Purchases are driven by EU subsidies. Experts point out, however, the high costs of purchase and subsequent operation.
The Polish bus market is gaining momentum. In October, the number of newly registered vehicles increased by more than 100 percent compared to the previous year. According to the report of the Polish Automotive Industry Association (PZPM) and the specialist company JMK Transport Market Analysis, October sales reached the level of 281 units. “This is the second highest monthly result this year after June and, at the same time, by 141 busses more were sold than a year earlier (+100.7%), when 140 vehicles were sold as the report states.
Within ten months, the number of registrations on the bus market has already exceeded last year’s result, in which carriers purchased 2,292 new buses. The current cumulative result is 2,366 vehicles, almost 30% better than at the same time in 2017, when 1,827 buses were registered by the end of October.
EU support
According to PZPM, such a large increase in purchases is a result of the execution of large orders of municipal carriers benefiting from EU support. Already in September local governments collected 152 vehicles, while in the same month last year only 42. In the first three quarters, 849 such vehicles were registered, which meant a 79% increase year-on-year. The high dynamics of registration should be maintained until the end of the year, especially that in the fourth quarter the number of deliveries is expected to be the highest.
The number of eco-driven buses purchased this year is growing particularly fast. This is a trend that is getting stronger and stronger on the Polish market. Still in 2016, out of the total number of 1,942 registered new buses, only 42 were equipped with ecological drives: 19 buses were powered by compressed natural gas (CNG), 17 were hybrids and 6 were electro buses. In total, they accounted for 2.2% of all purchases.