Arriva London is welcoming 50 new zero emission electric vehicles made by Northern Ireland's Wrightbus

Arriva London is welcoming 50 new zero emission electric vehicles made by Northern Ireland sustainable bus manufacturer Wrightbus into its operation this year.

The vehicles, which will be built at Wrightbus’s Ballymena site, include an enhanced specification to benefit customer experience - featuring aesthetically pleasing on board lighting, wood effect flooring, hi-resolution destination blinds, digital customer information screens, and USB charging points.

Their arrival into Arriva Enfield, Arriva Brixton Tramshed and Arriva Thornton Heath bus garages is the next phase in the Arriva London sustainability plan, with the new buses coming into service between May and September.

Ian Gillott, managing director (Parts and Services) at Wrightbus, said: "It has been a real team effort between Wrightbus and Arriva to deliver this exciting and significant project.

“It is fantastic to see Arriva taking this vital and progressive step to decarbonise public transport to help the UK hit its ambitious net zero targets. It also illustrates our ambition to be at the forefront of the zero emission drive in cities, towns and rural areas across the world.

"Wrightbus is at the forefront of this technology. Indeed, the StreetDeck Electroliner BEV is the world's most efficient double deck battery-electric bus. Tests conducted by vehicle testing group UTAC showed the Streetdeck consumed around half the energy as its closest BEV double deck UK rival.

"Not only is it more energy-efficient, but according to Ultra Low Emissions Bus Scheme (ULEB) calculations, the StreetDeck Electroliner also produces 86% less CO2 per km than the ZEMO Euro6 Diesel baseline.

"All of the buses will be manufactured and assembled at our Ballymena factory, which means support for jobs in NI, and wider across the UK through our domestic supply chain."

In 2022, Arriva London transformed its Brixton Tramshed operation to full electrification and zero emission buses have been serving Brixton in recent months.

To ensure the new Wrightbus zero emission vehicles can bring the same environmentally-friendly and efficient bus operation to Enfield and Thornton Heath as is already in place across Brixton, an innovative programme of works will begin imminently – managed by Zenobe to complete electrification infrastructure at both depots.

Arriva London commercial director, Graham Davies, explained: “Welcoming the new Wrightbus electric fleet into our Enfield and Thornton Heath garages, whilst further strengthening our Brixton based fleet, is an exciting milestone in our continued journey to operating a greener, decarbonised bus network across London. We are delighted to once again be working in partnership with Wrightbus and Zenobe on this project to support TfL’s long-term vision."

As well as improving the on-board customer experience, supporting sustainability, and delivering cleaner air across north and south London, the new electric fleet also presents unique opportunities to upskill the Arriva London workforce – as its drivers and engineers will be a vital part of the successful rollout and ongoing management of the 50 buses.

And, for Transport for London, this is yet another positive step towards the realisation of the Mayor of London’s plans, to significantly reduce/remove emissions across bus routes. The fleet currently has around 900 zero emission buses across the network.

Louise Cheeseman, TfL’s director of Buses, added: “The addition of 50 new zero emission electric vehicles is a welcome inclusion to London’s rapidly growing greener bus fleet. These new buses will not only play a key role in helping to clean up the capital’s toxic air and tackle climate change, but will also have new features to improve customer experience including digital information screens and USB charging points.

"The buses were built in the UK, helping British manufacturing and the economy thrive, once again placing the iconic London bus at the vanguard of a growing industry."