The coach market - France (2024)

1.2 The global bus and coach market

Our study will focus primarily on the coach market, although no figures are available for the global coach market, although bus and coach sales figures are available.

The Business Research Company estimates the size of the market at $**,***.* million in ****. The market is expected to grow at a CAGR of *% to ****:

Sales trends in the coach and bus market World, ****-****, in millions of euros Source: ****

Sales are forecast to rise steadily in subsequent years, to **,***.* million euros in ****, **,***.* million euros in ****, and so on.

This sustained sales growth suggests a growing demand for coach and bus transport services worldwide, which can be attributed to various factors such as increasing urbanization, growing demand for sustainable mobility, and rising investment in transport infrastructure.

1.3 The French market

According to Insee, the French coach market is divided into two activities: scheduled passenger road transport and other passenger road transport. Both markets showed overall growth over the periods analyzed, despite a drop in sales during the global pandemic.

Sales growth in scheduled passenger road transport France, ****-****, in thousands of euros Source: ****

The scheduled passenger road transport segment (***) includes school coaches, SLO coaches, airport shuttles and personnel transport coaches.

Between **** and **** , sales of scheduled passenger road transport will experience positive growth of almost **%, underlining the dynamic nature of the market and increasing demand for coach transport. A drop is recorded in **** due to the global pandemic, but by **** sales are on the rise again. The year **** saw the highest sales over this period, with a **. *% increase between **** and ****.

Sales trends in other road passenger transport France, ****-****, in thousands of euros Source: ****

This segment includes transport on demand and tourist coaches (***).

Sales of other road passenger transport were growing positively between **** and ****, with a growth rate of **. *% between these two years. The pandemic then caused a significant drop of -**. *% in sales between **** and **** . A slight increase is recorded in ****. In ****, sales were virtually the same as before the pandemic, ...

2.1 Demand typology

Coach customers are mainly made up of * segments:

Individuals Schoolchildren Tourists (***) Works councils/associations.

French people's opinion of the coach France, ****, %, %, %, %, %, %, %, %, %, %, %, % Source: ****

The majority of French people(***) have a rather good opinion of the coach, suggesting an overall positive perception of this mode of transport. In addition, **% of respondents expressed a very good opinion, indicating significant satisfaction among part of the population. However, **% of respondents had a rather or very poor opinion of the coach. Although this proportion is relatively low compared to those with a positive opinion, it suggests that there are aspects of the coach service that leave something to be desired for some individuals.

Benefits of coach travel France, ****, % (***) Source: ****

Unsurprisingly, price emerges as the most important benefit of coach travel, with **% of respondents citing it. This underlines the widespread perception that coach travel is economically advantageous compared to other modes of transport, which may appeal to budget-conscious travellers. Secondly, **% of respondents cited the ability to enjoy the scenery as an advantage of coach travel. This underlines the appeal of coach travel for those who enjoy discovering beautiful scenery on their travels. Another advantage noted is the reduced impact on the environment, with **% of respondents highlighting this. This ...

2.2 School bus transport

School transport is designed to meet the need for pupils to travel between home and school. Consequently, the transport offer must be adaptable to the specific needs of each region, which are known by the educational establishments and the decentralized services of the national education authority.

In France, nearly **,*** coaches are used to transport over *.* million pupils to and from school every day. [***]

Regional and local authority spending on school bus transport France, ****-****, in millions of euros Report by the Observatoire des finances et de la gestion publique locales ****, ****, ****, ****, ****

The data show a fluctuation in local authority spending on school transport over the period studied. Communes generally maintained relatively stable spending, with a slight drop in **** followed by a slight increase in **** and ****. Communities of communes have also maintained relatively constant spending, albeit with a slight decrease in ****. The regions show fairly similar spending in the various years (***). However, in ****, there is a sharp increase in expenditure before a decrease in ****.

The departments , on the other hand, show more significant variations. Departmental spending has fallen significantly over the years, with a rate of change of -**.**% between **** and ****. This decline could be the result of various factors, such as budget ...

2.3 French people who want to travel

The changing expectations of the French, reflecting a growing desire to travel and explore new horizons, opens up encouraging prospects for the coach market. This appetite for travel offers a unique opportunity for coach operators to meet growing demand by offering flexible, affordable and convenient solutions for both local and international travel.

French enthusiasm for travel France, ****, % of total Source: ****

The data reveal that **% of respondents say they are very enthusiastic about traveling, while **% say they are happy at the prospect. The total of these two responses represents **% of respondents, *% more than the previous year, according to the Ipsos study.

On the other hand, a minority of **% said they had no desire to travel, while *% were indifferent and *% had no clear opinion on the matter. This breakdown of responses underlines the majority of French people's positive interest in travel, with a significant proportion expressing enthusiasm or satisfaction at the idea. This indicates a potentially favorable market for coach operators, as there is a clear demand for travel services.

