Northern Irish bus building company the Wright Group has announced it will supply 334 new vehicles to transport company Arriva in a deal worth £55 million.
The contract will see the Wright Group manufacture 204 double deckers and 130 single deckers, with production beginning this spring and delivery expected later in the year.
The Ballymena-based company said that 184 of the buses would be its Wrightbus Gemini 2 DL integral Double Deck model, and 20 would be the Eclipse Gemini 2 Double Deck buses, adding to Arriva’s existing hybrid fleet in London.
Commenting on the news, Wrightbus commercial director Sam McLaren said: “We are honoured and delighted to be awarded this highly significant 334 vehicle order from Arriva. It cements further the very strong relationship we have with the group, spanning over twenty years, most recently including the Gemini 2 Integral Double Deck developed in line with Arriva’s stringent engineering requirements.”
Mike Cooper, managing director of Arriva UK Bus, added: “This order demonstrates our commitment to further improving the reliability and standards of our bus services for our customers. Together with our operational performance record, the commitment to maintaining investment will give our local authority partners added confidence to do business with us.”
Founded in 1946, the Wright Group manufactures midibuses, full-size single deckers, two and three axle double deckers and articulated vehicles. It has contracts in the UK, the US, Hong Kong and Singapore.
One of Europe’s biggest transport services organisations, Arriva operates across 11 European countries and employs around 38,500 people. It delivers more than one billion passenger journeys every year.
