| Wright StreetDeck | |
|---|---|
 Metroline Manchester second generation Wright StreetDeck Ultroliner in June 2025 | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Wrightbus |
| Production | 2014–present |
| Assembly | Ballymena, Northern Ireland |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Double-decker bus |
| Doors | 1 or 2 |
| Floor type | Low floor |
| Chassis | Integral |
| Related | Wright Eclipse Gemini 3 Wright StreetLite Wright GB Hawk Wright GB Kite |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | |
| Capacity | 73–104[1] |
| Power output | 231 horsepower (172 kW) (OM934)[1] 250–300 horsepower (190–220 kW) (Cummins 6.7 ISB)[2] |
| Transmission |
|
| Battery | |
| Range |
|
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 10.57 metres (34.7 ft) to 11.5 metres (37.7 ft) |
| Width | 2.52 metres (8.27 ft) |
| Height | 4.40 metres (14.4 ft)[1] |
| Curb weight | 10.7 tonnes |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Wright Gemini 2 |
TheWright StreetDeck is an integraldouble-decker bus manufactured byWrightbus since 2014, originally delivered as standard with aDaimler OM934 diesel engine. Hybrid-electric, full-electric and hydrogen-powered variants have subsequently been produced. Production of the StreetDeck range was briefly suspended when Wrightbus enteredadministration in September 2019.[6]
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The Wright StreetDeck was originally launched as a standard diesel integral bus fitted with a Daimler OM934 5.1 litre, 4-cylinder Euro 6 diesel engine, competing mainly with theVolvo B5TL andAlexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC. This StreetDeck variant was retrospectively renamed to the Streetdeck Ultroliner in 2021 to distinguish it from the later HEV, Electroliner and Hydroliner variants.[7]
The StreetDeck is also available with the same Wrightbus 'Micro Hybrid' technology as was first provided in theStreetLite single-decker. The Micro Hybrid package consists of a flywheel and regenerative braking in the bus, which provides electricity used to power the interior lights and compressed air systems, saving up to 10% in fuel costs compared to the standard diesel StreetDeck.[citation needed]
The first five prototype StreetDeck demonstrators to be produced, three of which were delivered toFirst Greater Manchester,First South Yorkshire andTransdev Blazefield, were fitted with a front end similar in appearance to the outgoingWright Eclipse Gemini 2 double-decker before Wrightbus's new standard 'Stealth' frontWright Eclipse Gemini 3 end styling was adopted for production examples. An additional two prototype StreetDeck demonstrators were built toTransport for London specification and delivered toArriva London andLondon Central;[8] Arriva London would later become the only TfL operator of diesel StreetDecks, taking delivery of a further ten production examples with restyled bodywork in July 2016 for service onroute 340.[9]
The first prototype StreetDeck featuring the new 'Stealth' bodywork entered service withArriva Derby in November 2014, built to the operator'sSapphire specification for service on service 38, operating betweenDerby andSinfin.[10][11] Production examples soon followed, with the first order for 25 11.5-metre long-wheelbase StreetDecks delivered in March and April 2015 toBrighton & Hove for use on the operator's Coaster service betweenBrighton andEastbourne.[12][13][14] Further dual-door 10.57-metre standard-length StreetDecks in standard fleet livery were delivered in 2016 and 2017, taking Brighton & Hove's StreetDeck fleet to a total of 82 buses.[15] Another early customer for the StreetDeck wereReading Buses, who took delivery of six StreetDeck Micro Hybrids equipped with stop-start technology in September 2016 for use on services connectingReading andWoodley.[16][17]
FirstGroup were initially the largest customer for the diesel StreetDeck following its launch, with an initial delivery of five entering service withFirst Leicester in 2015, followed by an additional 29 being delivered in 2016.[18] Twenty-two entered service onFirst South Yorkshire's flagship X1 Steel Link service in September 2016, having entered service on route X78 fromSheffield toDoncaster in November 2015 due to delays in the opening of theBus Rapid Transit North,[19][20] while over 120 StreetDecks were delivered toFirst West Yorkshire's LeedsCity operation from 2018 onwards.[21]First West of England received a total of 27 Wright StreetDecks between 2015 and 2016 for services in and aroundBristol,[22] and group subsidiarySomerset Passenger Solutions, providing worker shuttle services to theHinkley Point C nuclear power station construction site, took delivery of 35 StreetDecks in late 2018 and early 2019,[23] later taking delivery of 15 further StreetDeck Ultroliners in June 2023.[24]
