Bus and coach registrations 'encouraging' in Q1

Date: 10/4/2012

There was an "encouraging" growth in bus and coach registrations during the first quarter of 2012.

This is according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), which revealed registrations increased by 56.5 per cent to 2,343.

Purpose-built buses performed particularly well, recording a rise of 87.5 per cent in the first three months of 2012 and 75.8 per cent in March.

The SMMT welcomed the change due to the "challenging" nature of the market in 2011.

Chief Executive of the organisation Paul Everitt said: "The purpose-built bus and coach segment continues to see an upward trend as operators seek to add the most reliable and fuel-efficient technologies to their fleets."

Figures show new car registrations are also up so far this year, as 372,835 new 12-plate registrations were sold in March, which was a 1.8 per cent growth on February's total.

New car volumes for the first quarter as a whole increased by 0.9 per cent.

Posted by Mary Treen