Wrightbus

[gilesbus1]

RE: Wrightbus
Wrightbus reported a large order yesterday for 550 Volvo B9TL Tri Axle Wright Explorer Gemini II for Singapore Bus Services in addition to those already supplied or in the course of delivery.

[Metroline1511]

RE: Wrightbus
I notice that Arriva now appear to be restricting double-deckers to Wright Gemini integrals and Volvo B5LH-Geminis, but have lost interest in Enviro 400s. So, coupled with all their Pulsar 2s, and WrightBus now have the lion's share of Arriva bus orders.

[gilesbus1]

RE: Wrightbus
I think though Arriva go with a policy of best price at a given time more than anything else so it may be that Wrightbus is offering them better deals at the moment than ADL and also the Wrightbus Gemini DL might have better fuel consumption than the ADL Enviro400 which is the other thing Arriva now look for, in future those orders might change especially with new stuff being available from China and Eastern Europe.

First also now seem to be splitting orders between ADL and Volvo/Wright so there custom is also no longer assured, especially if fleet cuts mean fewer new buses are needed in future years.

So this may be something of a swansong for Wrightbus rather than anything more significant.

The truth is the majority of Wrightbuses work appears to now be for Hong Kong and Singapore and two principle customers in the main SBS and KMB, that could be a problem later on, especially if there was ever a repeat on the recession of the early 2000's in that area, in which some operators bought no new buses for something close on 4 years.

Lothian is also now a big quewstion mark as its last buses came from ADL as Volvo had no equivilent length hybrid and its future hybrids are complete Volvo products although there are also 5 Volvo B7RLE's with Wrightbus bodies due for East Lothian Buses due in November/December painted in a mock SMT livery to replace Tridents, however the big question will be when Lothian once again comes to order large quantities of deckers, will they buy Volvo/Wrightbus or switch to ADL Enviro400's or Scania/Enviro400's as those havce been tested as well, so therefore there orders are also question marks so its by far an uncertain future at this moment for Wrightbus as ADL eat into large existing customer orders elsewhere along with Volvo's decision to body its own Hybrid Saloons, as whats the posibility of it also offering the same body on B7RLE's???? or a future deisel bus saloon chassis in order to increase its share of income from orders????

[SL64 JFK]

RE: Wrightbus
Wrights have secured an 80-vehicle order for two-door Eclipse Geminis. These are odd as they have the 'Gemini 1' front end complete with the rest of the styling from the ECWVTA compliant Gemini 2s.

Dublin GT2 © Dublinbuses

[P528LND]

RE: Wrightbus
Those in-set windscreens look interesting...

[gilesbus1]

RE: Wrightbus
Kowloon Motor Bus have ordered a further 40 B9TL Tri Axle Wright Explorer Gemini II with a promise of a large order to follow if training can be delivered to staff at KMB in assembly of the vehicles as it the further order will be based upon CKD kits.

[gilesbus1]

RE: Wrightbus
Is the future bleak now for Wrightbus in the UK outside London.

I ask this for two reasons really firstly the sale of some of First's operations, but small, but often to Stagecoach who only evver buy ADL's because there Cheif Executive has an interest in them, although the work is obtained FAIRLY as the OFT have already investigated that relationship. Also with Giles Fearnley's decision at what is left of FirstGroup to dual source for example much of the Manchester order and the Glasgow order has gone to ADL this year, where previously those orders would have gone to Volvo and Wrightbus. Also another thing of note is the failure of the WrightStreetlite to do much damage to ADL or Optare except perhaps in Reading it really has failed to sell, and also the failure of Wrightbus and Volvo to pick up any work at either Newport or Nottingham both of which with previous types no longer being availble have switched to ADL.

Therefore if the Hong Kong and Singapore work dried up that would leave it mostly working for TfL on Borismasters and Highbrids for Arriva plus the odd GoAhead and Arriva order. Is there anything significant in this? Is it the fact that Wrights and Volvo are revising the Gemini next year/the year after and therefore people don't wasnt what will be an old product?

Is it to do with Weight are these much heavier than ADL's and therefore too expensive to operate?

Or is it that the designs which where revolutionary are now having in service issues with quality so operators are not keen to take them on?

Or is it the fact that slots are not available at Wrightbus because of TfL, Kowloon Motorbus and Singapore Bus Sewrvices having the majority of them?

Or is it that operators want to get back at Wrightbus for building the Borismaster as its something they would rather not operate, but which is being forced on them by Boris, so therefore in order to get back at Wrightbus order no commercial products from them or cut back substantially orders from them?