The diesel StreetDeck proved again popular across the FirstGroup following Wrightbus' rescue from bankruptcy in 2019, with significant orders for the StreetDeck Ultroliner from the group being delivered throughout 2022. StreetDeck Ultroliners were delivered toFirst Bradford bearing 'City of Bradford' branding in March 2022;[25][26]First West of England, where 27 StreetDeck Ultroliners with revivedBadgerline branding were delivered April 2022;[27]First Eastern Counties, where 15 low-height StreetDecks began to be delivered for the Ipswich Reds operation from October 2022;[28]: 75 First York, which took 20 for city andUniversity of York services,[29] andFirst Potteries, where 12 of the type, 10 branded for the 'Constellation' servingKeele University, were delivered in December 2022.[30]
TheGo-Ahead Group were the second largest customer for the diesel StreetDeck, with initial deliveries to the group going to theOxford Bus Company, who took delivery of 41 StreetDecks between 2015 and 2017 for itscity 3 (yellow),city 5 (pink),city 8&9 (orange) and Oxfordpark & ride services.[31][32]Go North East purchased 26 StreetDecks for itsCastles Express X21 andthe Angel 21 services between 2016 and 2018.[33][34] The company announced a further order of 31 StreetDecks for itsX-Lines network of express routes in 2019 which were scheduled to enter service from Spring 2020;[35] the delivery of these buses was delayed into the late summer due to theCOVID-19 pandemic shutting down bus manufacturing, with the decision taken to divert six StreetDecks from the Go North East order toThames Travel and a further three to the Oxford Bus Company.[36][37] Of the remaining StreetDecks delivered to Go North East, the order included the first StreetDeck in the UK to feature Daimler's 6-cylinder engine,[38][7] ten of which were later purchased byBus Vannin for service on theIsle of Man.[39][40]
Prior to Wrightbus entering administration, afterArriva UK Bus had taken delivery of a single demonstrator example in 2016 for use byArriva Southern Counties,Arriva Yorkshire ordered several low-height StreetDecks in September 2019 that were built toArriva Sapphire specification. Arriva cancelled seven of this batch following the period of administration, and a year later, these seven buses were sold toEnsignbus. The company later bought 14 new StreetDecks built to full-height Ensignbus specification.[41][42]Arriva Merseyside took delivery of 24 low-height Streetdeck Ultroliners in January 2022, which entered service on two routes servingLiverpool and other surrounding areas.[43]
Another significant operator of StreetDecks is theRotala Group, who initially purchased 13 StreetDecks from a cancelled First Leeds order forDiamond North West in 2020. The group then ordered 139 more StreetDecks in 2020, with the majority being delivered to Diamond North West to replace vehicles leased fromFirst Greater Manchester.[39][44] The remaining four from this order were delivered toPreston Bus.[45][46]
Translink in Northern Ireland first took delivery of 28 diesel StreetDecks between July and August 2018 forUlsterbus services. These buses were branded as 'Urby' buses, operating on park and ride services as well as routes connectingBelfast with outlying communities mainly inCounty Antrim andCounty Down.[47][48] An additional 10 Urby StreetDecks entered service on Belfast-County Down services in October 2019,[49] while 20 StreetDecks entered service withMetro in Belfast in the same year, these being the final diesel buses to enter service with the operator.[50] A further 70 StreetDecks were delivered to Ulsterbus between late 2020 and early 2021.[51]
Thehybrid-electric (HEV) variant of the StreetDeck was launched in 2018 alongside the hybrid-electricWright StreetLite Max, with the first 13 StreetDeck HEVs entering service withFirst South Yorkshire alongside an order of StreetLites at the Olive Grove Depot in May 2018.[52] Later that month, eight StreetDeck HEVs also entered service onFirst West Yorkshire'sElland Road park & ride service inLeeds.[53]
