One of Australia's fastest growing and most progressive universities choses an Allison-equipped Fuso bus to deliver more efficient and comfortable student and staff transport

GEELONG, Australia - Rapidly-growing Deakin University has added a new 62-passenger Allison-equipped Fuso MP300 low-floor city bus as part of a $2.3 million investment aimed at encouraging bus travel to and from its campuses.

According to Deakin University's fleet management coordinator, Wendy Meesen, the choice of the Fuso MP300 was based on a number of criteria, including good fuel economy and environmental friendliness, as well as strong safety features and ease of operation - all thanks to its Allison fully automatic transmission.

"An automatic transmission was a clear priority in the buying process, as the roads the bus negotiates require maximum concentration, not only because they are narrow and difficult, but because of the many pedestrians, bicycles and cars on campus," Meesen said.

Narrow campus roads, busy urban thoroughfares and the stop-start nature of Geelong's increasingly busy main roads moved the university's fleet management department to look exclusively at automatic buses. This was an important step to ensure safety and efficiency while meeting the demands of 44,000 students and 1,379 staff.

Meesen continued, "Our drivers love the automatic transmission because it enables them to concentrate on guiding the bus without having to worry about changing gears, and it makes for less driver fatigue".

The six-speed Allison T310-equipped MP300 runs between the main campus at Waurn Ponds and the Barwon Valley Activity Centre (BVAC) which takes about 15 minutes. A run to the Geelong Waterfront Campus takes another 10 minutes. Up to 1,000 staff and students use the free bus service daily from 6:45 a.m. until 8:30 p.m.

The MP300 alternates with the two smaller Fuso Rosa buses that previously ran between the main campus and the waterfront via the BVAC until unprecedented growth demanded additional capacity.

Delivery of the Fuso MP300 bus coincided with the opening of a new main campus transit hub, providing shelter from the weather along with shower and bicycle storage facilities. Another added convenience is onboard Wi-Fi. The Fuso has been finished in a striking black and white wrap that reflects the university's new iconic cube signage and has been nicknamed, the 'Cube' bus, proving to be popular with students and staff alike.

About Allison Transmission
Allison Transmission (NYSE: ALSN) is the world's largest manufacturer of fully automatic transmissions for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles, and is a leader in hybrid-propulsion systems for city buses. Allison transmissions are used in a variety of applications including refuse, construction, fire, distribution, bus, motorhomes, defense and energy. Founded in 1915, the company is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA and employs approximately 2,700 people worldwide. With a market presence in more than 80 countries, Allison has regional headquarters in the Netherlands, China and Brazil with manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Hungary and India. Allison also has approximately 1,400 independent distributor and dealer locations worldwide. For more information, visit allisontransmission.com.

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