Reasons for travel enthusiasm France, ****, % (***) Source: ****

The graph reveals that inflation or price rises are the main concern, with **% of respondents stating that this could have an impact on their enthusiasm for travel. ...

3.1 Value chain

Source: ****

Coach manufacturers sell their coaches to various market players: urban transport, on-demand transport and school bus operators (***) and SLO coach companies such as Flixbus. These players then sell a service to passengers, transporting them from point a to point b.

3.2 Number of coach companies and number of employees

Number of establishments registered under the activity "****A Transports routiers réguliers de voyageurs" and under the activity "****B autres transports routiers de voyageurs" France, ****-****, number of establishments Source: ****

Combining the two activities, the total number of establishments registered in these specific road passenger transport sectors fell from **** in **** to **** in ****, a decrease of *.*%. This overall downward trend in the number of establishments may be the result of various factors, such as changes in the economy, regulatory developments, technological developments or changes in consumer behavior.

Île-de-France and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes are the regions with the most ****A and ****B establishments, with *** and *** respectively. Corsica, on the other hand, has the fewest establishments, with **.

Headcount trends France, ****-****, workforce Source: ****

The total number of employees in the two activities combined rose from ***,*** in **** to ***,*** in ****, indicating overall stability despite the variations observed in each category.

There is an upward trend in salaried headcount for scheduled road passenger transport, while other road passenger transport shows a slightly downward trend. This may be due to a variety of factors, such as changes in transport modes, shifts in consumer demand and regulatory developments in the sector.

Breakdown of sector employees by gender France, ****, % (***) Source: ...

3.3 A market affected by a shortage of drivers

In January ****, there was a shortage of between *,*** and *,*** bus drivers in France[***].

The shortage of bus drivers can be attributed to several factors. Firstly, other industries sometimes offer more attractive working conditions or career opportunities. In addition, being a bus driver can be a demanding job, with irregular hours, time pressures and occasionally difficult working conditions, all of which can discourage some potential candidates. Qualification and driving license requirements can also act as barriers to entry for some applicants.

Distribution of job offers for public transport driving professions France, ****, % of total Source: ****

The majority of job offers in this sector are open-ended contracts (***), representing **% of all offers. Fixed-term contracts of over * months represent **% of offers, while fixed-term contracts of * to * months account for **%. Finally, contracts of less than one month represent a marginal share, with only *% of offers.

This distribution suggests a predominance of stable, long-term contracts in the public transport driving sector, with a majority of opportunities offering the job security associated with open-ended contracts. This can be seen as a positive aspect for potential candidates seeking professional stability in this field.

Evolution of new job applications for the public road transport driver profession France, ****-****, % Source : Ministry of ...

3.4 No French coach or bus production, but assembly plants in France

Coachbuilding in France has declined considerably. Many French coachbuilders have closed down or stopped producing buses and coaches (***), and most minibuses, minicars and coaches are now imported. These vehicles for the French market are often assembled in countries such as Turkey, Germany, Poland and Spain, before being imported into France.

However, there are around * bus and coach assembly plants in France:

4.1 The coach fleet in France

Evolution of the coach fleet France, ****-****, in units Source: ****

Between **** and ****, the graph shows a generally stable number of coaches over this period, with minor fluctuations and an overall positive trend. Indeed, between **** and ****, the number of coaches in France increased by *.**%. The peak in coach numbers was reached in ****, with **,*** coaches in operation, with a slight decrease observed in subsequent years

Coach fleet by fuel type France, ****, % (***) Source: Statistical data and studies The vast majority of coaches - **.*%- run on diesel, which remains the predominant energy source in the road transport sector. By contrast, gas-powered coaches account for a marginal share of just *.*%. This relatively low proportion can be attributed to the limited availability of gas refuelling infrastructure and the higher initial costs of gas-powered vehicles. Electric coaches, although representing a modest *.*% share, show an emerging trend towards a transition to more sustainable, environmentally-friendly transport solutions. However, their adoption is currently limited by technological constraints such as limited battery autonomy and high initial costs.

Distribution of coach fleet according to Critair label France, ****, % Source: ****

The Crit'Air classification is used to assess the pollution level of vehicles according to their emissions, which influences their access to restricted traffic zones ...

4.2 Market organization

The coach travel market is organized around several offers, so the coach fleet would be divided into * offers:

4.3 Freely organized coach services

Since the adoption of the Macron law in ****, regular long-distance transport of more than *** kilometers by coach has been liberalized in France. This service is referred to by the acronym " SLO ", for " Services de transport Librement Organisés ".

This mode of transport enables public road passenger transport companies to offer inter-city routes with fixed timetables on a voluntary and autonomous basis. The liberalization of the market is intended to encourage mobility across the country, complementing the public services already in place.

