“786 buses registered so far this year, an eye-watering 250 more than its nearest competitors, and a colossal 500 more than Chinese-owned giants Volvo and BYD.“
In an extraordinary display of dominance, Wrightbus has cemented its position as the UK’s leading bus manufacturer, securing an astonishing 40% share of the market in 2024.
The Ballymena-based firm, which has surged ahead as the fastest-growing bus manufacturer in the UK and Europe, is now delivering an impressive 22 buses a week, with no signs of slowing down.
The numbers speak for themselves: 786 buses registered so far this year, an eye-watering 250 more than its nearest competitors, and a colossal 500 more than Chinese-owned giants Volvo and BYD. Leading the charge is Wrightbus’s class-leading double-decker electric vehicle (EV), which accounts for a staggering 598 registrations, while their single-deck version has seen 164 hit the roads.
August alone was a record-breaking month for the firm, with a jaw-dropping 142 buses rolling off the production line—a feat that underlines Wrightbus’s relentless march to the top. And that’s just in the UK. The figures don’t even include the hundreds of buses the company has manufactured for customers in Europe and the Far East, as Wrightbus continues to flex its global ambitions.
Neither does the data take into account the game-changing impact of NewPower, Wrightbus’s innovative repowering service that launched in June. This service, which swaps out old diesel engines for state-of-the-art EV powertrains, is already making waves in the sector and is set to further boost the company’s eco-friendly credentials.
Wrightbus CEO Jean-Marc Gales described 2024 as a pivotal year for the company. “The factory is an incredible place to be at the moment,” he said. “A record 142 buses in August, and we’ve broken through the 2,000-employee barrier.”
And it seems Wrightbus is only getting started. “We have more landmark orders to announce later this year,” Gales teased, adding that the company recently unveiled its hydrogen coach demonstrator, which is set to go into production in 2026—a move that promises to push the boundaries of green transport even further.
But what’s driving this phenomenal growth? Gales puts it down to a combination of customer loyalty and the dedication of the Wrightbus workforce. “Our growth is thanks to the incredible support we receive from our customers and, of course, from our workforce. We could not achieve this growth without the commitment of each of them,” he explained.
The company’s deep commitment to supporting the UK economy is also evident, with Wrightbus’s supply chain reaching into 47 counties across the UK. This network of suppliers has generated thousands of jobs and millions of pounds in revenue, supporting everything from powertrain production to laser cutting and fabrication.
Wrightbus’s success story has been nothing short of remarkable. Since being rescued from administration in 2019 by green entrepreneur Jo Bamford, the firm has gone from strength to strength, emerging as a trailblazer in the electric vehicle market and revolutionising public transport along the way.
But Gales is quick to warn against complacency. “There is no room for standing still; innovation has been at the core of our business since we were founded in 1946,” he said, vowing to continue investing in cutting-edge technology to stay ahead in the race to reduce emissions and revolutionise the transport sector.
As Wrightbus powers forward with its ambitious vision for a cleaner, greener future, the company is proving that its journey from administration to market leader is nothing short of a modern-day fairytale—one that’s only just beginning.
