Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, has confirmed an order for 55 electric buses following a visit to the Wrightbus manufacturing facility in Ballymena. The vehicles will join the Bee Network, the region’s integrated public transport system.
During the visit, Burnham viewed the production of 76 electric double-deck buses from an earlier order. These vehicles are currently being assembled at the Ballymena factory and are expected to begin entering service in April.
on visit to Northern Ireland-based manufacturer
The latest purchase is included in a 66 million GBP investment in Wrightbus electric vehicles. With the additional order, the total number of buses supplied by the manufacturer for operation in Greater Manchester or currently on the production line will reach 293.
The investment forms part of a broader plan by the Bee Network to move towards a fully electric bus fleet by 2030. The transport authority has also placed orders with Alexander Dennis, which manufactures buses at facilities in Falkirk and Scarborough. Nearly 500 vehicles from those sites are already operating across Greater Manchester.
The procurement approach aims to support manufacturers based in the United Kingdom while modernising public transport and reducing emissions. Officials say it also supports employment across the domestic supply chain.
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said:Through local control of the Bee Network, we’re proving that when you invest properly in public transport, you don’t just transform how people get around, you drive real economic growth.
This latest order for 55 new Wrightbus vehicles is part of our commitment to buy from UK-based manufacturers wherever we can to support and protect jobs, and strengthen our homegrown industries.
It was brilliant to catch up with team at the Wrightbus headquarters and see the new yellow buses on the production line, set to be serving our Greater Manchester communities from next month. We’re moving at pace to modernise our fleet and, thanks to partnerships to industries here in the UK, are on track for a fully electric bus network by the end of the decade.
The transition to electric buses is part of a wider clean air strategy in Greater Manchester. By the end of the year, around half of the buses operating under the region’s franchised network are expected to be electric. Before bus services were brought back under local control, electric vehicles accounted for roughly two per cent of the fleet.
According to transport officials, the introduction of zero- and low-emission buses across the Bee Network is expected to reduce annual carbon dioxide emissions by more than 40,000 tonnes and cut nitrogen dioxide levels by around 149 tonnes each year.
Wrightbus, founded in 1946, employs more than 2,100 people and supports an estimated 7,500 jobs in its supply chain. The orders for buses also have wider economic effects, including work for suppliers across the United Kingdom.
John McLeister, Wrightbus Sales Managing Director for UK and Ireland, said:We were delighted to welcome Mayor Andy Burnham and show him around the factory here in Ballymena.
Orders like this aren’t just about creating jobs in Northern Ireland, this is about the ripple effect they can have across the whole UK supply chain, strengthening businesses like McKenna Brothers from Middleton in Manchester, who supply the blinds and screens for our buses.
I’m glad to say that while some manufacturing sectors have been in decline in recent years, the UK still has a thriving bus industry of which we’re very proud to be part of, despite the constant threats of imports from overseas.
The new electric buses are expected to begin entering service on Bee Network routes as the fleet continues to expand over the coming years.
To engage further on the threat of imported buses from overseas, listen to our latest Podcast episode from All Routes Considered.