Flixbus and BlaBlaBus have positioned themselves as two major players in the SLO market in France. These companies are free to define their own schedules, stops, frequencies and fares.

Growth in the number of marketed routes of *** km or less France, ****-****, in number of routes Source: ****

Initially, steady growth is observed, from **** routes in **** to **** in ****, an evolution of **.*% indicating a dynamic market. However, in ****, there is a noticeable drop, with only **** routes proposed. This is largely attributed to travel restrictions imposed by the COVID-** pandemic.

This downward trend continues into ****, with an **. *% drop in the number of routes between **** and ****. However, a recovery is observed in ****, with the number of routes increasing to *,***.

Thus, the trend in the ...

4.4 The coach: a "green" alternative to other means of transport

The rise of environmental concerns has led to a re-evaluation of transport choices, highlighting the growing importance of sustainable mobility solutions. In this context, coaches are emerging as a particularly attractive alternative, offering a favorable ecological balance compared to other modes of transport. Indeed, coaches offer a number of significant environmental advantages, from energy efficiency to low greenhouse gas emissions.

What's more, one coach means ** fewer cars on the road[***].

Quantity of fuel needed to transport one person over *** km France, ****, in liters Source: ****

The graph above shows that the coach is the most fuel-efficient mode of transport, using just *.* liters to cover the same distance, making it a particularly ecological and energy-efficient option. By comparison, the TGV uses *.* liters of fuel, while diesel and gasoline-powered cars require *.* liters and *.* liters respectively for the same distance. Aircraft, meanwhile, are in the middle range, using *.* liters of fuel per *** kilometers. This analysis highlights the ecological advantage of the coach over other means of transport, underlining its potential as a green and sustainable alternative.

Comparison of the most polluting means of transport, Question: In your opinion, which means of transport is the least polluting between...?

Source: ****

For the majority of proposals, the coach ...

5.1 Liberalization of the long-distance coach market with the Macron law

On August *, ****, the "Macron law" opened up the possibility for all companies to operate regular intercity coach services. These services can be freely marketed or discontinued if all the stops they serve are more than *** kilometers apart. If a company wishes to operate a service between two stops that are less than *** kilometers apart, it must make a declaration to the new French rail and road regulatory authority (***).

Previously in France, there were no scheduled intercity coach services without a contract. Scheduled intercity services, characterized by predefined routes, stops, frequencies, timetables and fares, were announced in advance.defined and announced in advance, were managed by the State or local authorities. What's more, a coach was only allowed to stop in a French town if it was linking it to an international destination.

The expected effects of this law were multiple: a more affordable transport offer than the train, better coverage of the French territory in terms of mobility, and job creation.

Source: ****

5.2 Regulations governing drivers' working hours

Regulations concerning drivers' working hours are very important to ensure their safety and that of their passengers. Below are the main guidelines concerning working hours, working time, breaks and rests, as well as specific rules governing daily driving and rest periods for drivers.

Working hours : Working hours represent the period between two consecutive rest periods in a working day, or between a weekly rest period and the previous or next daily rest period. Normally, it is ** hours, but for drivers it can be extended to ** hours for occasional and tourist services, and up to ** hours with a double crew.

Daily working time: The actual working time per day is equivalent to the working hours, minus the total duration of breaks, and may not exceed ** hours. However, for drivers, it can be extended to ** hours once a week, or even twice a week.

Night working hours: If part of a shift is worked between midnight and * a.m., the corresponding working hours may not exceed ** hours, and may not be extended to ** hours.

Weekly working hours: Weekly working hours may not exceed ** hours in any single week, and ** hours on average over a **-week period. In addition, an employee may not work ...

5.3 The Mobility Orientation Act

The Loi d'orientation des mobilités, enacted on December **, **** and published in the Journal Officiel, marks a significant transformation in mobility policy. Its main objective is to make everyday transport more accessible, economically advantageous and environmentally friendly.

To meet these challenges, the law is based on * pillars:

Investing more and better in everyday transportation Facilitating the deployment of new solutions to enable everyone to get around Initiating the transition to cleaner mobility

In addition, the Mobility Orientation Act is organized into * areas:

Source: ****

6.1 Player segmentation

Coach transport players can be divided into * segments: Urban transport/on-demand transport/school transport, tour operators who organize tourist trips and excursions, and SLO coaches:

• Transdev
• Keolis
• Flixbus
• Transarc
• Faure transport
• Groupe Salaün
• BlaBlaCar
• Heuliez Bus
• Van Hool
• Iveco Bus
• Wrightbus
• Autocars Chauchard
• Safra
• Retrofleet
• Green Corp Konnection GCK
• Yutong Bus
• BYD