According to statistics collated by LLC Avtostat Info, Russia registered 6,263 new buses (>5t gvw) in the first half of 2020, which was 1.2% up on 6,187 units in 1H/2019.

The Allison T 280 fully automatic transmission from Allison Transmissions Inc has been selected as standard equipment for all new medium-sized city buses manufactured by J-Bus Ltd.

Solaris Bus & Coach SA says it is set to treble delivery of electric buses in Poland over the coming months.

Mid-August saw the SMMT (The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders) post figures for the first half of 2020: New bus and coach registrations fell by more than a third (-34.6%) to 1,731 units from 2,645.

Bus and coach (above 3.5t gvw) registrations fell by 41.5% in the EU, from 4,134 to 2,420 units, which was a slight improvement compared with May’s decline (‐56.5%), according to statistics collated by ACEA.

The electric hybrid propulsion system supplied by BAE Systems which bridges the gap between conventional drives and full electric or fuel cell systems, remains a viable option for reducing emissions and saving fuel in areas where charging infrastructure is unavailable, maintains BAE Systems.

In Q1/20, the Russian bus market (GVW>5t) registered 3,448 new buses, which was 29.9% more than 2,655 vehicles in the same period of 2019, according to LLC Avtostat Info.

At ABA Marketplace and Busworld North America conference held in Omaha, Nebraska, USA in January 2020, Jan Deman, President Busworld Academy, said:  “As Busworld, we stand at a crossroads, where bus manufacturers, operators, authorities and knowledge institutions meet, and from this point we notice that never before in our industry so many initiatives have been taken to exchange ideas and insights as today.

Eastern Europe is significant in terms of the bus industry because of the number of buses on the roads, said Anna Ozdelen, Principal Consultant at Consul People, speaking at Busworld Turkey last month.

Automotive production in Turkey has been declining in 2018 and 2019, but compared with other automotive segments, the bus and coach segment has proven to be more resilient.

While there have been tenders during the last few years for electric buses in Turkey, which have then later been cancelled due to the recession, the CNG market remains in better shape, according to Cenk Yavuz, territory manager, Turkey for on-highway business of Turkey Engine Power Systems Ltd of Izmir.

The number of electric bus deliveries in Western Europe and Poland increased threefold in 2019 to 1,697 units from 548 units delivered in the previous year, according the Wim Chatrou of Chatrou CME Solutions.