Average Vehicle AgeThis is a useful indicator of the status of the fleet. If the fleet has an even age profile, the average age of the fleet will be approximately half the age of the oldest vehicle.
An acceptable average age depends on factors such as the types of vehicles operated, levels of utilization and operating conditions, and is sometimes influenced by legislation: in some countries the operation of buses over a certain age is not permitted.
A high average age may be because high standards of maintenance enable vehicles to be successfully operated over a long life, but more often is because insufficient funds are available for fleet replacement.
A very low average age may be because vehicles are replaced when they are relatively young but may indicate that poor maintenance has resulted in a short vehicle life. In practice, where the latter is the case, it is not usually reflected in the average age because younger vehicles tend to remain on the “book” fleet strength even when they are no longer fit for further use.
For a reasonably well maintained fleet of premium quality vehicles operating on urban services in a developing country, the average fleet age would typically be between five and eight years.