The coach and bus market in the UK and across Europe is growing, though UK operators may be holding back investment amid funding fears, says the SMMT
The latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that Britain’s new coach and bus market grew slightly – by 0.6% compared to 2021 – in the second quarter of 2022, rounding off 17.9% growth during the first half of the year, with more than 2,000 vehicles being registered. This is positive news, notes the SMMT, yet the number of new buses and coaches joining UK roads is still some 46.4% below the pre-pandemic five-year average. 1,066 new buses and coaches were registered in Britain in the period from April to June, taking the year’s total so far to 2,040.
Looking at the figures, SMMT CEO Mike Hawes noted: “The slow recovery is a concern, as this sector is essential to ensuring everyone in British society can be on the move, and has a key role to play on the Road to Zero. Delivering bus fleet renewal is critical to achieving the UK’s ambitious decarbonisation goals, and while the sector already currently exceeds the passenger car sector in its embrace of zero-emission technology, there is a long way to go before regions across the UK have mass mobility via the latest zero-emission buses.” Approximately 1.3% of buses are battery-electric, compared to 1.1% of cars.
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“Ridership levels have gradually improved since the end of lockdown but remain below pre-pandemic levels, reducing operator confidence to invest in their fleets. Some £270 million of ZEBRA funding has been announced since October, but this is yet to be reflected in registrations. There is also concern that the dip in ridership could lead to bus service cuts in a number of UK regions, at a time when a variety of transport options is crucial. Bus operators must continue to receive the financial support they need, therefore, so that services across the country remain intact and on track for vehicle renewal.”
Figures released for HGV registrations also revealed slight growth, up 0.4% in the second quarter of the year, the best since pre-pandemic 2019.
The slight growth in the second quarter saw single-deck bus registrations up 65.3%, while minibuses weighing up to six tonnes and with up to 17 seats – the largest segment by volume – fell by 9.7%. Registrations of double-deck buses, meanwhile, declined by 52.3%. In the year to date, registrations for the overall sector are up 17.9%, with minibus registrations increasing by 8.9% and single-deck buses by 84.8%, while double-deck buses fell by 24.9%.
Mike added: “Growth is essential to get the cleanest and greenest buses and coaches on Britain’s roads. However, ridership levels are struggling to recover to pre-pandemic levels, to the detriment of operators’ confidence in renewing their fleets.”
European outlook
Across Europe, the European Automobile Manufacturer’s Association (ACEA)’s data for new medium and heavy coaches and buses over 3.5t showed that in May, EU-wide registrations of new buses increased by 32.8%, reaching 2,452 units, with some countries in the region posting triple- and even quadruple-digit gains. Bulgaria recorded the biggest percentage gain at 1,800%. Portugal and Sweden also provided a strong boost to the region’s performance, achieving 515% and 188.9% respectively.
So far in 2022, sales of new coaches and buses across the EU have expanded by 5.6%. Across the region, 4.3% of new buses were electrically-chargeable, 5.7% hybrid electric, 7.6% run on alternative fuels, while diesel still held the lead, with 82.4% of all buses sold in the European Union relying on it, though that number has slowly decreased over the last few years as electrification agendas start to take hold, funding becomes available and manufacturers respond to the demand.
Just over 55% of all public transport journeys in the European Union (around 32.1 billion passenger journeys per year) are made by urban and sub-urban buses, which cover 511.4 billion kilometres. Approximately 8.5% of all land passenger transport in the EU is undertaken by coach or bus.
Recent figures showed that there are over 692,000 buses in circulation on the EU’s roads today, with an average age of over 11.7 years.
