46-540: The Wright Eclipse is a low-floor single-deck bus body that was built by Wrightbus between 1999 and 2019. The second-generation Eclipse 2 was launched in 2008, followed by the third-generation Eclipse 3 in 2015. The Eclipse, and its sister design the Solar , were named for a solar eclipse which was visible in the UK in 1999 , the year of its introduction. The Eclipse was launched in 1999 on Volvo B7L chassis and, in 2003,
92-502: A Grayson HVAC system, all capable of being performed over a period of three weeks at a factory capacity of six buses being converted at one time. Wrightbus also announced it had opened a bus refurbishment business a short distance from the NewPower facility, which is aimed to complete external and internal refurbishments of buses following their battery electric conversions. In 1997, an order for 25 Wright Crusader -bodied Dennis Darts
138-667: A deal valued at £2.85 million (equivalent to £6,552,000 in 2023). Initially branded Stagecoach Burnley & Pendle, the company was encompassed within Stagecoach Ribble in May 2000. In April 2001, Stagecoach sold their operations in Blackburn , Bolton and Clitheroe to the Blazefield Group , which rebranded them as Burnley & Pendle and Lancashire United. The sale was valued at £13 million. Following
184-712: A driveline based on the GB Kite Hydroliner for a hydrogen fuel cell-powered coach, which will be intended as a functional "technology demonstrator". A driveline demonstrator capable of a range of 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) was unveiled in September 2024 at the Cenex net-zero mobility show in Bedfordshire, with development work on the coach set to complete by 2025 before it takes to the road during 2026. In June 2024, Wrightbus announced it had formed NewPower,
230-551: A high seating position, while maintaining a small low floor section for passengers in wheelchairs. The first entered service with Ulsterbus in April 2004 while Yorkshire Coastliner ordered six (which never entered service) and Stagecoach West Scotland ordered two, supplied with funding with Dumfries and Galloway Council . In 2006, Wrightbus launched the Eclipse SchoolRun ; effectively an entirely high floor version of
276-480: A high-density 2+3 layout and orange handrails, featuring several seats at the front of the bus that could be removed to make room for wheelchair spaces; the latter 50 buses were delivered with 62 seats and a permanent wheelchair area to save time reconfiguring the seating arrangement. The head directional indicators were LED instead of using Halogen light bulb . The second batch of 61 buses were delivered to Ulsterbus in this latter configuration between 2009 and 2010. With
322-620: A new style of interior of having blue seats and pink handrails. The second generation Wright Eclipse, known as the Eclipse Urban 2 , was launched at the 2008 Euro Bus Expo as the successor to the Eclipse Urban, although the two designs were produced concurrently until 2011. The Eclipse 2 features a facelifted front fascia and rear end, and was available exclusively on the Volvo B7RLE chassis. The Burnley Bus Company were
368-535: A new subsidiary headquartered at the former Arrival Bus factory in Bicester , Oxfordshire , aimed at facilitating battery electric repowering of existing diesel Wrightbus buses, such as the StreetDeck, Gemini 2 and New Routemaster. At a cost of over £200,000, the repowering process involves the removal of the diesel drivetrain and ensuing fitment of a Voith Electric Drive System coupled with NMC battery packs and
414-599: A partnership with Daimler Buses to manufacture buses in Chennai , India. In March 2014, orders were secured from Hong Kong operators Citybus and New World First Bus for 51 bodies on Volvo B9TL chassis. These were sent in CKD form from Northern Ireland and assembled in Malaysia. In July 2014, SBS Transit ordered a further 415 Eclipse Gemini 2-bodied Volvo B9TLs which will be delivered from August 2015 till 2017, increasing
460-475: A separate brand, in September 2009, Transdev Northern Blue was integrated into the Transdev Burnley & Pendle business. In July 2017, the company was again rebranded, now operating as The Burnley Bus Company . In July 2017, a rebrand of the company commenced. Starting with the introduction of a new fleet of Optare Versa single-deck vehicles for Mainline, one of the vehicles was branded in
