Strongest ever start to the year for Wrightbus

Leading bus manufacturer Wrightbus has had its strongest ever start to a year with almost 200 new buses entering service in the UK and Europe so far this January.

And 2025 looks set to be another record-breaking year for Ballymena-based Wrightbus, which was last year named as the fastest growing bus manufacturer in the UK and Europe.

More than 160 buses were delivered to customers in Manchester earlier this month, while more than 30 entered service in Germany.

Manchester’s Bee Network has been bolstered by 162 ultra-low emission Ultroliner double deck buses, thanks to orders from UK operators including Transport for Greater Manchester, Metroline and Go North West.

Thirty-one single-deck Kite Hydroliners entered service for RVK in Germany as part of the largest public transport hydrogen bus fleet in Europe. Wrightbus has also opened its own European service centre – AllServiceOne - in Brühl, enabling its team of experts to service and maintain buses of all types right in the heart of Europe.

More than 1,200 buses will leave the factory in 2025, with orders destined for fleets across the UK and Germany.

In comparison, the firm built 1,016 buses in 2024, up from 623 in 2023 and 427 the year before. This upward trajectory highlights Wrightbus’s growing influence on both the domestic and international stages.

Wrightbus CEO, Jean-Marc Gales, said: “With some significant orders on our books for the next 12 months, 2025 will be our strongest year ever. January has already been a phenomenal month, with almost 200 new Wrightbus vehicles entering service in the UK and Germany.

“We’re proud to be part of Manchester’s Bee Network, and to be playing a huge part in Europe’s largest public transport hydrogen fleet with RVK.

“The launch of our own dedicated AllServiceOne European service centre in Brühl is also a significant milestone for the business as we continue to build ties in Germany. We have invested more than £500,000 into the facility and will have a 15-strong team by the end of the year. 

“This will ensure European customers have easy access to our expertise and is the first step in what will be a growing network of service centres.”

The firm, which currently employs 2,200 people, is looking to increase its workforce in the coming months to keep up with demand, with hundreds of new jobs available across a number of areas of the business.