Outside of the FirstGroup, theOxford Bus Company took delivery of six StreetDeck HEVs in 2018 for Brookesbus services U1 and U5.[54] A StreetDeck HEV was delivered to theBelfast Metro, while in London, StreetDeck HEVs were delivered toTower Transit andGo-Ahead London,[55][56] while a single demonstrator example delivered toLondon United was later purchased by Ensignbus for use as a prop vehicle in film and TV production.[57]
Thehydrogen fuel cell (FCEV) variant of the StreetDeck, later named the StreetDeck Hydroliner FCEV in June 2021, was unveiled at the Euro Bus Expo in October 2018.[58] When launched, it was the first hydrogen-powered double-decker bus the world, built with a range of up to 280 miles,[5] using a fuel cell system made byBallard with aSiemens drivetrain. Orders were placed in May 2019 by Transport for London for 20 of these to enter service in 2020,[59] however these orders were interrupted due to the temporary collapse of Wrightbus when it fell into administration in the same year. These were eventually delivered toMetroline and entered service onroute 7 in May 2021.[60][61][62]
Further orders were first made byFirst Aberdeen for 15 StreetDeck Hydroliner FCEVs in March 2020, which entered service in January 2021,[63][64] whileNational Express West Midlands ordered 20 buses in October 2020, which were delivered throughout 2021 and entered service in the December of that year.[65][66] Three more of the type entered service withTranslink in Northern Ireland in December 2020; a further 23 were ordered in December 2021 and began to enter service from March 2022.[67][68][69]Go-Ahead Group operatorMetrobus have ordered 11 StreetDeck Hydroliner FCEVs for delivery in late 2024.[70] Four StreetDeck Hydroliner FCEVs were ordered in October 2023 for long-term trial use from early 2024 on shuttle services transporting construction workers to the site of theSizewell C nuclear power station inSuffolk, part of pilot research into the use of hydrogen-powered equipment on construction sites.[71]
Thebattery electric (BEV) variant of the StreetDeck, named the StreetDeck Electroliner BEV, was launched at the ITT Hub conference inFarnborough, Hampshire in June 2021, built with a range of up to 200 miles and a battery capacity of 454 kWh.[72][73] In 2022, Wrightbus claimed that the Electroliner BEV had been certified as the most efficient battery electric double decker bus in the world following tests at the French automotive testing centreUtac [fr].[74] Batteries are supplied by French battery company Forsee Power, and are distributed around the chassis underneath the lower deck.[3]
Before being rebranded toTransport UK London Bus, Abellio London was the largest Transport for London contractor to operate StreetDeck Electroliner BEVs, first taking delivery of 30 as Abellio London in February 2023 for service onroute 111 and temporarily on route U5.[75][76][77] A further nine were delivered for service on route C3 commencing in October 2023.[78]
Elsewhere in London, Arriva London first ordered 16 StreetDeck Electroliner BEVs for use onroute 307 in October 2022,[28]: 72 later increasing this order to 50 buses in April 2023,[79] followed by additional orders for 34 in October 2023 forroute 279 and 76 for various routes in February 2024.[80][81]Stagecoach London ordered 48 StreetDeck Electroliner BEVs in April 2023,[82] later ordering an additional 16 in February 2024,[83] and Metroline, after taking delivery of a single demonstrator example,[77] took delivery of 39 StreetDeck Electroliner BEVs for use on routes142 and 297 in August 2023.[84][85][86]
Translink in Northern Ireland ordered 80 StreetDeck Electroliner BEVs as part of a £74 million zero-emissions fleet investment in 2021. The first of these entered service inBelfast with Metro in March 2022,[69][74] and an additional 10 Electroliner BEVs were delivered for theFoyle Metro inDerry in May 2023.[87] 79 more Electroliner BEVs began to be delivered to both Metro and Ulsterbus from May 2024 onwards, with one being delivered to the Foyle Metro operation, 21 being delivered for Ulsterbus services in Derry,Coleraine andCraigavon, and the remaining 57 due to be delivered to Metro by 2025.[88][89]
