Northern bus builders win €55m US contract

BALLYMENA-BASED bus builders, Wright Group, have won a $55 million contract in the US to provide 50 environmentally friendly hybrid vehicles.

The Co Antrim firm will officially unveil the new vehicle - the StreetCar RTV - for the first time today at an international public transport convention which is taking place in San Diego in California.

The Wright Group won its first order for the new vehicle - essentially a modern cross between a tram and a bus - from Southern Nevada's Regional Transportation Commission (RTC).

The family owned and managed Co Antrim group launched its first version of the StreetCar three years ago in the UK.

The original StreetCar concept was designed to operate in bus corridors or along dedicated bus lanes. The Wright Group has previously described the original StreetCar version as rubber-tyred, light rail vehicle.

But Mark Nodder, the managing director of Wright Group, said the new product has been specially customised to Southern Nevada's exacting requirements - which he claims makes it unlike any other bus in operation.

"The RTC in Southern Nevada want to attract commuters away from their cars as well as provide fast and efficient transit for the high number of tourists who visit Las Vegas and the surrounding area.