This week saw the release of bus and coach and HGV registration figures for Q2, with both sectors struggling to shake off the long-lasting impact of Covid-19.
The second quarter saw bus and coach registrations recover slightly after the near standstill delivered by last year’s nationwide lockdown. Nevertheless, figures are still down -24.2% on 2019 and -56.2% on a pre-pandemic five-year average. Declining passenger numbers continue to wreak havoc on demand, and industry urgently needs government to consider long-term solutions to this problem.
Truck registrations paint a similar picture, down -28.8% on 2019, and -20.1% on pre-pandemic five-year average. As operators continue to battle against acute driver shortages, the sector faces a longer term and more significant challenge as the government proposes complete decarbonisation by 2040 for the sector. This would be an incredibly tough timeline when the technological solutions are unclear, with nearly all of the sector currently running on diesel.
Now more than ever before, both sectors need stability, certainty and support if they are to come out strong from the challenges ahead.