506-437: A takeover of the company. Since the takeover of Wrightbus, Bamford has been committed to creating a market for hydrogen buses with a reconfigured StreetDeck that is powered by hydrogen. In 2020, Bamford said he planned to build 3,000 buses of this type by 2024. Wrightbus has followed two strategies towards achieving zero emission : creating battery-powered and fuel cell (powered by hydrogen) vehicles. Early orders following
SECTION 10
#1732801751210552-827: Is the Meridian , which was bodied on the MAN A22 full low-floor single-deck chassis. Wrightbus' first double-decker bus , the Wright Eclipse Gemini , was launched on the Volvo B7TL chassis in 2001. A similarly styled bus entered service with Arriva London in August 2003 as the Wright Pulsar Gemini on the VDL DB250 chassis. Large operators of Gemini-bodied Wrightbus buses included Arriva ,
598-742: The FirstGroup , the Go-Ahead Group , Lothian Buses and National Express ' West Midlands , Coventry and Dundee operations. One of the company's most notable products is the New Routemaster London bus, introduced in February 2012 as an update of the AEC Routemaster . Production ended in 2017 when the 1,000th New Routemaster left the production line. Since May 2013, Wrightbus began building its own chassis,
644-529: The M62 was introduced, branded as CityZap. Similar to the other CityZap service between York and Leeds operated by sister company Yorkshire Coastliner , the service aimed to attract motorists and provide a competitive alternative to the railway. The service was notable for its use of sat-nav equipment to choose the quickest route and avoid congestions. The service operated with a fleet of four Wright Eclipse Urban 2 bodied Volvo B7RLE vehicles, branded for
690-529: The O405 based Cityranger and the OH1416 based Urbanranger . The latter was launched around the time bus operators in the UK began switching to low floor chassis and consequently only attracted a handful of orders. However, Wright had become well established in the bus bodybuilding sector by then, and was able to exploit the opportunities the low-floor revolution would offer it from the mid-1990s onwards. In 1993,
736-612: The Pathfinder on low floor Dennis Lance SLF and Scania N113 CRL chassis was unveiled. The Axcess-Ultralow was introduced in 1995 and offered on the Scania L113 chassis. At this time it was selling in reasonable numbers to UK bus operators, but unlike other bodybuilders who could only offer the L113 with step-entrance bodies, Wright modified it by removing the middle section of the chassis and thus offered UK bus operators one of
782-809: The StreetLite single-decker and StreetDeck double decker. However, they still continue to produce bodywork for the Volvo B5TL , Volvo B5LH and Volvo B8RLE . In 2016, the Wright SRM was introduced on the Volvo B5LH . It was an adaptation of the New Routemaster body onto Volvo's hybrid chassis at a shorter length of 10.6 metres (35 ft), with only six sold to RATP Dev subsidiary London United that same year. Between September and October 2019, Wrightbus entered administration with
828-738: The Blazefield Group, along with 305 vehicles. Locally, the company was rebranded under the name Transdev in Burnley & Pendle. In August 2006, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council announced that after 125 years of municipal ownership, Blackburn Transport had been sold to Transdev Blazefield. The sale was finalised in January 2007. This was followed in August 2007 by both Accrington Transport and Northern Blue being acquired, with both operators' staff and combined 65 vehicles transferring to Transdev. After initially being maintained as
874-519: The Burnley & Pendle Joint Transport Committee. In 1986, as part of the deregulation of bus services and to comply with the Transport Act 1985 , the company's assets were transferred to a new legal entity named the Burnley & Pendle Transport Company. Deregulation opened Burnley & Pendle's routes to competition from other operators, with Blackburn Transport , Tyrer Tours and Victoria Coaches establishing competing services. To stave off
