Jo Bamford completes Wrightbus takeover.

[Robertj21a]

Well, it looks like Bamford won't have to worry about getting an order from Ireland

https://www.alexander-dennis.com/me...-double-deck-enviro400er-plug-in-hybrid-buses

ADL ENTERS FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT WITH NTA IRELAND FOR UP TO 600 DOUBLE-DECK ENVIRO400ER PLUG-IN HYBRID BUSES
Published: 30 Jan 2020



Alexander Dennis Limited (“ADL”), a subsidiary of NFI Group Inc. (“NFI”), one of the world’s largest independent global bus manufacturers, today announced that it has signed a framework agreement with the Republic of Ireland’s National Transport Authority (NTA) for the delivery of up to 600 Enviro400ER double deck hybrid buses, capable of running in zero emission mode for at least 2.5 kilometres. The agreement includes an initial firm order for 100 buses.

The single supplier framework agreement covers the purchase of double deck diesel-electric hybrid buses and will run for up to five years. ADL was selected in a comprehensive procurement process in which the company provided the most economically advantageous offer. The first 100 buses have been firmly ordered and are to be delivered in autumn 2020 and the NTA will be able to exercise options for a further 500 vehicles to reflect vehicle requirements over the coming years.

The Enviro400ER is a double deck diesel-electric hybrid, capable of at least 2.5 kilometres continuous electric range with no exhaust emissions. It utilises the BAE Systems Series-ER hybrid system with a 32kWh next-generation lithium-ion battery energy storage system that can be charged externally via a plug-in connection, meeting the requirements of the European Union’s Clean Vehicles Directive.

In addition to its continuous zero tailpipe emissions range, the Enviro400ER switches off its diesel engine at low speeds during approach to and departure from stops and when stationary.

The buses will be 11.0 metres long and will have City style bodywork which has been adapted to suit requirements in the Republic of Ireland. The first 100 buses will seat 66 passengers and will have separate spaces for wheelchair users and passengers travelling with buggies. The framework agreement provides the opportunity to adjust the specifications of further vehicles to suit other operating requirements.

Alexander Dennis Chief Executive Colin Robertson comments: “We are delighted to have been chosen by Ireland’s National Transport Authority for the supply of up to 600 clean buses. Our Enviro400ER electric range hybrid bus will reduce emissions and passengers will love the smooth journey experience, while drivers are bound to enjoy a great working environment in its spacious cab. This order confirms our strategy of leading the market with the widest range of low and zero emission buses, enabling us to offer the right vehicle for each requirement.”

 

[winston270twm]

Big order for Wrightbus to miss out on. They've got a long road ahead of them to be able to compete with ADL by the looks of it.

 

[37114]

Not great for Bamfords, surprising that ADL.won this as dealer back up compared to Volvo has always seemed to be a barrier to them succeeding in Ireland.

 

[Robertj21a]

Not great for Bamfords, surprising that ADL.won this as dealer back up compared to Volvo has always seemed to be a barrier to them succeeding in Ireland.

If it goes on to the full order for 600 it may, presumably, be the end of most Volvo - and Wright/Bamford - buses in the RoI for ever more.

 

[F Great Eastern]

Not great for Bamfords, surprising that ADL.won this as dealer back up compared to Volvo has always seemed to be a barrier to them succeeding in Ireland.

It's not hard to beat Volvo or Wright when they were not even in the race following the laters collapse. There was supposed to be a joint bid but unfortunately it fell through because of Wright's collapse giving ADL a free run.

If Wright was healthy and still existed in their previous form, a Volvo/Wright backed bid would have most likely won.

 

[winston270twm]

If it goes on to the full order for 600 it may, presumably, be the end of most Volvo - and Wright/Bamford - buses in the RoI for ever more.

Looks like Wrightbus are sticking with the Hydrogen route:

New owner has big plans for Wrightbus after Translink deal

Minister for Infrastructure Nichola Mallon standing in the doorway of a Wrightbus prototype hydrogen bus

By Margaret Canning

January 29 2020 21:00 PM

The owner of Ballymena manufacturer Wrightbus has said he hopes to win government funding to extend its technology for hydrogen-fuelled buses.

Jo Bamford said he needed a windfarm to help develop Wrightbus's technology for building the buses which - along with batteries - are one of two options for zero-emissions buses.

Mr Bamford, whose father is the chairman of manufacturing giant JCB, paid £6m to buy the famous Northern Ireland business after it collapsed into administration last year with debts of £60m.

