The affordable tram

摘要

The bus building industry has had a successful couple of years, following a series of large orders as London updated its fleet. The decline after that high point means that competition will become fiercer. The strategy of Northern Ireland's Wright Group is a textbook response to such market conditions: to create a niche to sell into. Simply put, its plan is to change the way people think about its products, to manufacture its buses to be more than just buses. The niche Wrightbus is aiming for is the chasm between conventional buses and trams. Although, over their lifespan, trams cost about the same amount as buses, the initial outlay is enormous. In their favour, trams offer a smoother ride and an experience for passengers that isn't tainted by thoughts of run-down and smoky buses. To exploit this niche, Wrightbus's vehicles need to offer the quality experience of a tram without the costs that seem prohibitive following the government's decision not to support the Leeds, South Hampshire and Merseyside tram schemes.