The Wright GB Kite is a range of full-size zero-emission

single-deck bus A single-decker bus or rigid is a bus that has a single deck for passengers. Normally the use of the term ''single-decker'' refers to a standard two-axled rigid bus, in direct contrast to the use of the term double-decker bus, which is essent ...

es manufactured by

Wrightbus Wrightbus is a Northern Irish bus manufacturer and a pioneer of the low-floor bus. The company was established in 1946 by Robert Wright and was later run by his son William Wright, until it was acquired in 2019 by British businessman Jo Bamf ...

since 2022. Similar in body style to the diesel powered Wright GB Hawk, the GB Kite is an integral design that can be built as a

battery electric vehicle A battery electric vehicle (BEV), pure electric vehicle, only-electric vehicle, fully electric vehicle or all-electric vehicle is a type of electric vehicle (EV) that uses electrical energy exclusively from an electric vehicle battery, on-boa ...

, the Electroliner BEV, and as a

fuel cell electric vehicle A fuel cell vehicle (FCV) or fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) is an electric vehicle that uses a fuel cell, sometimes in combination with a small battery or supercapacitor, to power its onboard electric motor. Fuel cells in vehicles generate el ...

, the Hydroliner FCEV. The GB Kite range was launched in September 2021, following the launch of the double-deck

Wright StreetDeck The Wright StreetDeck is an integral double-decker bus manufactured by Wrightbus since 2014, originally delivered as standard with a Daimler OM934 diesel engine. Hybrid-electric, full-electric and hydrogen-powered variants have subsequently be ...

Electroliner and Hydroliner range earlier in the year. The Electroliner BEV has a maximum range of with the top option of a 567kwh battery, charged through conventional DC charging or pantograph charging. The Hydroliner FCEV has a maximum range of , powered with either a 70 or 100kwh

fuel cell A fuel cell is an electrochemical cell that converts the chemical energy of a fuel (often hydrogen fuel, hydrogen) and an oxidizing agent (often oxygen) into electricity through a pair of redox reactions. Fuel cells are different from most bat ...

system produced by

Ballard Power Systems Ballard Power Systems Inc. is a developer and manufacturer of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell products for markets such as heavy-duty motive (consisting of bus and tram applications), portable power, material handling as well as enginee ...

in combination with a or hydrogen tank. Regular production of both GB Kite variants was fully underway by December 2022.

Operators

Hydroliner FCEV

The first orders for GB Kites was placed in November 2021, with

Metrobus Metrobus may refer to: Transport services Bus Rapid Transit *MetroBus (Bristol), a bus rapid transit system in Bristol, England, United Kingdom *Metrobus (Buenos Aires), a bus rapid transit system in Buenos Aires, Argentina *Metrobus (Istanbul), a ...

ordering 20 Hydroliner FCEV vehicles for use on the Fastway network. The first buses from this order, also being the first production Hydroliner FCEVs, began entering service with Metrobus on the Fastway network in April 2023, with the order for 20 completed later in June. By 2024, however, up to two thirds of the Fastway Hydroliner fleet were not being used in regular service due to the

Health and Safety Executive The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is a British public body responsible for the encouragement, regulation and enforcement of workplace health, safety and welfare. It has additionally adopted a research role into occupational risks in Great B ...

not signing off on a liquid hydrogen fuelling system at Metrobus'

Crawley Crawley () is a town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in West Sussex, England. It is south of London, north of Brighton and Hove, and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Crawley covers an area of and had a populat ...

depot. Despite this, a further order for 23 Kite Hydroliner FCEVs is to be delivered in late 2024 for both Fastway and conventional Metrobus services in

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

. The GB Kite Hydroliner FCEV has proven most popular in Germany, with Wrightbus set to deliver up to 130 in left-hand drive configuration to German operators by the end of 2025. A first batch of 31 Hydroliner FCEVs were delivered to

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

municipal operator during 2024, Wrightbus' first European order since the bus builder was rescued from bankruptcy, with an additional 29 due for delivery in 2025. Twelve were delivered to in April 2025 for service in

Geilenkirchen Geilenkirchen (, Ripuarian: ) is a town in the district Heinsberg, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated near the border with the Netherlands, on the river Wurm, approx. 15 km (9.3 mi) north-east of Heerlen and 20 k ...

