Wrightbus secures £30m bus deal

Irish firm to manufacture bodywork for 415 Singapore-bound double-deckers

Wrightbus International, the Northern Ireland-based coach manufacturer, has won a £30 million contract to supply 415 double-decker bus kits to Singapore.  

The County Antrim-based firm has signed its fourth consecutive contract with SBS Transit, a bus and rail company located in the south-east Asian country.

The vehicles will be built on the Volvo B9TL chassis, which will be manufactured in Borås, Sweden, while the bodywork will be made by Wrightbus and mounted in Singapore. Deliveries will commence in July 2015 and be completed by mid-2017.

Steve Harper, business development director for Wrightbus International, said: "Featuring the distinctive and stylish Wrightbus body, these tri-axle, air conditioned, 12m buses have been specifically developed and designed to meet the stringent requirements of the Singapore climate and high passenger numbers.

"This latest order is part of SBS Transit's on-going programme to completely renew its fleet and provide 'greener' vehicles for the benefit of passengers and the wider Singaporean environment."

Since 2011, Wrightbus has delivered more than 1,000 buses to Singapore from its Ballymena manufacturing plant.