TheFirstGroup took delivery of its first Wright StreetDeck Electroliner BEVs in August 2023, with 20 entering service withFirst York,[90][91] followed by the first of a further 55 StreetDeck Electroliner BEVs entering service inNorwich withFirst Eastern Counties in October 2023,[92][93] and a further nine for First York'sUniversity of York services in late 2023.[94] 25 StreetDeck Electroliner BEVs were delivered toFirst West Yorkshire'sBramley depot from March 2024 for service inLeeds,[95] and 24 StreetDeck Electroliner BEVs were delivered toFirst Aberdeen in April 2025,[96] alongside a separate order for eleven StreetDeck Electroliner BEVs byFirst Glasgow for use on theGlasgow Airportexpress bus service.[97]
Arriva Midlands ordered 24 low-height specification StreetDeck Electroliner BEVs for service inLeicester, the first of which was delivered in September 2023,[98] with the remaining buses delivered in early 2024.[99] The Oxford Bus Company took delivery of 21 StreetDeck Electroliner BEVs in November 2023 for use on BROOKESbus services 100 & 400,[100][101] the first of an order 91 StreetDeck Electroliner BEVs made in January 2023,[102][103] with the remainder launched to begin entering service from January 2024.[104][105][106]
GlasgowCity Sightseeing operatorWest Coast Motors ordered 10open top dual-door StreetDeck Electroliner BEVs, the first zero emissions buses globally for a City Sightseeing operation, which began to be delivered from February 2024.[107] The Oxford Bus Company also took delivery of eight open top StreetDeck Electroliner BEVs for its City Sightseeing services in March 2024.[108]
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From 2023, a facelifted version of the StreetDeck was introduced, with the front fascia and windscreen area of the bus entirely redesigned to a more rounded appearance. A similar redesigned fascia also introduced onWright GB Kite Electroliners ordered by Abellio London, with both Wrightbus models receiving these modifications to comply with the Transport for London Bus Safety Standard.[109] By July 2025, a tri-axle variant of the StreetDeck Electroliner was in development for export markets in Continental Europe, Asia and Ocenaia, with production of tri-axle models underway in both Wrightbus' Ballymena factory and another factory in Malaysia.[110]
Wrightbus announced the launch of a second-generation Electroliner driveline in November 2025, which primarily saw Forsee Power'sNMC batteries replaced with slimmer 442kWhlithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries manufactured byCATL, extending the StreetDeck Electroliner's range up to 275 miles (443 km) and additionally allowing for a lower floor height. Other upgrades for the StreetDeck Electroliner include a 75-minute 380kW 'rapid charging' time compared to the previous three hours, a new Voith Electrical Drive System and a newGrayson Thermal SystemsHVAC system compliant with TfL standards.[4]
Of the 91 StreetDeck Electroliner BEVs delivered to the Oxford Bus Company between late 2023 and early 2024, 62 were facelifted models branded for use on the Oxford SmartZone enhanced partnership.[104][105] StreetDeck Electroliner BEVs delivered to Abellio London's successor,Transport UK London Bus, from early 2024 were also delivered with the facelifted front fascia, the first such examples to enter service in London,[111] andGo North West took delivery of 19 facelift StreetDeck Electroliners forBee Network franchised bus services in theMetropolitan Borough of Bury in late 2024.[112]
In October 2024, theGo-Ahead Group 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.[113][114] The first Go-Ahead operator to take delivery of vehicles from this deal wasPlymouth Citybus, who began taking delivery of 50 StreetDeck Electroliners in May 2025.[115][116] Another Go-Ahead operator due to receive StreetDeck Electroliners from this deal is Pulhams Coaches, with six being ordered for delivery during 2025.[117]
Following a four-year development programme part funded by theAdvanced Propulsion Centre and involving companiesGrayson Thermal Systems,Queen's University Belfast, HYGEN andTranslink, Wrightbus announced the launch of a second-generation StreetDeck Hydroliner FCEV in February 2025. The Hydroliner Gen 2.0, built with the facelifted front fascia, is to be more cost-efficient for operators compared to the original, and is set to have an increased passenger-carrying capacity through the introduction of a new Ballard fuel cell.[118]
In November 2024, it was announced that StreetDeck Ultroliner diesels, which began to be produced that year with the facelifted front fascia, could also be specified withCummins6.7 ISB 6-cylinder engines.[2]Bus Vannin was the first operator to order StreetDeck Ultroliners specified with the new Cummins engines, taking delivery of six between October and November 2025, two of which were delivered in heritage liveries commemorating 50 years of nationalised bus transport on the Isle of Man.[119][120]
