- Overall bus and coach volumes down 9.7% in the month and 9.8% for the rolling year to February.
- Coach volumes fell 50.0% in February; they were up by 14.7% for the rolling year.
- All bus registrations were down by 5.4% in February and dropped 12.3% for the rolling year.
“2011 shows that recession still affects bus and seasonally, coach registrations. While we expect demand to recover, long lead times mean that registrations may struggle for many months yet,” said Paul Everitt, SMMT Chief Executive. “High fuel costs and public spending cuts are amongst the threats to the sector. The Budget later this month will be critical in strengthening consumer and business confidence. SMMT is looking for a freeze on fuel duty and measures that support business investment and access to finance and credit.”
