The demand for bus travel in the UK appears to be on the slide, with new figures revealing that vehicle registrations fell again in July.

According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the number of purpose-built buses being registered for use on the UK's roads fell by 19.1 per cent year-on-year.

This means that registrations for the year to date have dropped by an alarming 21 per cent.

Although there was a 10.5 per cent upturn in private coach demand in July, the figures will no doubt worry the government, which is keen to get more people using public transport. 

Statistics released by the authorities in June showed that bus usage fell by 1.3 per cent in the 12 months to March 2013 and this downturn seems to be reflected in SMMT's latest report.

Wendy Williamson, SMMT bus and coach manager, said: "Last year's strong, Olympics-boosted market has led to a steady downward trend this year. We expect to see registrations level off as we approach the end of 2013."