Coach registrations buck falling trend
- Coach registrations up 19.4 per cent in May, year-to-date market up 9.5 per cent
- May bus registrations down 33.1 per cent, year-to-date registrations fall 16.2 per cent
SMMT bus and coach registration figures for May 2004 show that coach registrations rose 19.4 per cent on the same month in 2003, building a 9.5 per cent rise for the year-to-date. The headline trend for bus registrations confirms industry expectations of falling demand.
Year-to-date midi-bus registrations are up by 14 per cent. However, registrations of large single-deckers are down 28.9 per cent. Overall, the figures show a further slowing in the operating industry’s progress towards the target of achieving a 100 per cent wheelchair-accessible fleet.
Over the year-to-date mini-buses to 3.5t gvw – which recently took 62 per cent of all bus registrations – have also suffered weaker demand with registrations falling 817 units to 2,699. Only the 3.5-8.5t gvw sector has shown consistent growth, with an increase of 172 units so far in 2004.
In the first five months of 2004, the coach sector has seen growth in both lighter and heavier vehicles but this has now levelled off. The rolling year total for bus registrations to May was 11,554, compared to 12,428 at December, 2003. Corresponding totals for coaches are 1,086 and 1,033.
This is issue five of a new press release, an aid to understanding the new bus and coach markets.
