Wrightbus Secures £32.5 Million to Supercharge Global Electric Bus Expansion

Image Credit: Wrightbus

Wrightbus, the Ballymena-based bus manufacturer, has just secured £32.5 million in fresh funding to fuel its global expansion and boost production of its zero-emission buses.

This financing is part of a much larger £150 million facility designed to back the company’s ambitious growth strategy. With demand for clean public transport rising fast, Wrightbus is stepping up to the challenge, aiming to become a global leader in the shift to low-carbon mobility.

The new funds will help increase working capital and accelerate manufacturing across its sites, where the company currently rolls out approximately 1,200 buses a year, with an impressive 95 percent of those being zero-emission.

Wrightbus has come a long way since 2019, when it was rescued from administration by green entrepreneur Jo Bamford. What followed was a remarkable turnaround. Today, the company employs over 2,300 people and supplies buses to cities worldwide, from Ballymena to Brisbane.

The £32.5 million funding package was secured through Ulster Bank and includes a revolving credit facility. This gives Wrightbus the flexibility it needs to manage the long build cycles involved in bus production, enabling it to meet increasing demand more efficiently.

CEO Jean-Marc Gales said the facility supports the company’s vision of becoming a global mobility leader: “We have big ambitions and this arrangement enables us to build on our momentum. We’re proud that our 2,300-strong workforce supports a further 7,500 jobs in the supply chain, and this funding allows us to invest in that wider economic impact — right here in Northern Ireland.”

The investment is also a decisive vote of confidence in Wrightbus’s long-term vision. Countries around the world are racing to decarbonise their public transport networks, and Wrightbus’s hydrogen and battery-electric models are already running in major cities across the UK and beyond. HYCAP structured the deal, Jo Bamford’s clean hydrogen investment platform, and Ulster Bank joins a growing group of lenders backing the company’s green growth ambitions.

Damien Long, Corporate Banking Relationship Director at Ulster Bank, added: “Wrightbus is leading the way in clean transport innovation. We’re proud to support a business that is not only delivering sustainable solutions globally but also creating jobs and driving economic value locally.”

With this capital now secured, Wrightbus is poised to ramp up production, drive innovation, and support the global transition to cleaner transportation, all while solidifying Northern Ireland’s role as a key player in green manufacturing and technology.