Wrightbus has celebrated 80 years of company success during Euro Bus Expo 2026 in Birmingham.
Opening the show with an intimate press conference; Managing Director of Sales for UK and Ireland John McLeister and Sales Director Phil Owens detailed some of the achievements made by the company since its inception in 1946 – before going on to offer some key information on the future of Wrightbus beyond 2026.
Zero Emissions
Having produced more than 4,000 zero emission buses since its first foray into the market with the Streetdeck Hydroliner (the world’s first double-deck hydrogen bus) in 2020; McLeister, who was promoted to his current post earlier this year, applauded the company’s contribution towards the acceleration of widespread low emission vehicle adoption.
With 150 million zero emission miles achieved so far, Wrightbus is looking to invest in both buses and communities in order to further its already proven performance across the industry. McLeister spoke of ongoing efforts to promote apprenticeship schemes offered by the company, as well as the development of new frameworks intended to boost local economies, supply chains and create jobs – efforts made possible with support from customers and local authorities.
Looking to the future, Wrightbus intends to learn from data generated by the use of its electric buses, as well as open up additional factories across the UK. Speaking of recent events, McLeister praised the new Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s relationship with the bus industry as a whole, citing the company’s previous experience with the former Mayor of Greater Manchester as a strong sign of potential collaboration in the years to come, as well as a renewed commitment to a stronger UK manufacturing presence for the bus and coach industry as a whole.
Efforts Outside the UK & Ireland
Moving outside of the UK; McLeister mentioned the unveiling of the company’s brand-new StreetDeck Electroliner 6×2 tri-axle battery-electric double-decker bus for the Singapore market – marking both Wrightbus’ debut within the Singapore market and the world’s first hydrogen double decker bus.
Praise was also given to the company’s Malaysian factory, which focuses on bus body assembly and regional production for markets like Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japan, whilst major chassis components are manufactured in Ballymena, Northern Ireland and shipped to Malaysia for final assembly.
The Future of Wrightbus – Regional and Technological Expansion
Stepping in to discuss more on Wrightbus’ future; Sales Director Phil Owens spoke of a few of the company’s vehicles on display during the show – namely a Generation Two Double Decker TfL bus, as well as a recently repowered Streetdeck, and, with repowering in mind, Owens stated that Wrightbus has recently completed work on a set of Metrodecker buses for Metrolne – all of which are expected to enter service in the next few months.
The company has also recently been awarded a contract to repower a fleet of 43 Streetdecks for First. These vehicles will be the first to be converted to utilise CATL batteries, and will enter service sometime in 2027.
Elsewhere, Owens provided an update on Wrightbus’ recently-formed business tasked with the selling of smaller Chinese vehicles – a venture that has seen the company partner with manufacturer King Long. So far, the initiative has seen the company supply a total of four buses within the UK, and 136 in Ireland – thought not all of these vehicles have been delivered as of yet.
Owens also spoke of the company’s recent developments within the wider European market, commenting on successes pertaining to the supply of hydrogen buses to Germany and expressing a desire to both support the market further and expand into additional areas in the coming years.
Wrapping up the conference with statements of promise for Wrightbus’ future; both Owens’ and McLeister’s words give the impression that the company will continue to expand and innovate over the coming years, and promote a bright future for the bus and coach industry as a whole.
