EIR - Electric and Hydrogen Bus manufacturers [Jan 2025]

Your request 

Can I request to see the Mayor’s communications with Electric and Hydrogen Bus manufacturers named Irizar, Alexander Dennis, BYD, Equipmake, Optare, Switch Mobility, Yutong, Volvo, Ryze Hydrogen, Wrightbus and Bamford Bus Company from 1st December 2022 to present day under current Mayor Sadiq Khan.

Our response

Please find attached thee information that the GLA holds within the scope of your request:

• Volvo Trucks UK & Ireland

Dear Mr Mayor

Invitation to formally open the new net-zero Volvo Truck and Bus Centre London South dealership on Wednesday 19 April, 2023 at 1300.

I am writing to you as the Managing Director of Volvo Trucks UK & Ireland to invite you to officially open our flagship London South dealership in Beddington Farm Road, Croydon.
The site has been comprehensively redeveloped at a cost of £2 million, creating the most efficient and sustainable truck and bus dealership in our network. To put this in perspective, it’s expected to fall from emitting 225 tonnes of CO2 on-site annually, to becoming net-zero. It is also our first dealership to be certified as a zero waste to landfill operation.

This is a pivotal move for our dealer network’s future, particularly as this site supports local fleets in transitioning to a new generation of quiet, zero tailpipe emission battery electric trucks and buses.

We would be honoured to have you take part in our formal opening ceremony, with an opportunity to address our assembled audience on the UK transport industry’s transition to net zero. We will joined on the day by customers, colleagues and press (local & trade).

I look forward to hearing from you and thank you in advance for your support.

Yours sincerely,

[Name redacted]

Volvo Trucks UK & Ireland

• Alexander Dennis

16 May 2024

Introduction to Alexander Dennis

Dear Mr Khan,

I am writing to you from Alexander Dennis, the largest bus and coach manufacturer in the United Kingdom and the world’s largest manufacturer of double-deck buses, to congratulate you on your recent re-election as Mayor of London.

As you may be aware, Alexander Dennis is a global leader in the manufacturing of zero emission buses. We had a 49% market share in 2023, supporting a network of 31,000 buses and coaches across the world. We employ ~2,000 people in the UK, a significant proportion of which are involved in the engineering and manufacturing of the next generation of Alexander Dennis electric buses, which are UK engineered and built with key suppliers based in the UK or EU.

We have increased our UK manufacturing footprint from two to three production sites in the UK, ensuring we are ready for increasing demand in our battery electric UK zero-emission buses as part of the decarbonisation of public transport. We have facilities in Larbert, Falkirk, Scarborough, Ballymena, Skelmersdale, Anston, Harlow and Farnborough.

At Alexander Dennis we continue to invest in our people, places and products, through a multi-year £40,000,000+ programme of investment. This has positive and direct knock-on effects for our local communities, social value scope and wider supply chain opportunities.

Despite this, we need the support of governments and policymakers to ensure this can continue as we are competing in a market where the UK cannot compete with overseas, state-backed manufacturers. At the moment, UK manufacturers are not able to compete on a level playing field due to having higher labour costs in the UK. Policy must ensure that public funding for zero emission buses is prioritised for manufacturers who invest in UK communities through UK jobs, UK innovation, recycled investment and skills opportunities.

I would welcome the opportunity to discuss this with you in more detail, particularly how we can work together on our shared vision for low and zero emission transport. We are a key partner to all levels of government, with a global track record of developing ground-breaking products that keep the UK bus industry one step ahead of the rest of the world. If a meeting is of interest, please let me know by contacting my team via email at: [Name redacted]

Kind regards

• Wrightbus

4TH November 2024

Dear Mayor Khan,

I am writing on behalf of Wrightbus to request a meeting with you to discuss how we can continue to support your bus improvement ambitions. As you know, we have a long history working with Transport for London with over 3,500 Wrightbus products currently operating in the capital.

Wrightbus is now the fastest growing zero emission bus manufacturer in the UK and Europe. Last month, we signed the largest deal in our history to supply more than 1,000 buses to Go-Ahead over the next three years. Our revenues have increased to £540m and the workforce is nearly 2,000 (compared to just over 50 in 2019). Production has ramped up to keep pace with orders – 22 buses are being produced every week, compared to eight buses two years ago.

Internal analysis we have conducted shows that this continued growth has contributed more than £1.5 billion to the UK economy thanks to our support for home-grown suppliers and a UK workforce. We are proud to continue to support UK manufacturing by sourcing supplies for our buses from 47 counties across the union - generating millions of pounds in revenue for businesses producing everything from heating systems and powertrains to laser cutting and fabrication.

Every pound generated by Wrightbus creates another £3 in the wider economy and every job here ensures another three jobs are safe across the supply chain.

In addition to this, we believe Wrightbus is the first original equipment manufacturer in the world to offer a re-powering service. At our NewPower specialist facility in Oxfordshire, we are replacing older diesel engines with new zero-emission electric powertrains - a process that will enable operators to decarbonise their vehicles at a substantially lower price than purchasing a new bus.

I know you are serious about continuously improving bus services in Greater London and have set out ambitious targets to convert all London buses to zero emission by 2030. Supporting UK bus manufacturers like Wrightbus as you work towards these ambitions will unlock jobs in all parts of the country and advance your decarbonisation ambitions.

I would welcome a response that sets out how Wrightbus can continue to advance your bus decarbonisation ambitions, and I’d be delighted to discuss this with you at your convenience.

With best wishes,