Heavy buses shine in quiet August
- Rolling year total at 12,588, up 2.7 per cent on the same period last year.
- Bus and coach registrations for the month at 510, down 0.4 per cent on August 05.
- August is traditionally a quiet month for registrations.
‘Monthly bus and coach registrations were stable once again,’ said Christopher Macgowan, SMMT chief executive. ‘August, a typically quiet month for registrations, delivered few surprises; heavy bus registrations, especially double-deckers, are slightly ahead of expectations, as are heavy coach registrations. Importantly, we don’t expect the same market distortion from the change to Euro 4 that we’ve seen with trucks.’
The rolling year total for bus and coach registrations was up 2.7 per cent to 12,588 units versus the same period a year ago, with the rolling year total back at around 12,500 following a high of 13,305 in May.
The good start to 2006 is fading for registrations of mini buses up to 3.5 tonnes, with a 20.9 per cent fall in August to 167 compared to August 2005. Registrations for the year to date are now 3,384 up 1.7 per cent on 2005.
Single deck buses above 8.5 tonnes and double deck buses continue their strong performance for the year to date. Registrations for single decks above 8.5t over the previous three and six months grew 14 and 16.1 per cent respectively, with double deck up 26.1 and 45.5 per cent.
Total coach registrations for the year were at 864 in August, up 4.5 per cent on the 2005 figure. Heavy coaches have made the running, up 15 per cent to 753 for the year to August. Meanwhile, registrations of coaches 3.5 to 16t fell significantly in August and are now down 35.5 per cent for the year. The combined rolling year figure for coaches was up 5.8 per cent to 1,154 units.
The following table and charts give more details of annual trends by gross vehicle weight.
If you have any questions, please call Robin Dickeson on +44(0)2 073 449 222
Mobile +44 (0)7 974 435 641 E-mail: rdickeson@smmt.co.uk
