Market holds firm in March

Bus and coach registrations fell only 0.2% in March to 1,032 units, leading to a rolling year figure of 7,640, down 0.7%. SMMT Chief Executive, Mike Hawes, said, ‘The bus and coach market held firm in March with 1,032 registrations, a performance on par with 2013 levels. Considering the slow start to the year, it was pleasing to see this month’s relative strength. Just two fewer vehicles were registered this March versus last, with the year-to-date falling behind by 68 units. The greatest positivity came from the converted bus sector, which rose 22.3% in the month and 15.9% over the year so far.’

There were 161 purpose built buses registered in March, a 52.2% drop since the same month last year. This led to a rolling year total of 2,610, down 10.9%. Purpose built coach registrations totalled 164, a 37.8% rise, making for a rolling year total of 851, a 26.6% rise. There were 707 converted buses registered, up 22.3%, with a rolling year figure of 4,179, a 2.1% increase.

Registrations by marque (with 2012’s figures in brackets) were: Volvo Bus 89 (159), Scania 29 (58), Wrightbus 42 (22), Optare 14 (43), VDL 13 (11), Setra 20 (12), Van Hool 17 (9), Neoplan 4 (11), Mercedes-Benz (excluding Setra) 16 (17), MAN (excluding Neoplan) 6 (31), King Long 3 (1), other imports 6 (1), Irizar 4 (0) and Iris Bus 0 (5).

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Cookies

This site uses some unobtrusive cookies to store information on your computer, these are in place to ensure that you receive the best possible experience when using the Bus & Coach Buyer website.