After four years of crisis, It is now clear that the bus industry has recovered. The market for both city and tour buses is growing and it appears that this will continue for many years to come.
Jan Deman, who heads the Busworld Foundation, is at Persontrafik 2024 in Gothenburg to talk about the big trends in the industry. And to moderate a panel of representatives from the bus manufacturers.
"The bus industry has recovered after four years of crisis. We see that the numbers are only increasing and more people are taking public transport," says Deman.
He has taken us into the future. But is also critical of the industry's wait and see attitude. The industry must work better together with a targeted focus on the future.
"For almost all bus companies the buses cost the same and the drivers cost the same. But it's the energy prices that make the difference. For electricity, hydrogen and various fuels," he says.
He points out that today the demand for electric buses is increasing. Interest in hydrogen is also growing. But the price increases at the same time. And the possibility of obtaining green hydrogen is difficult. It is therefore important to get the politicians to understand that you need time to adapt to the future and that the money needs to be put in place.
Several manufacturers also see that the trend is to move from supplying buses to supplying complete mobility systems. This gives the customer more predictability and security.
But for tour and express buses, the future prospects are somewhat more unclear. It is missing approx. 30,000 charging points. And there is hardly a hydrogen filling station to be found. While politicians are pushing to get zero-emission tour and express buses in place as soon as possible.
So it is important that the industry is clear towards politicians and speak the same language. The goal is the same, but the road to get there must be built together. For the cities, the solutions are already here and infrastructure is easier to put in place.
It is Busworld Foundation's desire to be a hub for the industry. Bring both manufacturers and politicians to various conferences. With the aim of better cooperation.