Bamford Blasts Scottish Gov't Over Chinese Bus Deal

0:00On March 31, Joe Bamford, the English industrialist who saved Northern Ireland's right bus from collapse back in 2019, is firing. Shots at the Scottish government. He's calling out their decision to hand over more than half of 45 million pounds in taxpayer grants to buy zero emission buses from a Chinese. Manufacturer called Yutong. Out of 334 buses funded through the Scott ZEB-3 program, 166 are coming straight from China while Wright Bus only lands 3010 single-deckers and 20 double-deckers. This cash is meant to outfit Scotland's bus operators with clean vehicles, but Bamford argues it's boosting foreign factories instead of homegrown. Ones. Wright Bus has turned into one of Europe's top bus makers under his watch, cranking out low emission rides from their valley men a plant. The backlash highlights real pain for UK workers, with Wright Bus employing over 2,000 people directly and supporting tens of thousands more in, the supply chain.

1:01Bamford says moves like this threaten the key industry that's succeeding worldwide, especially as the sector pushes toward greener tech. Wright Bus has sharpened its edge, slashing costs to within 5% of Chinese rivals on double-deckers, while leading in battery range fast. Charging and local service support that imports can't match, they already hold 40% of the UK bus market. Bamford's pushing policy makers for a fair shot, prioritizing UK skills and tech to protect jobs in places like Northern Ireland, because right now, the playing field feels anything but level. Europe news today, powered by AI bringing you what matters across Europe.