Ukraine's bus market grows 6% in April, driven by used vehicles – analysts

The bus market in Ukraine in April (imports of new and used vehicles, domestic production, and internal resales) increased by 5.8% compared with the same month in 2025. At the same time, in the new vehicle segment, Ukrainian bus production fell by 12% to 22 units, while imports of new buses dropped by 40.7% to 16 units, according to the Automotive Market Research Institute.

According to analysts, compared with March this year, production of new buses fell by 55.1%, while imports of new buses dropped by 72%.

Experts said that April registration statistics for buses and minibuses clearly show that capital investment in passenger logistics has temporarily been put on hold, while the domestic market and imports of used vehicles show moderate year-on-year growth, the "new vehicle segment has experienced a real collapse."

"The sharp drop in registrations of new buses in April is a clear marker of the completion of major budgetary and municipal tenders. Since the Ukrainian market for new passenger vehicles depends almost entirely on public procurement programs (such as the School Bus program, renewal of municipal fleets, etc.), a pause in funding or closure of large tenders immediately cuts factory output by half and imports by almost three-quarters," the Institute said.

According to their data, the leading brand in total new vehicle output was Etalon (10 units), followed by Ford Transit (6 units) and large city buses Isuzu Citiport (5 units).

Meanwhile, the domestic resale segment grew by 10% year-on-year in April to 326 units, with Mercedes-Benz Sprinter (96 units) the clear market leader.

The next two positions were occupied by classic Ukrainian mid-size frame buses – BAZ/ChAZ A079 Etalon (22 units) and Bohdan/Ataman A-092 (18 units).

The used bus import segment in April nearly matched the March 2026 result but was 10.2% higher than in April last year, totaling 108 units.

The top three models were Mercedes-Benz Sprinter (35 units), Mercedes-Benz Vario (11 units), and Volkswagen Crafter (11 units), while the large tourist and intercity segment remains niche, with carriers importing vehicles strictly for specific commercial tasks or regular international routes, avoiding stockpiling.

"Private business is currently fully driven by pragmatism. At current fuel prices, carriers simply do not risk investing in expensive new vehicles whose payback period, due to low fares, tends toward infinity. Instead, operators patch up old Etalon buses or buy used Mercedes-Benz Sprinters. The passenger transport market has shifted into a waiting mode for new investment signals, relying solely on the resource of old, proven equipment," the report concludes.