On the last day of October, just 24hr after a record £18.2 billion was announced for the
Northern Ireland Executive in 2025/26 in the Budget, the zero-emission bus manufacturer
Wrightbus hosted Hilary Benn MP — the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland — to show him first-hand how ‘the biggest deal in its history is helping to put Northern Ireland at the forefront of the green energy revolution’. Mr Benn met with Wrightbus CEO Jean-Marc Gales and other members of the Wrightbus team on the visit.
In September, Wrightbus — recently named as the fastest-growing bus manufacturer in the UK and Europe — signed a ‘landmark deal’ worth up to £500 million to supply more than 1,000 buses to operator Go-Ahead over the next three years, of which 90% will be zero-emission types. This deal is the largest in the company’s 78-year history, and Mr Benn heard that it is helping to drive a green economic revolution by not only decarbonising the transport sector ‘at an historic scale’, but also creating thousands of ‘green jobs’ in the UK manufacturing sector and stimulating economic growth.
Hundreds of Go-Ahead buses will be built each year for the next three years at the Wrightbus Ballymena headquarters, directly creating 500 jobs alongside multiple training and upskilling opportunities. A further 1,500 jobs will also be created throughout the UK supply chain, adding to the more than 5,500 jobs already supported by the growth of Wrightbus, which has worked with over 1,000 UK suppliers since 2019.
Significant momentMr Gales said the visit had come at a significant moment for Wrightbus and for Northern Ireland. “This is a hugely proud moment for Wrightbus and the whole of Northern Ireland, and we are incredibly grateful for the support from the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and his colleagues in Westminster. Wrightbus continues to go from strength to strength, creating jobs, developing skills, supporting a growing supply chain and reducing CO2 emissions in towns, cities and urban areas throughout the UK and beyond.
“It is heartening to see the Budget will encourage further economic growth in Northern Ireland. Our buses and products have been exported to Asia, Australia and Europe, and we have ambitious plans to increase those numbers over the next 12 months. We want to keep this success story going to show that Northern Ireland can be the epicentre of the great green transport revolution.”
Mr Benn added: “Speaking to the young apprentices and workers and witnessing the innovative manufacturing process, it is clear that Wrightbus is making an important contribution to boosting local skills and employment. This expertise will be put to good use in fulfilling the Go-Ahead contract, ensuring a bright future for employees and the wider supply chain.”