920-650: The Eclipse Commuter, bodied on Volvo B7R coach chassis. The Eclipse SchoolRun was mainly intended for school bus work. Northern Ireland bus operator Ulsterbus were the only customer to order the Eclipse SchoolRun, initially taking delivery of 160 of the type in their first batch order between 2007 and 2008, with an additional batch of 61 Eclipse SchoolRuns delivered to the operator between 2009 and 2010. The first 110 Eclipse SchoolRuns delivered between 2007 and 2008 were equipped with 66 cyan seats in
966-605: The Eclipse Metro was withdrawn from sale several years after introduction of the Eclipse Urban. Wrightbus also offered the Eclipse Commuter for a time, which was built on a version of the B7RLE chassis with the higher floor section extended to the front axle of the bus. It was intended for longer distance and intercity work. The design included all of the features of a standard coach, such as under-floor storage and
SECTION 20
#17328017512101012-635: The Eclipse was also available, known as the Wright Eclipse Gemini , as well as an articulated version known as the Wright Eclipse Fusion . The first generation Wright Eclipse was launched in 1999 by Wrightbus on Volvo B7L chassis as the replacement for the Wright Renown bodywork on the older Volvo B10BLE chassis. A majority of these were purchased by FirstGroup . Both a bi-axle and tri-axle variant were offered, however only
1058-538: The Volvo B10BLE ceased in 2001, Wrightbus developed the Wright Eclipse body for the new Volvo B7L chassis, which due to its vertical rear engine wasn't popular with many operators. Nevertheless, Wright did not lose custom and many operators such as Ulsterbus switched to the incline-engined Scania L94UB , on a similar Wright Solar body. Another bodywork which resembles the current Solar/ Eclipse range
1104-498: The body was made available on the more popular Volvo B7RLE chassis. A coach version, the Eclipse SchoolRun, was later launched on high floor Volvo B7R chassis. In November 2008, Wright unveiled the Eclipse 2 at that year's Euro Bus Expo, with front and rear ends facelifted to match the Wright StreetCar . In 2015, the Eclipse 3 was launched on Volvo B8RLE chassis, the successor to the B7RLE. A double-decker version of
1150-433: The company released its first aluminium-structured bus bodywork. Wright's breakthrough into the mainstream bus bodybuilding sector came in the early 1990s. The Handybus was a midibus body offered on a variety of chassis but was most successful on the emerging Dennis Dart , attracting reasonably-sized orders from a variety of operators including London Buses , Go Ahead Northern , Ulsterbus and Citybus (Belfast) . This
1196-476: The company to Stagecoach Holdings . Burnley Council was unhappy with the decision, and stated that they would never consider selling their share. In response, Stagecoach proposed up a multi-million pound investment plan for the area, but Burnley Council could not meet their share unless it cut other council-supported services. Burnley Council eventually reversed their decision in March 1997 and sold out to Stagecoach,
1242-501: The company's former workers, including members of the Wright family. On 11 October 2019, a deal was reached in principle between Jo Bamford (son of Anthony Bamford , chairman of the construction equipment manufacturer JCB ) and the Wright family for the land used by the factory, a sticking point in negotiations to sell the firm. A deal was made with the administrators eleven days later, with Jo Bamford's Bamford Bus Company concluding
1288-476: The competition, five AEC Routemaster double-deck vehicles were purchased, with each named after a character from the television series EastEnders . Burnley & Pendle also successfully tendered a number of Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive -contracted bus services, allowing for operations to extend to Blackburn , Bury , Manchester , Preston , Rawtenstall , Rochdale and Skipton . In April 1996, Pendle Borough Council sold their share of
1334-762: The difference in chassis, the front and rear ends initially underwent a minor facelift, incorporating design features from the Wright StreetLite integral design. The first Eclipse 3s entered service with Trentbarton in October 2015 and the second batch by Stagecoach in the Fens for the Cambridgeshire Busway . The front design was revised further in spring 2017 with the first (and only) 13.2 metres (43 ft) examples being purchased by East Coast Buses . The first 11.8 metres (39 ft) variant with
