- Registrations of purpose-built buses and coaches grew 63.1% in the month and 6.3% for the year-to-date.
- The whole bus and coach sector is still struggling despite some welcome rises in the month:
- Bus registrations rose 43.5% in November, but are still down 14.5% for the year-to-date.
- Coach volumes down 17.2% in the month and by 9.1% for the year-to-date.
- November’s overall bus and coach volumes were up 39.6%, but down 13.8% for the year-to-date.
“The purpose-built bus and coach sector dipped in only four months this year and has been stable since May, demonstrating that operators are keen to upgrade products, despite uncertainty in the sector,” said Paul Everitt, SMMT Chief Executive. “Single-deck buses grew strongly in the month up 42% against the full year decline of 25% but coaches fared less well, down 17% in November and 9% for the year-to-date. Maintaining the upward trend next year will be challenging, but government’s Green Bus Fund will provide a much-needed stimulus to the market, rewarding the low carbon innovations manufacturers are making across the sector.”
Click through to download the full November 2011 bus and coach registrations news release and data tables, which includes a more detailed analysis of the figures.