Parliamentary meeting expected to discuss bus manufacturing support

On 10 June, the UK bus manufacturing supply chain and Parliamentarians are due to discuss greater funding and support for British bus building during a parliamentary reception.

The gathering is being brought together by the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for British Buses. Co-sponsored by Alexander Dennis and Wrightbus, the APPG aims to secure greater funding and support for British zero-emission bus manufacturing. It is chaired by Labour MPs Euan Stainbank (Falkirk) and Alex Baker (Farnborough and Aldershot).

Euan told B&CB he expects the group will have a conversation at the meeting on what the government can do to support the industry, particularly considering the Bus Services Bill and the upcoming industrial strategy. He said: “We will be impressing upon colleagues the urgent necessity to back the Spending Review asks of the APPG.”

The Spending Review asks include:

• A strategic prioritisation of UK content and UK manufacturing in roll-out of future zero-emission buses.
• Funding and policy for the delivery of 2,000 British-built zero-emission buses per year.
• A comprehensive and realistic spending plan to support any zero-emission bus mandate from 2030.

“I imagine the event will also serve as an exhibition of the importance of the contribution of the workers and the industry to so many communities across the country” – Labour MPs Euan Stainbank (Falkirk)

Euan said: “I imagine the event will also serve as an exhibition of the importance of the contribution of the workers and the industry to so many communities across the country including my own, and the successes of the industry in the past few years. The industry has a distinctively good knack for creating jobs in the supply chain, for every four direct manufacturing jobs, 13 are created in the broader supply chain.”