1380-535: The first customer to take delivery of the Wright Eclipse Urban 2, with nineteen delivered for the operator's 'Mainline' services in 2009. A batch of Urban 2s with air conditioning were leased to Malta Public Transport in 2014. The third generation Eclipse, known as the Eclipse 3 , was launched in 2015. The Eclipse 3 was only available on Volvo B8RLE chassis, the successor to the B7RLE. As well as
1426-672: The first mainstream low-floor body/chassis combinations. A major customer for the Axcess-Ultralow was FirstGroup , taking approximately 240. Next up was the Volvo B10L based Liberator introduced at the end of 1995: National Express ordered 120 in 1997. This would be followed by the Renown body built on the Volvo B10BLE chassis, which went on to become the standard bus of the Blazefield Group . Robert Wright & Son
Wright Eclipse - Misplaced Pages Continue
1472-682: The first of 450 Wright Eclipse Gemini 2-bodied Volvo B9TLs was delivered to SBS Transit , Singapore till end 2012. In 2011, Wrightbus International was established. A contract was awarded by SBS Transit for 565 Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 bodied Volvo B9TLs and delivered since January 2013 till June 2015. In November 2012, a contract for 50 Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 bodied Volvos was awarded by Kowloon Motor Bus. These were sent in knock-down kit (CKD) form from Northern Ireland and assembled in China and followed by another 85, including two 12.8-metre-long demonstrators. In September 2013, Wrightbus entered into
1518-458: The former allocation of Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 bodied Volvo B9TL double-deck vehicles introduced in October 2013. Vehicles are branded in a two-tone orange and black livery, with features including free WiFi, USB and wireless charging, tables and audio-visual next stop announcements voiced by Coronation Street actress Jennie McAlpine . In November 2017, a limited-stop express service running directly between Leeds and Manchester via
1564-586: The former was ever built. However, sales of the B7L were lower than anticipated in the United Kingdom, owing to its unusual engine layout; as a result, the Eclipse Urban was launched on Volvo B7RLE chassis in 2003, at which time the original B7L bodywork was renamed to the Eclipse Metro . The Eclipse Urban proved to be far more successful in terms of sales and remained in production until 2011, while
1610-595: The introduction of Wright's Electroliner and Hydroliner range included the Go-Ahead Group , who placed orders for fuel cell buses for its Metrobus fleet on the Fastway bus rapid transit service, and Translink of Northern Ireland, who placed an initial order for 38 battery electric buses . Wrightbus announced in February 2023 that it was planning to build a green hydrogen production facility on its Ballymena site in partnership with Hygen Energy, capable of producing enough hydrogen to fuel up to 300 buses per day with
1656-822: The new two-tone orange livery. This was followed shortly after by a refurbished fleet of Wright Renown bodied Volvo B10BLE single-deck vehicles being repainted into the new livery. Local bus services operating in and around the town of Burnley are encompassed within The Burnley Bus Company brand, with buses serving Stoops (1), Higherford , Nelson & Colne (2), Nelson (2A), Pike Hill (3), Worsthorne (4), Harle Syke and Rosegrove (5) and Accrington (9). The Mainline brand encompasses six services, which operate between Accrington (M1), Clitheroe (M2) and Burnley via Padiham , as well as between Burnley and Trawden (M3), Keighley (M4), Barnoldswick (M5) and Skipton (M6) via Nelson and Colne . In July 2017,
1702-423: The option to triple its production in line with future demand for the fuel. Funding for the construction of electrolysers at the facility was secured from the first round of the UK government's £37.9 million UK Net Zero Hydrogen Fund in March 2023. Wrightbus was later granted up to £534,000 million in funding from the UK government-sponsored Advanced Propulsion Centre fund in September 2023 to develop