[K853 MTJ]

RE: Wrightbus
I think youre looking too far into it. I think some operators change to ADL is one of necessity during hard times. The B7RLE and B9TL are heavyweight buses which means higher purchase and operation costs, thus impacting on Wrights. Smaller operators such as Warrington have turned to Optare for their Hybrids, perhaps because Wrights have very little in the way of hybrids on offer. The Streetlite is unproven, perhaps in time it will secure orders, not to mention we dont have much idea on what orders they may have gained following Euro Bus Expo.
In all I think Wrights can still rely on Arriva for orders as well as Go Ahead, and also First should they purchase more Eclipses in an effort to start to replace their ageing fleet. I dont really think Wrights are in any danger, I think due to the recession its made operators turn to other manufacturers perhaps in search of a better price for their product.

[gilesbus1]

RE: Wrightbus
One of the things though that I note with ADL is that older Enviro400's where not well finished and tended to rattle badly, therefore maybe putting off customers (operators that is, not bus travellers of course), but when i've recently been on brand new E400H's there has been no rattles at all and the build quality has been a hell of a lot better along with the ride quality as well, by comparison teh Wrightbus products have appeared to have more rattles than earlier ones did, but however they are not major unlike the early ADL Enviro400 deckers where I thought the upper deck front screen was coming in on me it rattled that much and you could also literally see the vibration.

I also suspect perhaps that the lack of a Scania option certainly on deckers for Wrightbus isn't helping - that I suspecvt might encourage more orders from Hong Kong and GoAhead and maybe even FirstGroup although when previously FirstGRoup approached them to ask could they body N94UD's the weight distribution between the chassis and body wasn;t right and thus the order was cancelled in 2005 I believe. It would have been rumoured, though not confirmed 50 to First Manchester and a further 50 for First Edinburgh, the problem was to do it the lower deck seating capacity would have been as low as about 17 seats, far too low to recoup the value required and far too few seats on the lower deck, but presumably the new chassius that ADL are bodying might allow that option on Wrightbus as well.

The other question would be why have Wrightbus only offered its low floor Gemini to Arriva so far on semi VDL/Wrightbus integral chassis, and why have these really not sold outside Arriva??? except for a few full height Hybrids?

The other question would be why not offrer the Volvo as a low height as well, then maybe rural orders might sweep in?

[Wright Eclipse]

RE: Wrightbus

(06/12/2012 15:04)gilesbus1 Wrote:  One of the things though that I note with ADL is that older Enviro400's where not well finished and tended to rattle badly, therefore maybe putting off customers (operators that is, not bus travellers of course), but when i've recently been on brand new E400H's there has been no rattles at all and the build quality has been a hell of a lot better along with the ride quality as well, by comparison teh Wrightbus products have appeared to have more rattles than earlier ones did, but however they are not major unlike the early ADL Enviro400 deckers where I thought the upper deck front screen was coming in on me it rattled that much and you could also literally see the vibration.

I also suspect perhaps that the lack of a Scania option certainly on deckers for Wrightbus isn't helping - that I suspecvt might encourage more orders from Hong Kong and GoAhead and maybe even FirstGroup although when previously FirstGRoup approached them to ask could they body N94UD's the weight distribution between the chassis and body wasn;t right and thus the order was cancelled in 2005 I believe. It would have been rumoured, though not confirmed 50 to First Manchester and a further 50 for First Edinburgh, the problem was to do it the lower deck seating capacity would have been as low as about 17 seats, far too low to recoup the value required and far too few seats on the lower deck, but presumably the new chassius that ADL are bodying might allow that option on Wrightbus as well.

The other question would be why have Wrightbus only offered its low floor Gemini to Arriva so far on semi VDL/Wrightbus integral chassis, and why have these really not sold outside Arriva??? except for a few full height Hybrids?

The other question would be why not offrer the Volvo as a low height as well, then maybe rural orders might sweep in?

I Dont think there is a low-Height B9TL

I Dont think Wright are in danger,one operater that hasnt been mentioned is National Express,that is currently buying Eclipse`s in Big Numbers,the Pulser 2 Is selling in big numbers to Arriva.Plus more & more smaller operaters are buying dealerstock Eclipse 2 (Mainly for Rurel Work).The Gemini 2 Is selling big in london (Go Ahead,Firstbus,Metroline & Arriva) Plus Rotala seems to have started buying New Geminis & Eclipses.The only thing that i can see hitting Wright is if the MCV Bodied Volvo B7RLE & VDL SB200 Sell in big numbers but we dont know that untill 2013