2 minute read - 9th May 2025
Wrightbus secures £150m finance deal to boost production
Bus manufacturer Wrightbus has secured a £150m finance package as it prepares to ramp up production and decarbonise transport fleets worldwide. The deal more than doubles Wrightbus’s existing funding and underlines its ambitions to become a global mobility leader, with sales from Ballymena to Brisbane.
Rescued from administration in 2019 by entrepreneur Jo Bamford, Wrightbus now employs more than 2,300 people and produces 1,200 buses annually – 95% of which are zero-emission.
The funding provided by HSBC features hedging and working capital support, and will support the long build-cycle of buses, enabling Wrightbus to accelerate production at its factories in Northern Ireland and Malaysia. The funding will also help develop new technologies, broaden its product offering, and support the growth of the NewPower and Rightech divisions of the business.
Wrightbus has secured a £150m funding package to help accelerate production at its factory in Ballymena / Picture: Wrightbus
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NewPower, launched in June 2024, is Wrightbus’s repowering division, with a growing order book from operators across the UK. Produced at a state-of-the-art factory in Bicester, engineers convert existing diesel buses into electric vehicles. Rightech, launched in January 2025, offers a suite of ready-to-go battery-electric vehicles.
Jean-Marc Gales, CEO of Wrightbus, said: “This is an important day for everyone connected with Wrightbus – not just the 2,300 employees but the 7,500 jobs we support in the wider supply chain. Our success is crucial to so many jobs and industries, so we must work relentlessly to keep up this progress. This deal is a crucial step as we accelerate our growth and invest in decarbonising public transport with electric and hydrogen-powered buses. Not only does it mean we can provide cleaner and greener vehicles to UK bus operators, it also provides us with foundations for broadening our international reach, with a particular focus on ramping up production in Malaysia as we expand into the Asia Pacific market.”