1748-472: The revised bodywork has since entered service with Delaine Buses . Wrightbus Wrightbus is a Northern Irish bus manufacturer and a pioneer of the low-floor bus . The company was established in 1946 by Robert Wright and was later run by his son William Wright , until it was acquired in 2019 by British businessman Jo Bamford . Wrightbus was founded in 1946 as Robert Wright & Son Coachbuilders. In its early years it rebodied lorries . In 1978,
1794-507: The sale, Blazefield purchased a total of 15 Plaxton President bodied Volvo B7TL double-deck and 25 Wright Renown bodied Volvo B10BLE single-deck vehicles for Burnley & Pendle as part of a fleet renewal programme; prior to the sale of Burnley & Pendle, many of the newer vehicles Stagecoach purchased for the fleet were transferred to other subsidiaries, with Burnley & Pendle receiving older vehicles as replacements. In January 2006, French-based transport group Transdev acquired
1840-590: The services were rebranded and upgraded to a fleet of Optare Versa single-deck vehicles, branded in a two-tone orange and burgundy livery. Features include free WiFi, USB and wireless charging and audio-visual next stop announcements. The Witch Way is a flagship service, which operates between Burnley and Manchester via Rawtenstall and M66 . The service is operated by a fleet of high-specification Alexander Dennis Enviro 400 MMC double-deck vehicles, which were introduced into service in December 2020, replacing
1886-563: The suspension of 1,300 jobs at its factory. At the time Deloitte was appointed as the company's administrators, Wrightbus was £60 million in debt, with £38.1 million of that debt owed to the Bank of Ireland . During the six years prior to Wrightbus going into administration, it was reported that Jeff Wright, the owner of the company, had donated £15 million to a church he had founded in 2007, Green Pastures Church. This led to protests on 29 September 2019 which were joined by many of
Wright Eclipse - Misplaced Pages Continue
1932-834: The total to 1,430 by 2017. A single Eclipse Gemini 3-bodied Volvo B8L prototype was exported to Singapore for trial with SBS Transit but was subsequently sold to A&S Transit, a private bus operator in Singapore. Burnley Bus Company The Burnley Bus Company operates both local and regional bus services in Greater Manchester and Lancashire , England. It is a subsidiary of Transdev Blazefield , which operates bus services across Greater Manchester, Lancashire, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire . In August 1924, Burnley Corporation Transport operated their first bus service between Rawtenstall and Burnley Summit. The Burnley, Colne & Nelson Joint Transport Committee
1978-408: Was delivered to Australian operator ACTION . Between 2003 and 2006, Hong Kong operator Kowloon Motor Bus received a total of 164 Wrightbus three-axle double-deckers; 100 of them were on Volvo Super Olympian and 64 of them were on Volvo B9TL chassis. In 2009, Kowloon Motor Bus had ordered a total of 291 buses, including one demonstrator with two-axle, and all buses were in service in 2012. In 2010,
2024-413: Was established in April 1933, merging the three municipal tramway and bus operations of the respective towns. The tramway network was progressively abandoned, with the last line closing in May 1935. Following local government reorganisation in April 1974, the boroughs of Colne and Nelson were amalgamated to form the present-day Borough of Pendle . Subsequently, the transport operation became known as
2070-583: Was followed by a move into the full-size single deck market with the Endeavour which was fitted to Dennis Javelin , Leyland Tiger and Scania K93 chassis, and enabled Wright to develop its highly successful Endurance body which competed with the Alexander Strider and Northern Counties Paladin for orders on Volvo B10B and Scania N113 CRB chassis. Other Wright products introduced in this period included two Mercedes-Benz -based products,
2116-496: Was restructured in 2000, with the bus building operation rebranded to Wrightbus as a part of the Wright Group. Companies formed alongside Wrightbus in the Wright Group were Expotech, handling the export of the group's technologies and international joint ventures such as Chance Coaches , and CustomCare, an aftermarket support operation servicing buses delivered by both Wrightbus and other bus manufacturers. After production of
#209790