Bus market remaining healthy as a result of many public transport tenders

The domestic bus market is holding up well after the first half of 2015, with sales of 569 units being only three units below the figure after the first six months of 2014.

This performance compares well with the situation in medium and extra-heavy truck sales, which have each fallen by more than 7%.

However, bus sales in the month of June were disappointing at only 75 units compared to 128 units sold in the previous month.

Bus exports of only 405 units for the first half of 2015 were way off the figure at the same time in 2014, when the cumulative total stood at 775, which equates to a 52% decrease.

Kobus van Zyl, Executive Director of Daimler Trucks & Buses SA, says the bus segment is remaining healthy in 2015 as a result of many public transport tenders being awarded and delivered.

“There are a number of additional tenders being adjudicated and we are therefore quite bullish about the bus market for the remainder of the year, with further opportunities for sales being created through continued investment in public transport,” he added.

MAN continues to set the pace in the bus market, with 181 MAN buses and 61 Volkswagen buses.

MAN, the leader in the local bus market, continues to set the pace in sales with 181 MAN buses and 61 Volkswagen buses delivered in the first six months of the year.

Scania, with 127 buses delivered, has passed Mercedes-Benz for second place with sales growth of 23,3% in the first half of 2015 compared to the first six months of 2014.

By contrast Mercedes- Benz has lost 9,5% in volume this year. The two companies to have lost out in terms of both sales volume and market share are Tata (volume down 36,5% and market share dropping from 10,8% to 4,7% in a year) and Iveco (volume down 78,6% and market share falling from 2,4% to 0,5% in 12 months).

The bus market is actually quite a lot bigger than one realises from official bus sales statistics alone

However, the official sales statistics from Lightstone do not tell the whole story as they do not report trucks that have been converted to passenger buses – usually of the commuter variety – as buses, but rather under the heading of trucks.

The conversion industry is responsible for a significant number of units in a calendar year, with Hino, often in partnership with Busmark, as one of the leaders in this field.

This means the bus market is actually quite a lot bigger than one realises from official bus sales statistics alone.