The Wrightbus executive chairman was in Belfast yesterday to launch a pilot project for fuel cell electric double-decker buses powered by hydrogen.

In a £4m investment, they will be made for Translink, working with energy giant Energia.

Welcoming the scheme, Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon said: "It represents a significant first step to tackling the climate emergency we face and demonstrates how working together and as individuals we can play our part in delivering the ambitions of the Northern Ireland Executive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality."

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/...njsh21uSMgElKx8tcKjF2T3wZAfgqayYPa4zigHVfPvLM

 

[Volvodart]

The hydrogen buses will still need funding to make them viable. I assume the existing EU route finishes on 31 January. What is going to happen then?

 

[cnjb8]

The hydrogen buses will still need funding to make them viable. I assume the existing EU route finishes on 31 January. What is going to happen then?

OLEV funding

 

[randyrippley]

Big order for Wrightbus to miss out on. They've got a long road ahead of them to be able to compete with ADL by the looks of it.

I doubt if Wrights even wanted the order
This is - from their point of view - dead end hybrid technology. Getting trapped into building and supporting it would be a distraction from the fuel cell technology they see as their future.
Dead end technology, and unreliable battery life as Stagecoach and others have found. If fuel cells prove to be reliable, hybrids will rapidly become irrelevant

 

[winston270twm]

I doubt if Wrights even wanted the order
This is - from their point of view - dead end hybrid technology. Getting trapped into building and supporting it would be a distraction from the fuel cell technology they see as their future.
Dead end technology, and unreliable battery life as Stagecoach and others have found. If fuel cells prove to be reliable, hybrids will rapidly become irrelevant

It may have been a useful order as an interim measure, not least as early Volvo B5LH seem to be performing much better than E400H as regards battery degradation / fuel efficiently etc.

 

[F Great Eastern]

Some of the ill informed / spun reports in the British press about them missing out on this order are highly inaccurate.

There was something in the local Belfast press saying that the only people who could be in the race are ADL and Wright, who have won every single tender for double decker buses in Ireland for the last 10 years. These are people who do not understand the industry or what they are talking about.

Wright have NEVER tendered for double deckers in Ireland. Not now, not last year, not ever. The over 1,000 Geminis delivered to Ireland over the past few years have been done so on the basis of Volvo bids who subcontract Wright, it has always been Volvo's name on the tender.

Also the Belfast Telegraph talks about the 3 Streetdecks that have been on trial with Dublin Bus, in addition to the 3 ADL HEV Enviro 400 MMCs but forgets to mention the fact that there were also the same number of Gemini 3 HEV based B5LH on trial with Dublin Bus, which according to all reports have been the most reliable, efficient and most robust of all three fleets.

I have heard from several sources that the other contender would have been a Volvo bid with Wright as subcontractors and I find it difficult to believe anything else would be possible, bearing in mind the history of those two companies relationship, the Volvo aftersales service in Ireland and the performance of the B5LH which it was clear many people in high places were fond of.

 

[Jordan Adam]

I have heard from several sources that the other contender would have been a Volvo bid with Wright as subcontractors and I find it difficult to believe anything else would be possible, bearing in mind the history of those two companies relationship, the Volvo aftersales service in Ireland and the performance of the B5LH which it was clear many people in high places were fond of.

Keep in mind ADL also offer a body for the B5LH so that "could" have been possible too.

 

[F Great Eastern]

Keep in mind ADL also offer a body for the B5LH so that "could" have been possible too.

As stated previously that would make no commercial sense when otherwise Volvo would be locked out of the tender.

 

[Jordan Adam]

As stated previously that would make no commercial sense when otherwise Volvo would be locked out of the tender.

A fair point, but it was still a possibility in the (now) unlikely event Wright had went out of business and Volvo won the contract.

 

[F Great Eastern]

A fair point, but it was still a possibility in the (now) unlikely event Wright had went out of business and Volvo won the contract.

The whole bid was geared around a Volvo and Wright deal if it was anything like every other Volvo tender that has been awarded in Ireland over the past decade. The collapse of Wrightbus happened far too late in the day for Volvo to be able to push something else together and get deliveries in time and ADL took full advantage and now through the collapse of Wrightbus and the unfortunate effect on Volvo to get an entry into the integral market in Ireland that they would otherwise have struggled to.

