Wright Buses and Coaches: Illustrated History Books & Guides

London's Gemini Buses

Wrightbus of Ballymena introduced its first double-deck body, the Eclipse Gemini, in 2001. Unlike its competitors, it was offered on both the DAF/VDL and Volvo chassis.Arriva London was a major customer, ordering both the Volvo B7TL and DAF DB250 versions, with the latter being exclusive to them. First and Go-Ahead London also chose the Volvo B7TL model.
In 2009, the Gemini 2 was launched, again on VDL and Volvo chassis. Arriva London, First, and Go-Ahead London quickly adopted the new model, including the VDL DB300 (Arriva) and the newly introduced B9TL.
The Volvo B5LH hybrid version became available with the Gemini 2 body in 2008 and was well-received by London operators. In 2013, the Gemini 3 was introduced with a slightly different look from the Gemini 2. In 2014, it was updated to match the new Streetdeck style, significantly changing its appearance.
This book features 180 photographs, including some never before published, celebrating London's Gemini buses.

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Wrightbus - From 1946 to New Horizons

The history of Ballymena-based Wrightbus dates back to 1946, when the company began producing lorries, vans and mobile libraries largely for Ulster customers. After becoming firmly established, the company turned its attention to building school buses for Northern Ireland's education departments and followed these with conventional single-deck buses and coaches for a variety of UK operators.

Since the 1980s, Wrights has expanded rapidly after gaining large contracts to build single-deck, double-deck, and bendy buses for FirstGroup and Transport for London (including the New Routemaster), as well as for other major UK bus groups and operators in Hong Kong and Singapore. In addition, Wrightbus has been a forerunner in hybrid and electric bus technology.

Following a reduction in orders due to a general decline in the need for new buses, plus several other factors, the company was placed into administration in early October 2019 before being rescued by a new owner in November. This book looks at some of the many buses the company produced over the years.

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London's New Routemasters

Inspired by the AEC Routemaster, the New Bus for London, later renamed the 'New Routemaster', was the first bus specifically built for use in London since 1968, when the last Routemaster machines were constructed.
Then Mayor Boris Johnson wished for a new version of the Routemaster bus to be designed and built, subsequently launching a competition for the design of such a vehicle. Wrightbus gained the contract to build the vehicle, using the design submitted by the Heatherwick Studios.

The first prototype was unveiled in December 2011, with the last examples being delivered to London six years later. 1,000 examples were built, and all gained registrations in a specially commissioned LTZ series. Sporting a dual staircase and three doors, this vehicle has become a London landmark in its own right.

David Beddall takes us through the history of this significant model, with a range of previously unpublished images from the nation's capital.

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London's New Routemaster

Few things are as synonymous with London as its famous red buses, thousands of which carry millions of passengers a year on hundreds of separate routes. Yet since the withdrawal from service of the much-loved Routemaster in the mid-2000s, none of its replacements has succeeded in generating the same kind of affection among the travelling public.
Now, however, the stylish, Thomas Heatherwick-designed New Routemaster looks set to recapture the imagination of Londoners and visitors alike.

In "London's New Routemaster", automotive expert Tony Lewin tells the remarkable and compelling story of this, the latest incarnation of the London bus, from its very public genesis in 2008 to its first scheduled journey in 2012.
Contributions from key personnel provide a unique insight into the detailed thinking behind this innovative vehicle, which is notable as much for its stunning design as its precision engineering, while an illustrated survey of London's buses down the ages places it in context.
Beautifully designed and richly illustrated throughout, "London's New Routemaster" is the fitting and must-have account of the most significant London bus since the 1960s - a Routemaster for the twenty-first century.

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New Bus for London - The Inside Story (Nostalgia Road)

Following Boris Johnson's successful mayoral campaign of 2008, a competition to find a new vehicle design was held with the winning combination being that of the Northern Irish manufacturer Wrightbus and the designer Heatherwick Studio.
With the first prototypes completed in 2011, it looked, with Boris's old rival Ken Livingstone standing as the Labour candidate in the 2012 mayoral election, that, if Johnson lost, the entire project would be cancelled. In the event, Johnson retained the position and the future of the New Bus for London was assured.

Martin Curtis's definitive account of the history to the project from start through to the gradual conversion of routes to Borismaster operation in 2013 and 2014 draws upon his knowledge of the bus industry from his own professional involvement.
Incorporating material from many of the most important players in the story of the New Bus for London - from politicians, through the Transport for London hierarchy, to the designers and manufacturers - , the book provides a comprehensive and detailed account of the most fascinating new bus to be designed and built in Britain for more than 40 years.

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The Wright Way - Reminiscences of 60 Years of Coach Building in Ballymena

Travel anywhere in the United Kingdom by public transport today and the chances are high that at some stage you will use the products of Wrights of Ballymena.
Jack Kernohan joined Wrights in 1955, just nine years after the business had been started by local man Bob Wright, and stayed there until his retirement from the post of Sales Director in 2005.

Jack's reminiscences take us through the development of the Wright product range, though the early years, when vans and mobile shops were the staple, to building trucks and trailers and, eventually, on to the high quality buses with which the company has become synonymous.
He introduces us to some of the industry's personalities and lightens the story with some amusing tales. As well as the UK market, we also get an insight into export orders such as the Bedfords built for Africa, the Wright Bus for Kowloon Motor Bus in Hong Kong and the stunning StreetCar RTV for Southern Nevada RTC.
Jack rounds off with a look a some of the products built since his retirement.

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