Up to 500 manufacturing jobs are set to be supported as bus operator Go Ahead announces a £500 million investment to decarbonise its fleet, including creating a new dedicated manufacturing line and partnership with Northern Ireland-based bus manufacturer Wrightbus.
The investment is set to fund the manufacturing of up to 1,200 new zero emission buses over the next three years.
It is set to accelerate the transition to greener buses across the country including in Plymouth, Gloucestershire, East Yorkshire, London and the Isle of Wight.
On top of directly supporting 500 manufacturing jobs, the £500 million investment for Wrightbus will also support an additional 2,000 jobs across the wider UK supply chain by 2026, helping to get us back on track for growth.
Transport secretary Louise Haigh will also announce plans to create a new UK Bus Manufacturing Expert Panel. This panel will bring together industry experts and local leaders to explore ways to ensure the UK remains a leader in bus manufacturing, help local authorities deliver on their transport ambitions, and begin to seize opportunities to embrace zero emission transport technologies.
Haigh is expected to meet with key industry leaders today (8 October) including Wrightbus owner Jo Bamford and CEO Jean-Marc Gales.
The announcement comes ahead of the International Investment Summit, which will gather UK leaders, high-profile investors and businesses from across the world to discuss how we can deepen our partnership to drive investment and growth.
The transport secretary is expected to hold several bilateral meetings at the summit with international business leaders and make clear the UK is “open for business” so that she can help attract further investment to support the delivery of our transport priorities across the country.
She said: "The number one mission of this government is growing the economy. The half a billion pounds Go Ahead is announcing today shows the confidence industry has in investing in the UK.
"This announcement will see communities across the country benefit from brand new, state-of-the-art green buses - which will deliver cleaner air and better journeys.
"We’re creating the right conditions for businesses to flourish, so we can support jobs and accelerate towards decarbonising the transport sector."
For every vehicle manufactured, the government said that 10 trees will be planted by Go-Ahead and Wrightbus in the towns and cities where the buses are deployed.
Go-Ahead Bus CEO, Matt Carney said: "This multi-million pound investment and partnership with Wrightbus will accelerate the transition to zero-emission fleet across the UK.
"We are proud to be working in partnership with the UK government and local authorities to deliver transformational environmental change for communities, while supporting UK jobs and the growth of the country’s supply chain."
