Some things are better in person
Some things are better in person
You can do a lot from a desk. You can read product spec sheets. You can scroll through LinkedIn for industry updates. You can revisit the Masterclass Theatre sessions from 2024.
But there are things that don't translate. The feel of a new vehicle interior. How comfortable your drivers and passengers will be after hours on the road. The off-record comment from a fellow operator that changes how you think about a problem you've been stuck on for months. The supplier whose question, asked at the right moment, opens up a route you hadn't considered.
That's what Euro Bus Expo is for. Three days at NEC Birmingham, 3–5 November 2026, where the entire UK coach and bus industry comes together.
With 36 first-time exhibitors joining a confirmed line-up building towards 200, this is what to expect in 2026.
New vehicles, on the show floor
A spec sheet tells you what a vehicle is. A walk-around brings it to life – and the conversation alongside it is often where a decision gets made.
Euro Bus Expo 2026 brings together more than 25 vehicle exhibitors and over 75 vehicles across the halls. That's the largest single gathering of UK road-ready coach, bus, and mini/midi buses anywhere in the world. Powertrains, formats, and manufacturers you won't find together anywhere else in the country.
Recent additions to the show include Scania, Temsa, and Noone, who join a show floor already populated by leading manufacturers and dealers serving the UK market.
Major launches happen at Euro Bus Expo because this is where the industry comes to do business. This year, that includes the world premiere of the Futura 3 right-hand drive on the show floor from VDL Bus Group.
Irizar, fresh from opening its new UK headquarters in Blyth, will be on the floor with its latest line-up, alongside Alexander Dennis, Daimler Buses, Pelican Yutong, and Volvo, plus BYD, Mellor, and Wrightbus, and many of the other major manufacturers serving the UK market.
Selected vehicles may also be available for ride and drive across the three days. Multiple manufacturers, side-by-side. The kind of direct comparison that brochure specs and demo videos can't deliver.
For anyone making real fleet decisions, this is the only environment in the UK that lets you see, drive, and shortlist multiple manufacturers in a single visit.
The supply chain, in the same room
The vehicles get the headlines. But no fleet runs on vehicles alone.
Beyond the manufacturer stands, Euro Bus Expo brings together the companies you partner with, build relationships with, and rely on.
Charging and depot infrastructure partners like Zenobe. Operational software and telematics from Microlise, Geotab, and others. Ticketing and payments specialists like Ticketer, Masabi, and Littlepay. Finance, leasing, and legal advice from Asset Alliance Group, Gallagher, and Backhouse Jones. And the components, seating, training, and aftermarket specialists that keep your fleet on the road and your operation competitive.
The technical question. The handshake that turns an enquiry into an order. The relationship that grows over years of working together. All of it moves faster when the people involved are in the same room.
That's why the whole industry comes to Euro Bus Expo. A sector that only meets one part of itself at a time isn't really meeting at all.
Innovation, in front of you
The most efficient way to see what's new across the supply chain.
The Innovation Challenge is where you find the products, technologies, and services that could take your operation to the next level – competing for your vote across days one and two, with finalists pitching live in the Masterclass Theatre on day three.
For suppliers, it's a platform that puts new thinking directly in front of the buyers who can act on it. For visitors, it's the fastest way to find what's new across the supply chain – and do business with the people behind it.
Where the industry talks honestly
Some conversations are better in person.
The Masterclass Theatre is where the people who've already solved your problem share how. The 2026 programme tackles the issues most pressing for operators and authorities right now.
Peers tackling the same challenges, in the same room, in real time. That's what changes thinking. The candid bits, the admissions, the real detail happens on the day.
And if you've got something the industry needs to hear, the Theatre is where it belongs. The Call for Speakers is open. If you've solved a problem others are still working on, navigated a regulatory change, identified a way the sector can progress, or have a clear view on what's coming next, this is the platform to share. Submissions close 19 June 2026.
See the topics and apply to speak.
Be there
You can read about Euro Bus Expo. You can catch up with the highlights afterwards. You can scroll through the post-show coverage and feel you've kept pace.
Or you can be there.
Some things are better in person. Especially when the whole industry is in the room.
Registration is open. Free entry, three days, the entire UK coach and bus sector under one roof. Get your ticket today.
