MARCH BIG BUS REGISTRATIONS UP 42%

Last year's sales push last month' big buses up 42% to 393. Coaches down 35% to 134 on the effects of recession. Small minibuses down 75% to 49 but big single deckers up 125% to 111.

'March big bus registration data show the benefit of last year's strong sales and their long lead times, but the effects of the recession are beginning to bite other bus and coach sales,' said Paul Everitt, SMMT chief executive.  'Orders are down so registrations will follow them.  Because it will take time for any of the Chancellor's financial stimulus policies to work, we all need the government to do more to encourage demand and ease access to credit.'

Big buses and coaches - rolling year registrations December 2003 to March 2009

Further tables and charts follow with more details of annual trends by gross vehicle weight and type.

Notes: At €20 bn, the automotive sector is Europe's largest investor in R&D, driving industry forward and helping deliver more sustainable motoring for the 21st century. Technological innovation has helped car and CV manufacturers slash CO2 and air quality emissions from vehicles. New diesel cars for example emit 95% less soot from the tailpipe than those made 15 years ago and average new car CO2 has been cut by 17% since 1997.

The energy needed to produce each vehicle is down 12%, water use is down 9% and waste to landfill is down 25%, compared to 2006 performance.  CO2 emissions per vehicle produced have fallen 14% in the last year and by 45% since 1999. Almost 10,000 tonnes of waste have been prevented from entering landfill sites. For more details, download SMMT's ninth annual Sustainability Report from the SMMT web site www.smmt.co.uk/publications.

March 2009 bus and coach registration data

New bus and coach registrations in the United Kingdom - 2009

 

March

% change*

Q1 2009

% change*

RYT 2009

% change*

Total buses and coaches

1,026

- 23.4%

2,142

- 26.6%

9,666

- 24.1%

Buses above 8.5t

393

42.4%

935

28.1%

3,384

30.2%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Single-deck buses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

minibuses to 3.5t

59

- 74.8%

123

- 80.0%

1,042

- 72.5%

3.5 - 8.5t

440

- 29.9%

864

- 30.1%

4,417

- 13.1%

8.5 - 16t

156

15.6%

329

45.6%

1,266

19.3%

16t +

111

126.5%

265

26.2%

748

0.4%

Single-deck buses total

766

- 26.8%

1,581

- 30.9%

7,473

- 30.0%

16t+ double-deck buses

126

37.0%

341

16.0%

1,370

72.5%

All buses

893

- 21.6%

1,922

- 25.6%

8,843

- 22.9%

All coaches

134

- 33.3%

220

- 34.7%

823

- 34.8%

Coaches 3.5 - 16t

2

- 88.2%

5

- 79.2%

68

- 30.6%

Coaches 16t+

132

- 28.3%

215

- 31.3%

755

- 35.1%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The statistics in the above table are based on all vehicles registered in the UK with a bus and coach body.   The data covers all vehicles, from minibuses to double-deck buses and coaches.

Notes Source: SMMT MVRIS Reports (NR3-BC) *NB: Percentage changes are on the same period a year before YTD: Year-to-dateRYT: Rolling year total

Key annual trends in the UK bus and coach new registration markets

Annual trends - rolling year totals for months from Dec 2003 to Feb 2009

SDBuses: Single-deck busesDDBuses: Double-deck buses

Analysis based on SMMT's MVRIS - Bus and coach report NR3B&C

Buses and coaches

Brand

Mar-09

%

Mar-08

%

% Change

YTD-09

%

YTD-08

%

% Change

Volvo

152

27.44

127

24.52

19.69

315

25.42

345

29.34

-8.70

Alexander Dennis

100

18.05

32

6.18

212.50

290

23.41

155

13.18

87.10

Scania

81

14.62

86

16.60

-5.81

161

12.99

154

13.10

4.55

Optare

79

14.26

99

19.11

-20.20

147

11.86

130

11.05

13.08

MAN

71

12.82

48

9.27

47.92

111

8.96

106

9.01

4.72

Iris Bus

17

3.07

25

4.83

-32.00

53

4.28

66

5.61

-19.70

Mercedes

4

0.72

11

2.12

-63.64

40

3.23

81

6.89

-50.62

VDL

15

2.71

4

0.77

275.00

40

3.23

13

1.11

207.69

Other imports

7

1.26

37

7.14

-81.08

25

2.02

43

3.66

-41.86

Bova

12

2.17

33

6.37

-63.64

13

1.05

38

3.23

-65.79

Van Hool

7

1.26

7

1.35

0.00

12

0.97

10

0.85

20.00

Renault Trucks

0

0.00

0

0.00

0.00

11

0.89

0

0.00

0.00

Neoplan

3

0.54

0

0.00

0.00

11

0.89

0

0.00

0.00

Vauxhall

6

1.08

8

1.54

-25.00

9

0.73

33

2.81

-72.73

BMC

0

0.00

1

0.19

-100.00

1

0.08

2

0.17

-50.00

Other British

0

0.00

0

0.00

0.00

0

0.00

0

0.00

0.00

Total buses and coaches

554

100.00

518

100.00

6.95

1,239

100.00

1,176

100.00

5.36

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