GM Mayor Andy Burnham confirms order for new electric buses on visit to Northern Ireland-based manufacturer
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham has confirmed an order for a fleet of a new electric buses for the city region – including Wigan – during a visit to the Northern Ireland-based manufacturer Wrightbus.
As part of a commitment to buy from UK-based companies where possible, the Mayor revealed plans to buy 55 more zero-emission electric vehicles to join the Bee Network, Greater Manchester’s joined-up public transport system.
He visited the Wrightbus factory in Ballymena, County Antrim, to confirm the news.
There, he saw some of the 76 electric double-deck buses from a previous order already in production and expected to go into service from April.
It is part of a £66m investment in the firm’s electric models, with the latest order pushing the total number of buses bought from Wrightbus to 293.
Elsewhere, the Bee Network has also supported Scottish-based Alexander Dennis, with almost 500 buses made at the company’s Falkirk and Scarborough bases now serving Greater Manchester’s communities.
The approach is being described by Mr Burnham as a vote of confidence in homegrown businesses – “helping to drive economic growth, create and protect skilled jobs in the UK, whilst at the same modernise and cut carbon emissions from public transport.”
Speaking from the Wrightbus’ headquarters in Ballymena, Mr 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.”
Transport for Greater Manchester’s says the order signals commitment to working with and investing in UK businesses to deliver the Bee Network.
Wrightbus says every pound generated by them creates another £3 in the wider economy, and every job ensures another three jobs are safe across the supply chain.
Founded in 1946, Wrightbus employs more than 2,100 people across its operations, with a further 7,500 jobs in the manufacturing supply chain.
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."
By the end of this year, around half of buses operating from Greater Manchester’s large franchises will be electric: up from around two per cent before buses were brought back under local control.