If you want your business in front of the operators and decision-makers driving the sector forward, the last stands available are going fast. Contact Martin Laverton on +44 (0) 1733 405735 or [email protected] before they're gone.
TfGM orders 125 further Wrightbus electrics for the Bee Network
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has ordered a further 125 battery-electric buses from Wrightbus for the franchised Bee Network. The procurement is a mix of the double-deck StreetDeck Electroliner (pictured) and the single-deck GB Kite Electroliner.
Those buses will follow 76 StreetDeck Electroliners that are in the process of delivery and 55 more electric buses from Wrightbus that are in hand. All continue work on moving the Bee Network towards its target of running an entirely zero-emission fleet by 2030.
Of the latest batch, 100 buses will go to Hyde Road depot to the south-east of Manchester city centre. It is operated by Metroline Manchester and is being upgraded to support the electric fleet. The other 25 are for Stagecoach. Of those, nine will be StreetDeck Electroliners and 16 will be GB Kite Electroliners.
From the batch of 76 StreetDeck Electroliner double-decks under delivery, 33 are in service with Go North West from Bolton depot primarily on routes 8 and 10 into Manchester city centre.
The other 43 are to a higher specification for V1, V2 and V4 services that utilise the Leigh Guided Busway. Those buses “have passed inspection at the Ballymena factory” and will enter service with Go North West over coming weeks, TfGM says.
Speaking about the work with Wrightbus, Transport Commissioner for Greater Manchester Vernon Everitt adds: “It is brilliant to see these new yellow electric buses come off the production line and onto the streets of Greater Manchester. There will be many more to come.
“Placing these orders for another 125 zero-emission vehicles from Wrightbus puts the Bee Network on track to meet our target to have a fully electric fleet by 2030, bringing huge benefits for our passengers, air quality, and the fast-growing economy.”
Half of the Bee Network’s depots have been electrified so far. Those at Ashton-under-Lyne and Middleton are both now fully zero-emission.
Wrightbus Managing Director Christian Reynolds has thanked the franchising authority for its further business. “This latest order for our battery-electric buses from TfGM builds on our existing fleet of vehicles in operation and reflects a strong commitment to UK manufacturing and the domestic supply chain,” he says.
“It demonstrates the competitiveness of both our product and our integrated supply ecosystem against international alternatives.”
WYCA orders 193 Wrightbus electric buses for Weaver Network
The West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) has ordered 193 battery-electric vehicles from Wrightbus for its franchised Weaver Network in the region, which will commence rollout in mid-2027.
Worth up to £100 million, the purchase captures double- and single-deck models from the StreetDeck Electroliner and GB Kite Electroliner ranges. Each will have twin wheelchair user spaces and flexible accommodation for pushchairs and luggage, the combined authority says. Latest generation batteries will be fitted to maximise range.
Wrightbus will build the Weaver Network buses in Ballymena. Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin (pictured, second from left) says that WYCA is “proud to be buying from a UK firm” and adds that such a position is “another benefit of a publicly-controlled bus network.”
An opening example of a Weaver Network-liveried StreetDeck Electroliner was recently displayed in Leeds. WYCA earlier confirmed that Huddersfield-based supplier Camira will produce seat upholstery for all Weaver Network buses.
Success in West Yorkshire for Wrightbus follows purchase of StreetDeck Electroliners for franchised networks in Greater Manchester and the Liverpool City Region. Both StreetDeck and GB Kite Electroliner models are already in service in the deregulated West Yorkshire environment with First Bus.
Says Managing Director Christian Reynolds: “This award reflects a clear commitment to UK manufacturing and the domestic supply chain in a highly competitive global market. Securing this contract enables us to demonstrate the strength, quality and competitiveness of UK-built zero-emission vehicles.
“For over 80 years, Wrightbus has sustained a nationwide supply chain, and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s successful franchising model ensures that this economic contribution continues – driving investment, innovation and long-term industrial growth in the UK. We are proud to see these vehicles serving key routes in West Yorkshire.”
Contract awards for the first round of bus franchising in the region are expected to be made by the end of June. That opening tranche will capture Dewsbury, Huddersfield, and one of two Leeds zones.