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32 August 2018 | AutoData MARKET » BUSES T he bus segment, which had its gre- at moment in 2011 with a market of 34,5 thousand units, felt the hit of its reduction for 11 thousand units in 2016. It was at rock bottom, the executives said in the occasion, and seems like this moment is definitely being left behind. Last year, there was an increase of 5%, for almost 12 thousand units. And better: the curve points firmly up this year, a 21% increase from January to July compared to the same period of 2017, to 7,4 thousand. Gilberto Vardânega, commercial di- rector of buses at Volvo, analyses: “The recovery began from the third trimester of last year. We are noticing the entre- By Francisco Reis THE BRIDGE TO GROWTH After years of retraction in sales, bus numbers start to react. Still in a timid way, but consistent preneurs feel more optimistic, willing to invest”. For Jorge Carrer, MAN Latin America’s executive bus sales manager, the main boost came from the highway segment until now, due to the new legislation - the accessibility law - which began to be valid in June. “The first half showed this turnaround, indicating a 2018 slightly better than last year.” Mercedez-Benz is also noticing an im- provement regarding business environ- ment. Walter Barbosa, its bus sales and marketing director celebrates, even that “we are still very far from the 27 thousand units registered in 2014”. Another factor justifies the bet on the Disclousure/Volvo