Bus operator Go Ahead has announced a £500 million investment to decarbonise its fleet, including creating a new dedicated manufacturing line, and a partnership with Northern Ireland-based bus manufacturer Wrightbus.

The investment, which the government claims will support up to 500 UK manufacturing jobs, is set to fund the production of up to 1,200 new zero emission buses over the next 3 years with hopes to accelerate the transition to green buses across the country. 

For every vehicle manufactured, 10 trees will be planted by Go-Ahead and Wrightbus in the towns and cities where the buses are deployed.

On top of directly supporting 500 manufacturing jobs, the government said that the £500 million investment will also support an additional 2,000 jobs across the wider UK supply chain by 2026.

The Go-Ahead Group, which also owns the Govia Thameslink Railway, aims to become a net zero carbon business by 2045, with plans to achieve a decarbonised bus fleet by 2035. Wrightbus, meanwhile, claimed this month to have a 40% market share in the UK’s bus sector, delivering 22 buses a week to operators throughout 2024, with 598 registrations of it’s double-decker EV. 

Go-Ahead Bus CEO, Matt Carney said: “This multi-million pound investment and partnership with Wrightbus will accelerate the transition to zero-emission fleet across the UK.”

The Transport Secretary, Louise Haigh, is also set to announce a new UK Bus Manufacturing Expert Panel, bringing together industry experts and local leaders to ensure the UK stays a leader in bus manufacturing, supports local transport goals, and embraces zero-emission technologies.

“The half a billion pounds Go Ahead is announcing today shows the confidence industry has in investing in the UK,” said Haigh.

“This announcement will see communities across the country benefit from brand new, state-of-the-art green buses – which will deliver cleaner air and better journeys. We’re creating the right conditions for businesses to flourish, so we can support jobs and accelerate towards decarbonising the transport sector.”

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The announcement comes ahead of the International Investment Summit, which will gather UK leaders, high-profile investors and businesses from across the world to discuss future partnerships driving investment and growth across industries.

The Transport Secretary is expected to hold several bilateral meetings at the summit with international business leaders, with the government hoping to make it clear the UK is “open for business” to further investment in the delivery of transport priorities across the country.