Wright Eclipse

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Single-deck bus body on Volvo low-floor chassis

title: "Wright Eclipse" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["low-floor-buses", "vehicles-introduced-in-1999", "vehicles-discontinued-in-2019", "wrightbus-buses"] description: "Single-deck bus body on Volvo low-floor chassis" topic_path: "general/low-floor-buses" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_Eclipse" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Single-deck bus body on Volvo low-floor chassis ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox UK Bus"]

Field	Value
name	Wright Eclipse
image	EAST COAST BUSES - Flickr - secret coach park.jpg
caption	East Coast Buses Wright Eclipse 3 bodied Volvo B8RLE in September 2018
manufacturer	Wrightbus
production	2000–2019
assembly	Ballymena, Northern Ireland
length	11.8 m12.2 m12.4 m
13.2 m
width	2.5 m
height	3 m
floortype	Low floor/low entry
Step-entrance (Eclipse SchoolRun)
doors	1 or 2
chassis	Volvo B7L
Volvo B7RLE
Volvo B7R
Volvo B8RLE
related	Wright Eclipse Fusion
Wright Eclipse Gemini
engine	B7L: D7C
B7R: D7C
B7RLE: D7C/D7E
B8RLE: D8K
transmission	Voith
ZF Friedrichshafen
predecessor	Wright Renown
successor	Wright GB Hawk
::

The Wright Eclipse is a low-floor single-deck bus body that was built by Wrightbus between 2000 and 2019. The second-generation Eclipse 2 was launched in 2008, followed by the third-generation Eclipse 3 in 2015. The Eclipse, and its sister design the Solar, were named for a solar eclipse which was visible in the UK in 1999, the year of its introduction.

The Eclipse was launched in 2000 on Volvo B7L chassis and, in 2003, the body was made available on the more popular Volvo B7RLE chassis. A coach version, the Eclipse SchoolRun, was later launched on high floor Volvo B7R chassis. In November 2008, Wright unveiled the Eclipse 2 at that year's Euro Bus Expo, with front and rear ends facelifted to match the Wright StreetCar. In 2015, the Eclipse 3 was launched on Volvo B8RLE chassis, the successor to the B7RLE.

A double-decker version of the Eclipse was also available, known as the Wright Eclipse Gemini, as well as an articulated version known as the Wright Eclipse Fusion.

First generation (2000–2010)

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/Arriva_NWW_Volvo_B7L_Wright_Eclipse_1.jpg" caption="[[Arriva North West]] Wright Eclipse Metro bodied [[Volvo B7L]] in June 2008"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/First_Wright_Eclipse_01.jpg" caption="[[First West Yorkshire]] Wright Eclipse Urban bodied [[Volvo B7RLE]] in July 2007"] ::

The first generation Wright Eclipse was launched in 2000 by Wrightbus on Volvo B7L chassis as the replacement for the Wright Renown bodywork on the older Volvo B10BLE chassis. Both a bi-axle and tri-axle variant were offered, however only the former was ever built.

However, sales of the B7L were lower than anticipated in the United Kingdom, owing to its unusual engine layout; as a result, the Eclipse Urban was launched on Volvo B7RLE chassis in 2003, which consequently saw the original B7L bodywork renamed to the Eclipse Metro.

As well as being the largest operator of the Eclipse Metro, the FirstGroup were the largest operators of the Wright Eclipse Urban. 253 Eclipse Urbans were ordered for First Greater Manchester between 2004 and 2006, with other significant orders within the group, among others, delivered to First Glasgow, First West Yorkshire and First West of England, as well as for First's airside shuttle services at Belfast City Airport. Lothian Buses were another popular customer for the Eclipse Urban, with deliveries commencing in 2004; five of these Urbans were used on Edinburgh's guided busway system until it was replaced by the Edinburgh Tram. 38 Urbans were delivered to Travel West Midlands during 2006.

Arriva UK Bus were also a large purchaser of Eclipse Urbans. Notably, 22 were delivered across two batches to Arriva Southern Counties' Fastrack bus rapid transit scheme in 2006 and 2007; these were equipped with audio-visual next stop announcements, air conditioning and CCTV. Elsewhere, Arriva Yorkshire took delivery of 13 Eclipse Urbans in August 2008, and Arriva Scotland West took eleven Urbans, featuring branding for the Glasgow Flyer service and specified with high-specification interiors, in late 2007.

