Registrations down 20pc
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ACCORDING to figures published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) psv registrations dropped by more than 20 per cent during 1981. Despite operators taking advantage of the reducing bus grant on stage carriage vehicles, and coach operators taking advantage of the new freedom offered by the Transport Act 1980, most manufacturers suffered a drop in the number of new vehicle registrations. Only 4,441 registrations were recorded last year (5,792 in 1980).
Although the SMMT figures do not differentiate between buses and coaches, they do give a guide to the market. Number one by far is Leyland Bus with 2,332 registrations, a drop of 727 on 1980.
Second was presumably MCW with 627 registrations. Listed as others, the figure will be inflated by a few one-off registrations such as Ward Bros coaches. Last year "Others" made in Britain came third with 574 registrations.
Down from second place, 524 new Bedford buses and coaches were registered last year. Predominantly in the coach and independent bus sector it was a bad year for Bedford which, despite the introduction of its turbocharged Y series had 461 fewer psv registrations than in 1980.
Despite going up from fifth to fourth in the table, Volvo registrations totalled 358 last year, a drop of 95 on the previous year, of these 75 were based on British-built chassis.
Down to fifth place is Ford with 343 registrations (555 the previous year).
Sixth on the list came HestairDennis with 96 registered and an increase of 34 on the previous year.
Continuing its steady progress, DAF registrations went up from 48 to 55 with unlisted imported vehicles more than doubling from 24 to 53.