NI bus builder wins €155m contract
The UK’s largest bus operator, FirstGroup, today placed a £125m (€155m) order for new vehicles with the North’s leading bus builder, Wrightbus.
Wrightbus, based in Ballymena, Co Antrim, celebrated what it said was the largest order in its history.
The order with the family-owned company set up at the end of the Second World War is understood to be for around 1,000 buses.
FirstGroup currently operates a fleet of nearly 9,000 buses in the UK carrying 3,000,000 passengers a day in more than 40 towns and cities.
Wrightbus said it had won the order against stiff competition from a number of manufacturers throughout the world and had to meet FirstGroup’s exacting technical and commercial requirements.
It said the win reinforced the Northern Ireland company’s position as a world leading bus supplier.
Among the vehicles to be supplied over the next few years are a handful of innovative buses which use a combination of diesel and electric power to minimise pollution.
Announcing the order at an event in Belfast, Mark Nodder, managing director of the Wright Group, said: “This order shows FirstGroup’s commitment to investing in programmes geared to encouraging the public to switch from cars to public transport, which will reduce both congestion and damage to the environment.”
He said the company was thrilled to be FirstGroup’s partner of choice and that the order was an excellent endorsement of Wrightbus as a designer and manufacturer of a range of vehicles which incorporated innovative and advanced technology for both drivers and passengers.“
The order is the biggest annual investment yet made by FirstGroup.
Chief executive Moir Lockhead said: “Wrightbus was the obvious choice for this substantial investment. We have worked closely together for many years and I am always impressed by Wrightbus’ innovation and creativity in design.
“This order is a significant milestone in what I hope will continue to be a successful partnership.”
Although the bulk of the order will be built on Volvo chassis, it also includes nine new Wrightbus double-decker buses – five of which are the diesel-electric hybrids which were a component part of the order.