Blazefield Group subsidiary Keighley & District first took delivery of 14 Eclipse Urban bodied Volvo B7RLEs in April 2005, branded as 'the shuttle' for use on route 662 between Keighley and Bradford in competition with regional rail services. These Urbans followed a similar specification to the double-deck Wright Eclipse Geminis delivered for Harrogate bus route 36 a year prior, featuring leather seats with improved legroom and tinted windows, and a red and white route-branded exterior livery with the front of the bus painted in chrome effect paint. A further eight were delivered to Keighley & District for conventional services in 2008, while Blackburn Transport took delivery of 25 during 2007 to aid the company's rebranding to 'SpotOn' following its purchase by Transdev.

Smaller operators of the Eclipse Urban included East Yorkshire Motor Services, who took delivery of 10 between 2005 and 2006 for use on both park and ride and urban services in Kingston upon Hull, Lincolnshire RoadCar, who took delivery of six in 2005 for services in Skegness, Go North East, who took delivery of five in early 2005 for services between Sunderland and South Shields, Whitelaw's of Stonehouse, who took delivery of five in 2004, and Perryman's Coaches of Berwick upon Tweed and Hedingham Omnibuses, each taking delivery of a single Eclipse Urban in 2004 and 2005 respectively.

The only export operator for both the Eclipse and Eclipse Urban was state-owned Irish bus operator Bus Éireann, taking delivery of 48 Eclipse Urbans during 2007.

Eclipse Commuter

Wrightbus also marketed a longer distance and intercity variant of the Eclipse, named the Eclipse Commuter and built on a version of the B7RLE chassis, which had the higher floor section extended to the front axle of the bus. The design included all of the features of a standard coach, such as under-floor storage and a high seating position, while maintaining a small low floor section for passengers in wheelchairs. The first entered service with Ulsterbus in April 2004 while Yorkshire Coastliner ordered six (which never entered service) and Stagecoach West Scotland ordered two, supplied with funding with Dumfries and Galloway Council.

Eclipse SchoolRun

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/Ulsterbus_bus_247_(NEZ_9247)_2007_Volvo_B7R_Wright_Eclipse_SchoolRun,_4_September_2007.jpg" caption="[[Ulsterbus]] Wright Eclipse SchoolRun bodied [[Volvo B7R]] in [[Derry]] in September 2007"] ::

In 2006, Wrightbus launched the Eclipse SchoolRun; effectively an entirely high floor version of the Eclipse Commuter, bodied on Volvo B7R coach chassis. The Eclipse SchoolRun was mainly intended for school bus work. Northern Ireland bus operator Ulsterbus were the only customer to order the Eclipse SchoolRun, initially taking delivery of 160 of the type in their first batch order between 2007 and 2008, with an additional batch of 61 Eclipse SchoolRuns delivered to the operator between 2009 and 2010.

The first 110 Eclipse SchoolRuns delivered between 2007 and 2008 were specified with 66 seats in a 2+3 layout, with several seats at the front of the bus capable of being removed to make room for wheelchairs; the latter 50 buses were delivered with 62 seats and a permanent wheelchair area to save time reconfiguring the seating arrangement. The second batch of 61 buses were delivered to Ulsterbus in this latter configuration between 2009 and 2010.

Second generation (2008–2018)

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/83/First_Essex_Volvo_B7RLE_Wright_Eclipse_Urban_2_69520_(BJ11ECW)_in_1990s_Thamesway_Badgerline_heritage_livery_at_Showbus_2019,_Hertfordshire_Showground,_Redbourn,_St_Albans.jpg" caption="First Essex Volvo B7RLE Wright Eclipse Urban 2 69520 in 1990s Thamesway Badgerline heritage livery at Showbus 2019, Hertfordshire Showground"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/NXWM_17_2172.jpg" caption="[[National Express West Midlands]] Wright Eclipse Urban 2 bodied Volvo B7RLE in November 2025"] ::

The second generation Wright Eclipse, known as the Eclipse Urban 2, was launched at the 2008 Euro Bus Expo as the successor to the Eclipse Urban, although the two designs were produced concurrently until 2009. The Eclipse 2 features a facelifted front fascia and rear end, and was available exclusively on the Volvo B7RLE chassis. The Burnley Bus Company were the first customer to take delivery of the Wright Eclipse Urban 2, with nineteen delivered for the operator's 'Mainline' services in 2009.

The Urban 2 proved popular again with the National Express Group's bus operations, with 147 delivered to National Express West Midlands between 2011 and 2013, 23 of these being delivered to National Express Coventry in 2013, and a further 27 delivered to National Express Dundee in 2011.

