UK bus operator Go-Ahead has announced plans to invest £500 million in the purchase of 1,200 UK-made zero emission buses over the next three years.

The deal, the largest in Wrightbus’s 78-year history, will help to safeguard 500 manufacturing jobs at the company’s Ballymena headquarters in Northern ireland, as well as support an additional 2,000 jobs across the wider UK supply chain by 2026.

With delivery of the zero emission buses, Go-Ahead expects to accelerate the transition to greener buses in places like Plymouth, Gloucestershire, East Yorkshire, London, and the Isle of Wight.

And, for every vehicle manufactured, 10 trees will be planted by Go-Ahead and Wrightbus in the towns and cities where the buses are deployed.

“This multi-million-pound investment and partnership with Wrightbus will accelerate the transition to zero-emission fleet across the UK,” said Matt Carney, CEO of Go-Ahead Bus.

“We are proud to be working in partnership with the UK Government and local authorities to deliver transformational environmental change for communities, while supporting UK jobs and the growth of the country’s supply chain.”

The partnership between Go-Ahead and Wrightbus will also see the creation of a training and apprenticeships fund that will help develop a learning academy for employees, but which will also see placements made available for students with special education needs and young people not in training or education.

“This deal with Go-Ahead is hugely significant not just for Wrightbus and for Ballymena, but for the wider United Kingdom,” said Jean-Marc Gales, CEO of Wrightbus.

“It represents a huge boost to the UK’s economy, and it will support homegrown manufacturing, jobs, and skills for the next three years and beyond.

One report  said 43 of the buses will be hydrogen fuel cell buses, with the remainder to be battery electric.

Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.