Metroline Manchester was an early major customer for the facelift StreetDeck Ultroliner as part of the rollout of its Tranche 3 Bee Network services, with a total of 135, most of which were ordered byTransport for Greater Manchester, delivered and stored until the commencement of services on 5 January 2025.Stagecoach Manchester, meanwhile, also took delivery of eight StreetDeck Ultroliners built to the same Bee Network specification for use exclusively on route 330, running between theStockport andAshton-under-Lyne interchanges.[121][122]
Due to battery electric vehicles not being a viable option to run on the service,Nottingham City Transport is to take delivery of six StreetDeck Ultroliners in autumn 2025, the operator's first Wrightbus order since 2002, for use on the Pathfinder 26 service, running betweenNottingham city centre andSouthwell.[123]
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In 2018, a diesel StreetDeck demonstrator equipped with Daimler OM936LA 295 hp engine was exported to Hong Kong and placed in service withKowloon Motor Bus in September 2019. The demonstrator was only operated in service for two weeks by KMB due to Wrightbus falling into administration, and the bus was sent back to the United Kingdom in February 2020, later entering service with Ensignbus after extensive modifications for use by the operator on private hire services.[124] Five StreetDecks built to KMB specification were later delivered to company subsidiary SunBus in March 2021.[125]
Five StreetDecks were exported toMonterrey, Mexico in 2017. Although Mexico drives on the right, they were built asright-hand drive vehicles to operate on theEcovíabus rapid transit corridor, in which passengers board from the left-hand side of the road.[126][127] These were laid up out of service in 2019 due to damage from being fuelled with inadequate fuel mixtures.[128] A left-hand drive StreetDeck demonstrator later entered service inSantiago, Chile in March 2019.[129]
TheNational Transport Authority of Ireland plans to place 800 StreetDeck Electroliner BEVs into service across Ireland between 2023 and 2028 as part of a single-supplier agreement with Wrightbus. Around 100 Electroliners began to be delivered toDublin Bus from late 2023 onwards,[130] while 34 entered service withBus Éireann inLimerick in April 2024; a further 21 have been ordered by Bus Éireann for delivery to the city in early 2025.[131]
In 2025, a tri-axle version of the second generation StreetDeck Electroliner was produced for markets in theAsia-Pacific, such as Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia. One demonstrator unit will be shipped to an unnamed Hong Kong operator for a one-year trial.[132]
The StreetDeck, powered by the Daimler OM934 four-cylinder engine and complete with high standard interior, was shown in the Sapphire livery of Arriva who will use it on Route 38 between Sinfin and Derby City Centre.
Rotala is buying 128 StreetDeck double-deckers and around 35 StreetLite single-deckers, all with the Ballymena-based builder's micro-hybrid diesel drive, while the Isle of Man's Bus Vannin is taking 10 StreetDecks with six-cylinder Mercedes-Benz OM936 engines.
The last diesel double-deckers to be delivered were 20 Wright StreetDeck micro-hybrids in Spring 2019.
Its largest customers were Translink, which received 70 for Ulsterbus and Metro, and Rotala, which took 42, mainly to replace vehicles taken over with First operations in Greater Manchester.
The GB Kite Electroliners, at least, will include a revised frontal aspect as part of what the manufacturer describes as "a number of safety features" to make them compliant with the Transport for London (TfL) Bus Safety Standard.
Manchester's Bee Network has grown by 162 Wrightbus Streetdeck Ultroliners this month, due to orders from Transport for Greater Manchester, Metroline, Go North West and others.
Efficiency and durability testing will be completed this summer and a demonstrator will be shipped to an operator in Hong Kong for a 12-month period. Beyond Hong Kong and the UK, the manufacturer sees opportunities for the tri-axle StreetDeck in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, it says.
Media related toWright StreetDeck at Wikimedia Commons