Optare wins order for 22 more buses

The group, which has a factory in Leeds, said Greater Manchester’s public transport body extended its contract, ordering another 22 hybrid buses worth £4.3m.

The latest deal includes support from the Government’s Green Bus Fund, aimed at getting cleaner buses on the road. The buses, which are powered by diesel and electricity, will be delivered later this year and early next year.

It follows an order from Manchester for 66 hybrid buses in May 2010, of which 20 are now in service.

Chief executive Jim Sumner said: “We are absolutely delighted to have secured this repeat business on the UK’s leading operation for hybrid buses. This takes the order book to a record £55m and underpins the need to increase production capacity later this year.”

The deal is the latest in a string of contracts for the manufacturer.

Earlier this month it won a contract worth more than £2.2m to supply 20 Versa midibuses to transport group Go Ahead North-East.

Go Ahead will use the midibuses, which are a cross between the group’s full-size single-deck Tempo and the smaller Solo minibus, for its Quaylink services that connect major bus, Metro and rail stations on both banks of the River Tyne.

It scooped a £3.6m contract to supply Rotala, based in the Midlands and South West, with 20 buses, including 15 hybrid buses supported by the Green Bus Fund.

At the end of February, it also won a £2m contract to supply Arriva with 10 of its Solo Hybrid buses for export to Malta.

Last month, Optare raised £7.4m through a share issue to fund the relocation of its Leeds factory.