Greater Manchester Mayor confirms order for 55 new electric buses

During a visit to Northern Ireland-based manufacturer Wrightbus, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has confirmed an order for a further 55 new electric buses for the Bee Network’s fleet.

The order is part of a commitment to buy new vehicles as much as possible from UK-based companies as the city-region’s transport network targets a fully zero-emission bus fleet by the end of the decade.

Mayor Burnham visited the Wrightbus factory in Ballymena, County Antrim, on Saturday 14th March where he saw some of the 76 electric double-deck buses from a previous order already in production: these are expected to go into service from April.

This latest order adds to more than 290 buses having been bought from the Northern Irish manufacturer as part of a £66 million investment in an electric bus fleet. 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.

Speaking from the Wrightbus’ headquarters in Ballymena, 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 order signals Transport for Greater Manchester’s commitment to working with and investing in UK businesses to deliver the Bee Network. Wrightbus say 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.

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 2% before buses were brought back under local control. Electrification of the bus fleet forms part of the city region’s investment-led Clean Air Plan, which is making strong progress in reducing air pollution by investing in cleaner buses, taxis and targeted traffic measures.

Low emission buses are expected to help save more than 40,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide – equivalent to the annual energy use of almost 5,000 homes or more than 99 million car miles driven – and 149 tonnes of nitrogen dioxide every year.