Registrations of new coaches, buses and minibuses showed an encouraging trend during the first quarter of 2024 with a 74.6% year-on-year increase, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has announced.
The boost was driven by minibus sales, which rose to 851 – a 199% change compared to the corresponding period of 2023.
Although the data does not distinguish between coach and bus – limiting the categorisation to the number of decks, the 70% rise in double-deck sales to 533 suggests strong growth for the purchase of local-service vehicles.
Meanwhile, single-deck coach and bus sales increased by 34% to 533 for the three-month period.
Purchases of zero-emission vehicles grew by 23% to 322 – much of that accounted for by the 839 double and single-deck units sold rather than in the minibus sector.
The latest surge followed a 45% rise for all three vehicle types for the 2023 calendar year compared to 2022.
The overall figure for last year was 16% down on that for 2019, although hope exists for a full post-pandemic recovery when considering the change between Q1 2019 and Q1 2024: minibus +90%, single-deck +26%, double-deck -16%.
The SMMT Q1 stats showed Alexander Dennis and Wrightbus continued their strong sales from 2023, with year-on-year rises of 344% and 268% respectively.
Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, says: “Britain’s road passenger transport sector is continuing its recovery amid rising ridership levels and growing operator confidence.
“The UK has been particularly successful at decarbonising the new bus market. However, that green growth must extend to all sectors, in particular minibuses. Operators are ready to switch to greener mobility but timely action is essential to make sure the journey to net-zero includes everyone.”