 

[cainebj]

Wrightbus have posted some pictures on LinkedIn to show that production has restarted. Photos show a Streetdeck for Go North East, B5TL Gemini 3 with classic front for Dublin, and tri-axles for HK.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/wrig...n-wrightbus-activity-6630505683500568576-O20L

 

[F Great Eastern]

Wrightbus have posted some pictures on LinkedIn to show that production has restarted. Photos show a Streetdeck for Go North East, B5TL Gemini 3 with classic front for Dublin, and tri-axles for HK.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/wrig...n-wrightbus-activity-6630505683500568576-O20L

Be interesting to see the build quality on these.

 

[winston270twm]

Be interesting to see the build quality on these.

I'd have thought it *should be* be much better, that is an area they can improve on relatively easily.

 

[xc170]

Wrightbus have posted some pictures on LinkedIn to show that production has restarted. Photos show a Streetdeck for Go North East, B5TL Gemini 3 with classic front for Dublin, and tri-axles for HK.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/wrig...n-wrightbus-activity-6630505683500568576-O20L

Did Dublin Bus specify the classic front because it looks far nicer than the updated front that makes the bus look like a Daleks love child?

 

[Jordan Adam]

Did Dublin Bus specify the classic front because it looks far nicer than the updated front that makes the bus look like a Daleks love child?

Yes, Dublin Bus has pretty much always specified the classic front, probably due to the fact that it makes maintenance easier as they have to store less parts. Also Wright still offer the "2.5" style front across the whole range.

 

[winston270twm]

Rotala have recently announced that 128 new Streetdecks are now due for Bolton during 2020.


12 Streetdecks are due during April,
50 in June,
followed by 66 during December 2020.

 

[cnjb8]

Will these be the first buses first built by Bamford and not started by Wright?

 

[47550]

Rotala have recently announced that 128 new Streetdecks are now due for Bolton during 2020.


12 Streetdecks are due during April,
50 in June,
followed by 63 during December 2020.

....adds up to 125 not 128 ?

 

[winston270twm]

....adds up to 125 not 128 ?

Sorry, it's me. Can't count, 66 are due in Dec (edited above).

There's also a WF Streetlite due in March was part complete Wrightbus dealer stock (with another 2 due for Birmingham)

Will these be the first buses first built by Bamford and not started by Wright?

They are the buses built for Rotala by Bamford, not about sure globally.​

 

[markymark2000]

Sorry, it's me. Can't count, 66 are due in Dec (edited above).

There's also a WF Streetlite due in March was part complete Wrightbus dealer stock (with another 2 due for Birmingham)

They are the buses built for Rotala by Bamford, not about sure globally.​

What is the WF streetlite for? Anything specific?

Also, those other Streetlites, am I right in thinking none are for the actual Diamond Bus North West?

 

[winston270twm]

What is the WF streetlite for? Anything specific?

Also, those other Streetlites, am I right in thinking none are for the actual Diamond Bus North West?

I think the WF Streetlite is for a TfGM tendered route, not sure which one.

No, the only other Streetlites are due for Diamond WM & Hotel Hoppa as follows:

2 x 9.5m WF (March)
6 x 10.8m DF (April & May)
7 x 11.5m DF (April)
(All for Diamond WM - due March, April & May)

15 x 9.6m DF
(All for Hotel Hoppa - 5 due May, June & Oct respectively)

 

[markymark2000]

I think the WF Streetlite is for a TfGM tendered route, not sure which one.

No, the only other Streetlites are due for Diamond WM & Hotel Hoppa as follows:

2 x 9.5m WF (March)
6 x 10.8m DF (April & May)
7 x 11.5m DF (April)
(All for Diamond WM - due March, April & May)

15 x 9.6m DF
(All for Hotel Hoppa - 5 due May, June & Oct respectively)

Fab, thanks for that.

It will be good for Diamond to be getting more buses to slowly rid the older ones. Might help give them the better brand image that they so badly need.

 

[Alexbus12]

Now they need a massive recruitment drive. Still massively short on drivers at Bolton.. Hopefully the loss of a number of their tenders will help reduce the overall driver shortage....

 

[markymark2000]

Now they need a massive recruitment drive. Still massively short on drivers at Bolton.. Hopefully the loss of a number of their tenders will help reduce the overall driver shortage....

PVR wise, it won't be too much different as though they have lost, they have taken on as well.

 

[winston270twm]

Now they need a massive recruitment drive. Still massively short on drivers at Bolton.. Hopefully the loss of a number of their tenders will help reduce the overall driver shortage....

They are not massively short of drivers at all. It has come down a lot, as is still falling.

Recruitment is on-going.