UK bus manufacturer Wrightbus has announced its second international bus deal in a fortnight that will see it ship dozens of green buses to Europe.
Wrightbus logo. Credit: DJ Wilson / Shutterstock
Credit: DJ Wilson / Shutterstock
The firm signed a deal with German Bus operator Regionalverkehr Köln (RVK) to supply up to 60 Kite Hydroliner single deck buses over the next two years.
The buses will be the first integral left-hand drive vehicles that Wrightbus has made and exported since green entrepreneur Jo Bamford bought the firm out of administration in 2019.
All of the buses will be fully built at the Wrightbus factory in Ballymena, supporting green jobs and the wider Northern Ireland economy.
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The first vehicles will be delivered to RVK in 2023, with the remainder due in 2024.
The RVK order comes after a landmark deal with Australian bus body-builder Volgren to supply hydrogen power trains that could open up a significant export market in the country.
Wrightbus Executive Chairman, Jo Bamford, said: "This deal is a significant one for us in many ways. Not only is it our first European order since I took over, but it’s also our second international deal in quick succession and it shows that Wrightbus has a huge part to play on the global stage.
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He added that the deal was another boost for manufacturing in Northern Ireland.
“All of the RVK buses will be built in Ballymena, lending further support to the wider regional economy and allowing us to create green jobs as we continue in our growth,” he added.
RVK, which operates bus services in Cologne, already has the largest fleet of hydrogen Fuel Cell EV buses in Europe, and has extensive experience in running hydrogen buses since first introducing them to its fleet in 2011.
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