‘It’s been a triumphant year for Wrightbus’

Bus operator Metroline has placed an order for almost 40 zero-emissions buses with Northern Ireland manufacturer Wrightbus to support services across London and Hertfordshire.

The order, totalling 39 double-deck StreetDeck Electroliner BEVs, will help Metroline increase the number of its zero-emissions fleet and in turn, benefit local communities and the environment.

The buses will be operating on routes 297 and 142, which drive through the boroughs of Brent and Ealing, and Hertfordshire (Watford), Harrow and Barnet.

The new EV buses will be fully built at the Wrightbus facility in Ballymena in a boost for the UK economy and the manufacturing sector.

Ian Foster, group engineering director at Metroline, said: “Metroline is extremely pleased to continue our relationship with Wrightbus following the latest additions to our electric vehicle fleet, having previously worked closely with them on our hydrogen bus specification and roll out.

“Our testing of the new electric vehicle has shown an excellent level of power usage per mile, and we are confident that, working closely with the development team at Wrightbus, these figures will continue to improve.

“As with the hydrogen bus order, it is essential that wherever possible we purchase vehicles with a high local build content, supporting the UK supply chain backing our own technical expertise in the zero-emissions arena.”

Ben Werth, chief commercial officer at Wrightbus, explained: “We are delighted to announce this order from Metroline, further demonstrating their commitment to offering zero-emission public transport.

“All of the buses will be manufactured and assembled at our Ballymena factory, which means support for jobs in NI, and wider across the UK through our domestic supply chain.

“It’s been a triumphant year for Wrightbus. This order follows a series of historic deals with First Bus, the National Transport Authority (NTA), as well as in Australia and Germany. We’re immensely proud of the reputation we have forged in the zero-emission transport sector and the important role we are playing in the UK’s ambitions for decarbonisation.”

The StreetDeck Electroliner BEV is the world’s most efficient double deck electric bus, following assessments undertaken at the UTAC test facility using the Zemo-accredited Ultra Low Emission Bus (ULEB) test.