Wrightbus to create 300 permanent jobs
Bus manufacturer expands workforce as it puts electric and hydrogen double deckers into production
by Mark Moran
Monday 23 August 2021
The StreetDeck Electroliner was unveiled by Wrightbus at the ITT Hub event in Farnborough during June
Bus manufacturer Wrightbus is to create up to 300 permanent jobs after winning a string of orders from the UK and Ireland. It will also convert 120 existing temporary jobs into permanent positions as it looks to ramp up production at its Ballymena headquarters in what will be a welcome boom to the Northern Ireland economy.
The firm, which was bought out of administration by entrepreneur Jo Bamford in October 2019, had 56 members of staff when he took over. Since then the company has launched a hydrogen double decker bus and electric double decker bus. The firm says it is now on track to have 930 permanent employees once the new positions have been filled.
Wrightbus hopes the job roles, which will include skilled, semi-skilled, general operators and support staff, will all be filled in 2022.
“It’s a fantastic success story, and not one many people would have imagined just a few short years ago,” said Wrightbus managing director Neil Collins. “In the last two years, the company has not only been bought back from the brink, but has been reinvigorated and has seen a period of phenomenal growth. We’ve launched the world’s first hydrogen double decker, we’ve launched the fastest-charging double deck electric bus on the market and we’re now the UK’s only bus builder with both a hydrogen and electric product on the market.
“Our order book is looking very healthy with our zero emission buses in high demand, and we have multiple conversations ongoing with a number of bus operators from across the UK and Ireland. And let’s not forget that this has all been achieved despite the terrible effects of the global pandemic over the past 18 months.”
Jo Bamford said: “The last two years have not been easy. We’ve not only had to pull the company back from administration, but we’ve also had to get through unprecedented times due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Introducing two new world-leading products in the Hydroliner and the Electroliner, and being able to bring the workforce up from just 56 people to more than 900 in those two short years is incredibly satisfying, and shows the marked determination that we all have to make sure this business is a world-leading success.”
Join us now and read the rest of this Post.
Register now to read moreYou can find out more about our services here
Related articles
My New Year wishes for UK transport
As we enter what is set to be another significant year of change and upheaval in the world of local transport, LTT thought it would be interesting to ask some o
Are transport specialists practising self-deception?
One of the topics explored at the Local Transport Summit was how the expectations of ‘transport professionals’ in planning for the future compare with those of
New thinking on rail appraisal should extend across the modes
David Metz took a closer look at the underpinning analysis behind the government’s recent Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands. He found a new set of
Time to act on pavement misuse
Glenn Lyons is fed up with waiting for promised government action to control the abuse of pavements by motorists and motoring. He wants 2022 to be the year that
Misplaced understanding about street safety is not an accident
In his latest regular contribution John Dales focuses on how the real cause of deaths and injuries on urban roads has been inadequately recognised. He hopes new
Technology brings challenges as well as benefits
Peter Stonham, Editorial Director, Local Transport Today
