Lothian Buses and Wrightbus announce four year deal

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A Wrightbus Gemini 3-bodied Volvo B5TL in Lothian Buses’ livery appeared on the Wrightbus stand at Euro Bus Expo. ANDY IZATT

Wrightbus has announced that it had been awarded a new framework supply agreement with Lothian Buses for vehicles from 2017 – 2020.
Sam McLaren, Commercial Director for Wrightbus, said: “We are delighted to be selected by Lothian Buses as its primary supply partner for Lothian’s BUS2020 environmental fleet strategy.
“We expect the agreement to cover the supply of up to 316 vehicles, with a mix of diesel, diesel-hybrid and electric technologies.”
Key milestones in the agreement will be the supply of five new Wrightbus StreetAir EV full electric buses during summer 2017 for ‘an exciting new project’ in Edinburgh. This represents the first order for these vehicles outside of London. A further six are to follow in 2018.
In addition to vehicle supply, the framework agreement will include a comprehensive support and training package for Lothian’s engineering team.
Confirming the order at the Euro Bus Expo 2016, Richard Hall, Managing Director of Lothian Buses, added: “Lothian Buses is pleased to extend its close partnership with Wrightbus and Volvo for a further four years.
“This reflects the special working relationship between the companies which has enabled Lothian Buses to benefit from pioneering vehicle configurations and styles. We look forward to new and exciting Buses joining our fleet.”