Ballymena-based Wrightbus has agreed an exclusive partnership with Voith Turbo for supply of the Voith Electrical Drive System for second generation battery-electric and fuel cell buses for Europe.

The world’s first fleet of double deck hydrogen buses, built by Ballymena-based Wrightbus, officially began operations on January 28 in Aberdeen.

As part of a fully integrated solution promoting hydrogen fuel double decks, Ryse Hydrogen, formed by Jo Bamford, who also recently formed the Bamford Bus Company to acquire Northern Ireland bus builder, Wrightbus from administration in 2019, has signed a three-year contract with Suttons Tankers to transport bulk hydrogen gas to different locations in the UK, starting with London from September 2020.

Jo Bamford, managing director of the Bamford Bus Company, says he has petitioned government ministers to focus the country on clean hydrogen-powered transport, post the Covid-19 pandemic.

Wrightbus has completed its first delivery of new buses following its acquisition last month by new owners, Bamford Bus Company

Following news in the last issue of Truck & Bus Builder (October 2019) announcing the collapse of the Wrights Group of Ballymena, Bamford Bus Company Ltd, a newly formed subsidiary company of AB&C Manufacturing Ltd (2006) set up and owned by Joseph Bamford, on October 22, 2019 announced it had acquired Wrightbus.

Fuel cell specialist, Ballard Power Systems of Vancouver has become a founding member of the new H2Bus Consortium, whose members are working together to deploy 1,000 zero-emission fuel cell electric buses (FCEBs) and related infrastructure in European cities at commercially competitive rates.

Transport for London has ordered 20 zero-emission double deck buses from Wrightbus, which are to operate on three routes serving the west of London from Wembley to the West End.

Wrights Group Ltd has reported a group turnover of GBP227,157,000  (GBP227m) for the year ending December 2017 (2016: GBP264m) and profit (before tax) of GBP1.5m (2016: GBP10m).