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a States of Germany, state () in Old states of Germany, Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the List of German states by population, most ...

, while due for delivery during 2025 include an order for 28 Hydroliner FCEVs placed in February 2024 by

Saarbahn The Saarbahn is a regional Stadtbahn operating on the tram-train principle in the German state of the Saarland. It consists of a core line in Saarbrücken and Riegelsberg operating under tram operating procedures ( BOStrab), connected to two lin ...

for service in

Saarbrücken Saarbrücken (; Rhenish Franconian: ''Sabrigge'' ; ; ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of cities and towns in Germany, city of the state of Saarland, Germany. Saarbrücken has 181,959 inhabitants and is Saarland's administrative, commerci ...

, 46 for

Cottbus Cottbus () or (;) is a university city and the second-largest city in the German state of Brandenburg after the state capital, Potsdam. With around 100,000 inhabitants, Cottbus is the most populous city in Lusatia. Cottbus lies in the Sorbian ...

municipal , and five for in

Herten Herten (; Westphalian: ''Hiätten'') is a town and a municipality in the district of Recklinghausen, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated in the industrial Ruhr Area, some west of Recklinghausen. Geography Town area Herten cov ...

. In May 2022, Wrightbus entered a deal to supply the Australian bodybuilder

Volgren Volgren is an Australian bus and coach body manufacturer. History Volvo Buses, VolGrenda Corporation, gren was formed in 1977 by Melbourne bus operator Grenda Corporation in Dandenong, Victoria. Because Grenda held the Volvo Buses dealership i ...

with two GB Kite Hydroliner FCEV chassis for the company to body. These two buses are scheduled to enter service with

Transdev Queensland Transdev Queensland Bus is an Australian operator of bus services in the Redland City region of Brisbane. It operates 31 services under contract to the Government of Queensland under the Translink banner. It is a subsidiary of Transdev Austral ...

for hydrogen fuel-cell trial services in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

Electroliner BEV

The

FirstGroup FirstGroup plc is a British multi-national transport group, based in Aberdeen, Scotland.First Leicester Leicester Citybus,Companies House extract company no 2000072

