School bus sales drop 6.8 percent
SBF research finds that North American school bus sales in 2011 decreased for the fifth year in a row. The latest total is down 39 percent from the peak in 2006.

The 2011 total of North American school bus sales is down 39 percent from the peak in 2006.
School bus sales in North America this year fell for the fifth year in a row, SBF research has found.
In the 2011 sales year (Nov. 1, 2010, to Oct. 31, 2011), a total of 29,060 school buses of all types was sold in the U.S. and Canada. That's a drop of 6.8 percent from the 2010 total, 31,194.
Compared to the peak of 47,614 school buses sold in 2006, the 2011 total was down 39 percent.
Looking specifically at the U.S., sales decreased for all school bus types in 2011, resulting in a total of 8.5 percent fewer units sold compared to 2010.
But in Canada, 5.3 percent more units were sold in 2011 than in 2010.
More details on the North American school bus sales are in SBF’s forthcoming 2012 Fact Book.
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