A brand new fleet of electric buses, bound for Salisbury in early 2026, are to be built by UK manufacturer Wrightbus, it has been announced. 

The news follows a successful bid by Salisbury Reds and Wiltshire Council to receive a financial award from the latest phase of the Department for Transport’s ZEBRA (Zero Emission Bus Regional Area) scheme, which will see 23 zero emission buses arrive in the city. 

“We are investing more than £7m, alongside DfT funding of almost £3.5m and Wiltshire Council’s £1m. This will be used to revolutionise Salisbury Reds’ city network and Stonehenge Tour services,” said Salisbury Reds managing director, Andrew Wickham.

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“Following an extensive procurement process, we have chosen Wrightbus to supply 11 double decker electric buses for our R1 service and the Stonehenge Tour, and nine single decker electric buses for our R2, R5, PR3, PR7, PR11 and R10 services. 

“Wrightbus is a highly-respected UK manufacturer at the forefront of electric and hydrogen vehicle development, so we are delighted to be placing our trust in its team to provide the city with these pioneering zero emissions vehicles.

“This joint investment between DfT, Salisbury Reds and Wiltshire Council will ensure greener, better, journeys for our customers - and have a significant impact on Salisbury’s overall carbon emissions.”

A double decker bus in Oxford, similar to the kind being delivered to Salisbury in 2026 (Image: BRAVE&ABEL) Each bus will be equipped with tap on, tap off, technology for contactless payments, USB charging points for all seats, and next stop audio and visual announcements.

The vehicles will also have a fully accessible wheelchair ramp, audio loops, dementia-friendly internal colour schemes and CCTV for added security.

Wrightbus is delivering 1,200 zero-emission buses nationally to Salisbury Reds’ parent company the Go-Ahead Group, following an overall £500m investment by the business. 

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Wrightbus CEO Jean-Marc Gales, said: “The deal with Go-Ahead is hugely significant and represents a huge boost to the UK’s economy. It will support homegrown manufacturing, jobs and skills for the next three years and beyond.

"We’ve always been proud to support the UK’s supply chain and our Go-Ahead partnership will ensure even more money can be spent securing good green jobs." 

He continued: “We must also not forget that this deal represents a massive step forward in our ambition to help decarbonise the transport sector with our world-leading products.”

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Councillor Tamara Reay, Wiltshire Council cabinet member for transport, said: “This is the next step for this exciting project, which represents a huge investment in Salisbury and will improve the air quality in the city and help to reduce carbon emissions.

“We will continue to work with both Salisbury Reds and Wrightbus as the project progresses, and we look forward to the new fleet of zero emission buses being a regular sight in the city from 2026.”

Salisbury Reds will announce the manufacturer for a further three, smaller, buses for its R4, R6 and R8 services shortly.