Antrim bus firm wins €37m order for Singapore bus kits

Wrightbus, the Ballymena based family-owned company, has won a £30 million (€37.7 million) order to deliver double deck bus kits to Singapore.

The contract will see the company’s international division supply 415 bus kits to SBS Transit in Singapore.

The Northern Ireland company will supply the order packaged and in complete knock down form from its Ballymena plant.

The kits will be shipped to Singapore where they will be assembly in country by Comfort Delgro Engineering who will be assisted and supported by Wrightbus International technicians.

Steve Harper, business development director with the Ballymena company, said it has been a long standing supplier to the Singapore bus and rail transport group.

The company teamed up with Volvo Bus to win the latest order - the fourth consecutive contract with SBS Transit and Mr Harper said the buses have been specifically designed and developed to meet the demands of both the Singapore climate and high passenger numbers.

“This latest order is part of SBS Transit’s ongoing programme to completely renew its fleet and provide ‘greener’ vehicles for the benefit of passengers and the wider Singaporean environment. Together with Volvo, we already have an extensive aftermarket organisation in place which will be further expanded to ensure that all the 1,430 vehicles which will be on the road by 2017 are fully supported to SBS Transit’s exacting standards,” Mr Harper added.

The new buses are scheduled to be delivered from Ballymena to Singapore between next year and 2017.

Since 2010 Wrightbus has supplied more than 1,000 buses to Singapore which are now in service.