Based on surveys of the major motorcoach manufacturers that sell vehicles in the U.S. and Canada, motorcoach sales from the participating manufacturers saw a slight decline over the prior year to a total of 928 units (624 new coaches and 304 pre-owned coaches), according to the latest numbers released by the American Bus Association Foundation (ABAF).

“The reason for the decline over last year was due to a large fleet purchase by one company,” said Peter Pantuso, president & CEO of the ABAF. “The sales numbers this year show a return to normalization in purchasing, which still is at a healthy level for the industry.”

The decline in sales for the second quarter were offset by the continued strength of sales of the new 45-foot motorcoaches, which saw a 2% increase over the same period in 2016. The less than 45-foot sales continues to see a decrease carried over from the first quarter, these sales are expected to pick up as the year progresses.

“We continue to see an increase in bigger buses this year, which is always a good sign for group travel,” said Pantuso. “While the quarter over quarter saw a slight decline, we expect sales of all sizes of coaches to pick up through the year.”