Coach sales up, bus sales down in July

SMMT figures show that purpose-built bus and coach registrations fell 20.5 per cent to 263 units in July, while converted bus registrations fell 17.5 per cent to 240 units. Said Wendy Williamson, SMMT Bus and Coach Manager: "The bus and coach sector continues to struggle when compared to last year, with registrations for the market falling 19.1 per cent in the month and down 21.0 per cent for the year-to-date.

“One bright spot has seen some steady growth for purpose-built coaches, which saw a rise of 10.5 per cent in July, raising the year-to-date registrations by 8.6 per cent to 596 units. However, this has not been enough to lift the whole market”. Williamson continued: “Last year’s strong, Olympics-boosted market has led to a steady downward trend this year. We expect to see registrations level off as we approach the end of 2013.”