Wrightbus has signed a landmark deal worth up to £0.5 billion to supply more than 1,000 buses to the Go-Ahead Group over the next three years. The deal, which is the largest in its 78-year history, will see hundreds of Go-Ahead buses built a year for the next three years at its Ballymena headquarters – safeguarding 500 jobs and creating multiple training and upskilling opportunities.
The deal not only secures jobs at Wrightbus but will support an additional 1,500 across the UK supply chain. More than 5,500 jobs in the supply chain are already supported by the phenomenal growth of Wrightbus, which has worked with over 1,000 suppliers across the UK since 2019.
A training and apprenticeships fund has been established as part of the partnership, which will see the development of a learning academy for Go-Ahead and Wrightbus employees, that will also see placements made available for students with special educational needs and young people not in training or education.
Because more than 90% of the order will be zero-emission, it also represents a huge boost to the UK’s ‘net zero’ goals and the Government’s Decarbonisation Transport Plan, which is committed to supplying 4,000 new zero-emission buses in the UK.
Over the three years of the partnership, 1.13 million tonnes of CO
2 will be mitigated when the vehicles are in operation. Furthermore, for every vehicle manufactured, 10 trees will be planted in the towns and cities where the buses are deployed.
Green jobsWrightbus CEO Jean-Marc Gales said: “This deal with Go-Ahead is hugely significant not just for Wrightbus and for Ballymena, but for the wider UK. It represents a huge boost to the UK’s economy and it will support homegrown manufacturing, jobs and skills for the next three years and beyond. We have always been proud to support the UK’s supply chain and have already spent more than £1 billion with UK firms. Our Go-Ahead partnership will ensure even more money can be spent supporting good green jobs.
“We are incredibly excited about the training opportunities the partnership will bring as we help to create a highly-skilled workforce for the future. We must also not forget that this deal represents a massive step forward in our ambition to help decarbonise the transport sector with our world-leading products. It’s a momentous occasion and one we are delighted to be sharing with our partners Go-Ahead.”
Matt Carney, CEO of Go-Ahead Bus, said: “This multi-million-pound investment and partnership with Wrightbus will accelerate the transition to a zero-emission fleet across the UK. We are proud to be working in partnership with the UK Government and local authorities to deliver transformational environmental change for communities, while supporting UK jobs and the growth of the country's supply chain."
Transport Secretary, Louise Haigh said: “The number one mission of this Government is growing the economy. The £0.5 billion pounds Go-Ahead is announcing today shows the confidence industry has in investing in the UK. This announcement will see communities across the country benefit from brand new, state of the art green buses - which will deliver cleaner air and better journeys. We are creating the right conditions for businesses to flourish, so we can support jobs and accelerate towards decarbonising the transport sector. Under this Government, Britain is open for business.”
As part of the deal, Go-Ahead will become official partners with the only research centre in the world dedicated to zero-emission buses – W-Tech. Backed by Wrightbus and Queen’s University Belfast, W-Tech will work alongside Go-Ahead to help with its mission to decarbonise its fleet and business operations. The deal comes on the back of a successful year for Wrightbus, which was recently named as the fastest-growing bus manufacturer in the UK and Europe.