Early bus-deliveries numbers starting to rise to resemble pre-Covid times, exclusive ABC data reveals.
The new year brings with it a renewed sense of hope as the bus and coach deliveries tally reaches its highest point in six months, falling just short of three figures and settling on a respectable 99.
While still short of some of the highs of the past couple of years, which reached more than 150, it’s still the highest number since June of last year.
In the chassis sector, Volvo returned to the top with 23 deliveries (10 more than in December), with Scania one behind on 22. These numbers are, however, still short of the 35-plus the Swedes reached in peak times. Elsewhere, a big month for Yutong provides 17 deliveries, with BCI (12) and MAN (11) also in double figures. The latter is a strong achievement for MAN as, by ABC‘s count, the last time it reached more than 10 in a month was February, 2019.
Volgren retains top spot in the body-building sector with a quirky third consecutive month of 29 recorded deliveries. Yutong and BCI follow, with their tallies corresponding to their chassis numbers. Bustech Group’s three brands – Bustech (6), Precision Buses (3), and Elphinstone (2) – combine for 11.
A familiar story in the air-conditioning sector has Thermo King comfortably lead with 37 deliveries, while Cling-Yutong’s partnership is involved in 16 deliveries (one of its 17 units contained a Spheros air conditioner). Coachair also reached double figures, while this month also saw a relatively high number of undisclosed deliveries.
Continuing the state trend in recent times, Victoria was the most prolific with 34 per cent of the deliveries. NSW followed on 27 per cent, with Queensland not too far behind on 21 per cent. WA, which had been fairly busy in recent months, falls back to 12 per cent.
Click here for comprehensive bus and coach delivery information for January. Please note all data is as supplied from manufacturers, at their discretion.
Photography: Paul Aldridge