Significant Singapore success for Wright Group

The Wright Group has won a significant export order together with Volvo Bus Corporation to supply the bodywork for 150 new double deck buses to SBS Transit of Singapore. The multi million pound order – which involves “kits” produced locally in Ballymena shipped out for local assembly - will see Wrightbus bodied vehicles on the streets of Singapore for the very first time.

The 12m air-conditioned tri-axle buses, which will be built on Volvo B9TL chassis, will be supplied as completely knocked down (CKD) kits from the Ballymena factory in Northern Ireland and assembled locally in Singapore. Designed to meet the specific requirements of climate and high capacity transport on the Island City State, the new Double Deck buses feature share the highly distinctive styling cues from the highly acclaimed Wrightbus StreetCar RTV and Gemini 2 product stable.

An initial prototype vehicle is currently in build and when completed and shipped overseas will provide a benchmark for local production, which is due to commence in spring 2010. Wright Group quality standards will be maintained by a highly experienced team of engineers from the Wrightbus factory, who will train local assembly staff in Singapore.

Delivery of the CKD kits is scheduled to start early in 2010, with all vehicles due to be fully assembled and in service by the end of the year.

Wright Group Business Development Director Jonathan Poynton commented: “We’re delighted to have secured our first order with SBS Transit along with our global double-decker partners Volvo, which will allow us to introduce Wright Group innovation and technology into yet another new and important market for us.  SBS Transit are one of the world’s leading transit operators with a global presence and we are honoured to be working closely with them developing a vehicle tailored to their operational needs”

He added, “We have had previous experience of producing bus bodies in kit form locally here in Ballymena for the United States and we are now looking to build on that success by expanding into South East Asia.”

The Singapore order is part of a major fleet renewal programme for the state owned SBS Transit, which will see the reduction in the average age of the fleet to just over eight years. Executive Director of SBS Transit, Mr Gan Juay Kiat, commented: “We have been renewing our fleet over the last three years to provide our commuters with a more comfortable and safer ride. The new buses are also environmentally friendly, which is a key consideration for us. We have also selected those that are friendlier to the disabled and the less mobile. We will continue to invest in more new buses.”

Source: Transportweekly