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The bus industry in South Africa plays a vital role in the economic and social development of the country. The contribution to public transport as well the positive influence on tourism industry is mostly underestimated.
Lightstone Audo, looks at the sales of bus chassis from 1994 to 2017. Its analyses was conducted in eight of the South African provinces (excludes Eastern Cape).
Exponential growth
All provinces start experiencing growth after 1994 when international and local trade starts to pick up. One of the biggest spikes of bus purchases is during the latter part of 2009 and early 2010 when the Soccer World Cup was hosted in South Africa, and an influx of tourists allowed for exponential growth in the sector.
"Although Gauteng is the clear front runner, it is surprising to find Limpopo and Kwazulu- Natal as the contenders for the second place," says Hein Coetzee from Lightstone Auto.
Image: Lightstone Auto
Coetzee also highlights that Mpumalanga is slightly ahead of the Western Cape, “this could be ascribed to cross border transport, tourism and the Mpumalanga Provincial Government Public Transport Policies program.”
Coetzee attributes the erratic trend in the graph to differing fleet purchasing cycles. He concludes that busses are sold as chassis in by OEM’s (Original Equipment Manufacturer) who in turn trade with bus transport companies.
