Bus and coach registrations fall 13.3% in 2010
• Overall bus and coach volumes fall 15.5% in month and 13.3% over the full year.
• Coach volumes rose by 15.1% in 2010, despite a slowdown in December.
• Bus registrations fell by 16.1% in 2010, although the fall in December was less pronounced
• Midi-buses (8.5-16t) registrations rose by 20.0% in December.
“Bus and coach registrations fell for a third successive year in 2010, as forecast, down 13.3% on the 2009
total and 43.3% off the pre-recession 2007 total of 12,241,” said Paul Everitt, SMMT Chief Executive. “There
are some encouraging signs in the van-based bus and coach market though bigger coach registrations
remain depressed. Bus volumes have fallen 45% since 2007. We expect further difficulties in the short
and medium term, but hope that new, greener products can help seed pockets of growth.”
It is important to remember that the very long lead times between bus and coach sales and registration delay
the sector’s apparent reaction to economic trends.