in May 2023, followed by deliveries of 24 GB Kite Electroliner BEVs to
First York First York operates local bus services, with a network centring around the cathedral city of York, North Yorkshire, England. It is a subsidiary of FirstGroup, which operates bus, rail and tram services across the United Kingdom and Ireland. His ...
beginning in late August 2023, 32 to
First West Yorkshire First West Yorkshire operates both local and regional bus services in West Yorkshire, England. It is a subsidiary of the FirstGroup, and is made up of three sub-division brands: First Bradford, First Halifax, Calder Valley & Huddersfield and Fir ...
's Bramley depot between January and March 2024 for service in
Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...
, and the first of 61 for
First Hampshire & Dorset First Hampshire & Dorset is a bus operator providing services in the counties of Hampshire and Dorset. It is a subsidiary of FirstGroup. History Formation First Hampshire & Dorset was created out of various different smaller companies which ...
's
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
services from March 2024. Further orders for GB Kite Electroliner BEVs have been made by
First Eastern Counties First Bus East of England is a bus operator that provides services in Norfolk and Suffolk in eastern England; it is a subsidiary of FirstGroup. It has five depots in operating areas spread out across East Anglia: Norwich, Ipswich, Great Yarmou ...
for services in
Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...
, while 18 more are also due for delivery to First Leicester in 2024. 28 GB Kite Electroliner BEVs were delivered for Translink's Foyle Metro operation in
Derry Derry, officially Londonderry, is the second-largest City status in the United Kingdom, city in Northern Ireland, and the fifth-largest on the island of Ireland. Located in County Londonderry, the city now covers both banks of the River Fo ...
in May 2023. These buses began entering service in the city in August 2023 after the installation of charging infrastructure and training of staff at the Foyle Metro depot. 21 more GB Kite Electroliner BEVs began to be delivered to Translink from May 2024, with four being delivered for the Foyle Metro operation, 14 being delivered to
Ulsterbus Ulsterbus is a public transport operator in Northern Ireland and operates bus services outside Belfast. It is part of Translink (Northern Ireland), Translink, the brand name for the subsidiary operating companies of the Northern Ireland Transpor ...
for services in Derry,
Coleraine Coleraine ( ; from , 'nook of the ferns'Flanaghan, Deirdre & Laurence; ''Irish Place Names'', page 194. Gill & Macmillan, 2002. ) is a town and Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish near the mouth of the River Bann in County Londonderry, No ...
and
Craigavon Craigavon ( ) is a town in north County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It was a planned settlement, begun in 1965, and named after the first Prime Minister of Northern Ireland: James Craig, 1st Viscount Craigavon. It was intended to be the heart of ...
, and three delivered
Metro Metro may refer to: Geography * Metro City (Indonesia), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urban area with high ...
in
Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...
for use on an express service to
George Best Belfast City Airport Belfast City Airport, officially George Best Belfast City Airport , is an international airport in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Situated in County Down, it is adjacent to the Belfast Harbour and is from Belfast City Centre. It shares the si ...
. The
Oxford Bus Company The City of Oxford Motor Services Limited, trading as Oxford Bus Company, is a bus operator serving the city and surrounding area of Oxford, England. It is a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group. History Horse trams and horse buses The City of Oxf ...
received five GB Kite Electroliner BEVs as part of a 104-vehicle order for zero-emission Wrightbus buses, while
Abellio London Transport UK London Bus, formerly Abellio London, is a bus company operating services under contract to Transport for London in Greater London, England. History The origins of Transport UK London Bus can be traced back to June 1998, when Nat ...
, the first
Transport for London Transport for London (TfL) is a local government body responsible for most of the transport network in London, United Kingdom. TfL is the successor organization of the London Passenger Transport Board, which was established in 1933, and His ...
operator to order GB Kites, ordered 12 GB Kite Electroliner BEVs for service on route E7 featuring a redesigned front end to comply with TfL's Bus Safety Standard, with the first of a further 24 delivered to Abellio's successor
Transport UK London Bus Transport UK London Bus, formerly Abellio London, is a bus company operating services under contract to Transport for London in Greater London, England. History The origins of Transport UK London Bus can be traced back to June 1998, when Nat ...
from May 2024.
Arriva London Arriva London is a bus operator operating primarily in Greater London and partially in Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent and Surrey. It is a subsidiary of Arriva UK Bus and operates services for London Buses under contract to Transport for London. Oper ...
, meanwhile, announced in February 2024 that it had placed orders for 11 GB Kite Electroliner BEVs. In October 2024, the
Go-Ahead Group Go-Ahead Group Limited is a Multinational corporation, multi-national transport group based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. While the majority of its operations are within Great Britain, it also operates services in Ireland, Australia, Singapo ...
signed a £500 million three-year deal for Wrightbus to supply of over 1,200 electric buses to its subsidiaries; all apart from 43 of these buses will be from the Electroliner range. The first Go-Ahead operator to announce they were receiving vehicles from this deal was Pulhams Coaches, who will take delivery of nine GB Kite Electroliners during 2025.

References

External links
*
Wrightbus Electroliner product description

Wrightbus Hydroliner product description
{{Wrightbus Single-deck buses Low-floor buses Battery electric buses Fuel cell buses Vehicles introduced in 2021 GB Kite