busnews.com.au October 2017 ABC^43Above: The
engine packs
plenty of punch;
the side opens
right up for easy
accessheaded out along some scenic
country roads which the Marshalls
refer to as Col Dakin’s run.
Col was a long-serving
employee that had recently passed
away. I could tell how they kept
talking about him that they all
really missed him and it seemed
throughout the day that this family
business has a great relationship
with all its people.
Peter completed the initial part
of the cruise so I could experience
the bus as a passenger. The drive
was super quiet; the SB50 has a
vacuum-sealed Ventura plug door
that really helps to reduce normal
internal noise.
For my part of the drive we
headed into Moruya. The driver’s
cabin was extremely comfortable
with everything placed well
for ease of use. My one minor
criticism was that, being an
automatic vehicle, I asked why
there was no driver’s left footrest.
I was told this had been an option
which Marshall’s decided not to
include. I guess that comes down
to personal preference as it differs
for most of us drivers.
Vehicle power, handling, and
ease of driving were great and
exactly what you’d expect from a
new build with a Mercedes buggy,
but typically school buses are not
this comfortable; it would certainly
be a relaxed ride for much longer
trips. The Custom SB50 was more
coach-like than a school bus.
We even did a U-turn on a quiet
stretch of road and the turning
circle was surprising.
I enjoyed the bus so much that I
told the Marshalls I could get used
to driving it. They did offer me
a job but the ¾ ve-hour commute
might be too dif¾ cult!FUTURE OUTLOOK
Asked what the future holds
for Marshall’s, Peter sees good
things emanating from Melissa’s
involvement in the company.“Having my daughter join
the business has been great for
Marshall’s. We recently purchased
Franksbook Educational Tours
Services to give us a new direction
organising year-six excursions to
Canberra, and Melissa has taken
on this new venture.
“As a coach operator we have
been doing this sort of tour for
years, but the new change gave
Melissa the opportunity to write
and develop her own itineraries,
choose the accommodation, and
do all the bookings. She is putting
her own stamp on this part of the
business and helping the coach
side of things grow, so this is very
exciting for us”.
“The main things we aim for
are having quality vehicles and
providing great service. Much
of our success with our business
comes from our great staff –
we pride ourselves on having
good-quality vehicles driven by
great drivers.”