State undertakings may add 5,000 vehicles, revive demand for buses in Q4

Lockdown factors such as temporary shutting of schools, WFH, and cash crunch for transport undertakings have hit the buses segment substantially

The bus segment continues to remain an area of concern as the passenger commercial vehicle segment as a whole is yet to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic and the ensuing nationwide lockdown. However companies are seeing some green shoots from the staff segment and expect STUs (State Transport Undertaking) to be a key growth driver. STUs are expected to add over 5,000 new vehicles. With the relaxations on lockdown, demand from other segments is expected to increase over the next six months as well.

According to industry estimates, the total volume of buses dropped by 90 per cent over last