Just get on the bus, Gus: Tyre manufacturers prepare for long-term trend of increased coach and bus transport in Europe

摘要

According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, UK bus and coach registrations were the only commercial vehicle segment indicating a negative trend in 2013, finishing the year 3.3 per cent down on 2012 with 3,685. Compare this with the impressive growth in the same period of both rigids (up 17.6 per cent to 33,651) and artics (up 32.0 per cent to 22,567) and the 2014 coach and bus segment begins to look like the sickly cousin of the commercial vehicle market, though it should also be noted that the coach side alone swelled by around 15 per cent - a sign of the UK market's bias towards regional, or extra-urban, transport. In terms of the sheer number of vehicles on UK roads, the segment accounts for just 0.3 per cent (90,355) of the total of 35,760,901 in the latest available figures (2012). But there are good reasons to be interested in the coach and bus tyre market, especially as premium brand players like Continental, Goodyear and Bridgestone launch evermore specialised products, moving away from fitting the same 22.5" or 17.5" products as those found on trucks.