Manufacturers meet operators
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WITH BUS SALES in their present depressed state, the bus's future as painted by five major chassis manufacturers is not rosy.
They were addressing the representatives of 35 district councils who operate municipal bus services and who were attending the Association of District Councils annual transport conference in Droitwich Spa to discuss buses in the community.
Nick Leach of Scania said that the company is a firm believer in rear-engined buses and considers that turbocharging will very soon be commonplace even on urban buses. Speaking as an importer, he criticised a "Buy British" policy, pointing out the value of British components bought by Scania. He added that Scania would consider building in Britain but that Volvo's failure to win British classification by the SMMT is not an incentive.
In an undisguised sales pitch for the Citybus, Volvo's Sandy Glennie stressed its low weight, quoting a figure of 9,270kg for an 86-seat version. He expects aluminium wheels to become a widely accepted weight-saving measure on buses.
David Burnicle from Leyland Bus enumerated the shrinkage in the UK municipal bus fleets — down from 6,032 in 1977 to 5,190 in 1983 — and said that slightly healthier heavyweight coach chassis sales in no way compensate. He argued that bus sales in the Seventies are probably artificially high owing to the new bus grant. "We've had 10 fat years and now we are having 10 lean ones."
MCW's Trevor Webster forecast that sales will drop even further next year and that with previously good export markets also depressed, manufacturers will have to rely on domestic sales. UK manufacturers do not want feather-bedding protectionism, he said, but he is against importers with their own home markets selling here at marginal castings.
David Hargreaves of Hestair Dennis saw an opportunity for municipal operators moving into the express and inter-city market using dual-purpose, four-speed vehicles. He also saw a return to much lighter buses and spoke of a coach-style decker weighing in at around 8.5 tonnes and averaging 35.3 1/100km (8mpg).