BALLYMENA manufacturer Wrightbus is beginning work on its largest-ever electric vehicle (EV) bus order.
It comes after one of the UK's largest transport operators First Bus placed an order for 193 buses, worth £81 million.
Most of the buses - 68 in all - will end up in Leicester, with other cities benefitting from the order including York (44 buses), Portsmouth (34), Leeds (32) and Norwich (15).
First Bus placed the ground-breaking order following successful bids with local authorities as part of the Department for Transport’s (DfT) Zero Emission Bus Regional Area (ZEBRA) funding scheme.
It will invest £43 million in the new vehicles, and will be supported to complete the electric fleet project with a £38 million grant from the DfT.
The new buses will be rolled out from next March.
The latest partnership between First Bus and Wrightbus comes following the successful roll-out of the world’s first double-decker hydrogen buses in Aberdeen in 2020.
First Bus will also work with the Ballymena-based bus builder to help upskill current and new engineers alike to help take their people on this decarbonisation journey with them. This will allow First Bus and Wrightbus to create new green jobs, as well as enhancing skillsets for existing staff.
Ben Werth, chief commercial officer at Wrightbus, said: "This is another significant deal for us - the largest zero emissions bus order outside of London - and we are delighted to again be partnering with First Bus in the drive to zero-emission public transport. First Bus, like us, is consistently on the forefront of new and exciting technology and at the forefront of zero- and low-emission travel.
“All of the buses - the GB Kite Electroliner BEV and the StreetDeck Electroliner BEV, which is the world's most efficient double decker battery-electric bus - will be manufactured and assembled at our Ballymena factory, which means support for jobs in Northern Ireland, and wider across the UK through our domestic supply chain.”
He added: “2022 has been a remarkable year for Wrightbus, as this order comes after our recent historic deals with the National Transport Authority (NTA), Australia and Germany.
“This latest deal with First Bus strengthens the reputation we have forged in the zero-emission transport sector and will help play an important part in the UK’s ambitions for decarbonisation.”
First Bus UK managing director Janette Bell added: “We are absolutely delighted to place our largest ever zero emission vehicle order and to do so with a UK manufacturer. Wrightbus have a really exciting product that we feel will enhance the customer experience at the same time as benefitting the environment.
“As leaders in sustainable mobility, we are fully aligned with the government’s ambitions for a net-zero carbon transport system, including zero-emission bus fleets. We will continue to work closely with central and local government across the UK to support the delivery of our shared decarbonisation ambitions and commitments.”
Transport Minister Baroness Vere said: “It’s fantastic to see First Bus place the largest ever order of electric buses outside London, thanks to investment from our £270 million scheme.
“This marks a key stepping-stone towards our National Bus Strategy commitment of funding 4,000 zero-emissions buses, as we decarbonise and level up transport across the country.
“Not only does it drive forward our journey to net zero, but will also support hundreds of green, high-skilled jobs in the UK.”
