficionado Paul Aldridge decided to put the Callibar to the test and hit the roads of Melbourne.
The mini-bus externally is a good-looking vehicle, but behind the façade there are a lot of value-added features that impressively come as standard.
Jumping behind the wheel, one of Paul’s first remarks came about the luscious driver’s seat. Designed and built by Grammer, he was immediately taken by the comfortability.
“Firstly, the Callibar has got its own driver’s door, how good is that!” Paul says.
With steps leading up to the driver’s side of the bus, the driver can jump up very easily into the bus without having to wait for other people.
“I’ve never tried a Grammer brand seat before but it’s really nice. Not too hard or soft. It’s even got an armrest.”
The finishings in the front were the next to grab his attention, with the soft and well-thought-out layout proving to be a winner.
“The functions are very easy to get to,” he says. “There are even two horns; normal and an air horn.”
“Very impressive and scary. No one will step out in front of you,” he laughs.
The day to day uses of this bus would most likely be school charters, nursing homes, airport shuttle and other smaller trips.
“You name any small event that needs a small bus, it can do it.”
“It can do a day trip for winery tours, or head down the coast. This bus is fit to do all those things and it does it well.”
With a seating capacity of 28 plus the driver, the Callibar prioritises passenger and driver comfort.
The Fainsa passenger seats can be customised to come in either leather or cloth and come standard with seatbelts. There are individual side curtains on each window that can be moved to block out the sun and are controlled wholly by the passengers.
All seated passengers also have overhead sections with their own air-conditioning controls, ensuring that even if on a shorter trip, passengers are well looked after.
Seats can also be eliminated in the back to turn the vehicle into a 19-seat configuration. This change opens more space in the rear of the bus for more luggage.
Driving to the Melbourne International Airport, noticeably through a couple of tight spots, Paul took notice immediately of how the Callibar drove.
“Straight away, the steering on this bus is fantastic. It doesn’t feel like you’re in a big heavy bus,” he says.
“It drives incredibly smooth.”
The Callibar is notably the first vehicle of its type to have full independent front and rear air suspension. This innovative move allows each wheel to respond to the road conditions independently, giving a more comfortable, responsive drive.
“This feature makes the Callibar a must-see option for operators that do road trips or country travel,” Paul says.
“A mini-bus doesn’t often have the same level of passenger comfort of larger coaches for longer trips but the independent front and rear suspension certainly will help bridge that gap.
“The bus is riding very nice on this uneven road,” he says. “It’s providing the driver and passenger with a smooth ride.”
Wanting to really put the bus to the test, Paul decided to take it straight to Melbourne’s CBD, notorious for its tight spots and roads.
“Considering the bus has no external mirrors, the internal digital mirrors provide an incredibly clear picture on each side including a detailed blind spot view.”
“Any bus driver will know the fear of hitting a mirror in a tight spot, I think I’ve met a tree a few times in my driving career.
“The digital mirrors are a real ‘peace of mind’ feature for drivers, for safety and for outstanding vision you just can’t get with standard mirrors.
“I have eyes watching everywhere.”
The 360-interactive camera display will show a birds-eye view of the entire vehicle as well as the internal cameras, where around six cameras could be installed for constant monitoring and safety.
Another major selling point of the Callibar is its streamlined exterior, providing a luxury coach-look.
“It looks like a coach but is a mini-bus,” he says.
“It actually is very attractive. They’ve done an amazing job with how it looks.”
With LED lights and daytime running lights, Paul says when the bus is lit up it would look like “a Christmas tree”.
“I can imagine if you saw it coming down the road, you would think, ‘oh that’s a nice bus’.”
The flush mount glass on the exterior means there is nowhere that the water can sit and gather, providing a clear view for the driver and the passenger.
Accessibility on the side of the bus through the bin doors is ‘fantastic’.
“It has gas struts, an adblue tank, a service door, oil filter and a small storage area that is all sealed very nicely.”
“I must say, for a 7 metre minibus, it doesn’t drive like a mini-bus. It drives like a small coach,” Paul says.
“It can do pretty much everything. There is nothing this bus can’t do.”
Challenger prides itself on the quality of not only the product, but the care that customers receive.
If a bus is purchased, the team not only support the customer with parts at the time of delivery but will gift some consignment parts.
“We will deliver the customer a set of windscreens with the bus that you can keep on hand, and then that way, if something goes wrong, you’ve got one there in stock,” Dan says.
“We sort of see this business a little bit differently.
“You’re not just buying a product off us; we’re creating an ongoing relationship.
“So once you receive the bus, we’re there to support you along the way.
“If anything goes wrong, you just ring us directly.
“You can get myself on the phone, any of our sales managers, Barry, Mark, Simon, Glenn or you can get Greg on the phone.
“We’ll do whatever we can to support the customer.”
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