Smaller numbers of Urban 2s were sold to FirstGroup operators, with First West Yorkshire receiving ten in 2013 for services in Huddersfield. Arriva Shires & Essex had eleven Urban 2s equipped with guidewheels delivered for service on the Luton to Dunstable Busway in 2012, while ten Urban 2s were delivered to the Go-Ahead Group's Plymouth Citybus subsidiary in April 2012. with 36 were subsequently delivered to morebus in July 2012. Eighteen Urban 2s specified with centre exit doors were also delivered to Metrobus of Crawley in August 2014 for use on the Fastway bus rapid transit scheme.

Municipally-owned operators of the Urban 2 included Lothian Buses, who took delivery of 25 between 2010 and 2013, Network Warrington, who took delivery of twelve in July 2009, and Rossendale Transport, who took delivery of eight in February 2010. Independent Urban 2 operators include McGill's Bus Services, who took delivery of ten Urban 2s in 2011, Minsterley Motors of Annscroft, who took delivery of six in February 2012, Celtic Travel of Llanidloes, who took delivery of three Urban 2s also in early 2012, and Henry Cooper Coaches of Annitsford, who took delivery of a single Urban 2 in September 2010.

A batch of Urban 2s equipped with air conditioning were leased to Malta Public Transport in 2014.

Third generation (2015–2019)

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/East_Coast_Buses_10060_and_10059,_seen_in_Edinburgh.jpg" caption="East Coast Buses]] Wright Eclipse 3 bodied [[Volvo B8RLE]] in July 2018"] ::

The third generation Eclipse, known as the Eclipse 3, was launched in 2015. The Eclipse 3 was only available on Volvo B8RLE chassis, the successor to the B7RLE. As well as the difference in chassis, the front and rear ends initially underwent a minor facelift, incorporating design features from the Wright StreetLite integral design. The first Eclipse 3s entered service with Trentbarton in October 2015 and the second batch by Stagecoach in the Fens for the Cambridgeshire Busway. The front design was revised further in spring 2017 with the first (and only) 13.2 m examples being purchased by East Coast Buses. The first 11.8 m variant with the revised bodywork has since entered service with Delaine Buses.

References

"Full Size". Wrightbus.
(April 2003). "Eclipse Urban – A Compliment to the Wrightbus Eclipse". Wrightbus.
(9 July 2004). "Massive two-year order for First". Partnership Publishing.
(20 March 2006). "First orders 320 Volvo/Wrights". Plum Publishing.
(1 April 2005). "Lothian switches to Volvo/Wrights". Plum Publishing.
(7 February 2006). "Lothian orders Euro 3 and Euro 4". Plum Publishing.
(29 July 2004). "Lothian Volvos arrive and Scania tested". Expo Publishing.
Booth, Gavin. (10 December 2004). "Driving the Edinburgh Busway". Plum Publishing.
(11 April 2006). "NatEx orders 60 from Volvo/Wrightbus". Plum Publishing.
(6 December 2005). "14 high-spec buses for fastrack". Plum Publishing.
Booth, Gavin. (25 April 2006). "Fastrack flight test". Plum Publishing.
(15 August 2008). "Arriva Yorkshire launches new bus fleet". TransportXtra.
(18 December 2007). "Investing in Flyer fleet". Plum Publishing.
Jarosz, Andrew. (28 April 2005). "Blazefield launches 'limousine-style buses'". Emap.
(6 December 2007). "Blazefield takes 18 more Volvos". Plum Publishing.
(9 May 2007). "Transport company's change of name". Lancashire Telegraph.
(25 February 2005). "Eight more Volvos join EYMS". Glen-Holland Limited.
(19 January 2006). "12 more buses for EYMS". Rouncy Media.
(23 June 2005). "Lincolnshire RoadCar continues upgrade". Emap.
(25 February 2005). "Wright B7RLEs for Go North East". Glen-Holland Limited.
(24 September 2004). "Volvo B7RLE is Whitelaw choice". Glen-Holland Limited.
(12 November 2004). "B7RLE first for Perrymans". Glen-Holland Limited.
(22 July 2005). "Volvo B7RLE is Hedingham's latest". Glen-Holland Limited.
(11 April 2007). "Dublin to get hybrid double-decker". Plum Publishing.
(30 January 2003). "Wheelchair access: a Wright solution". Emap.
(28 May 2004). "Blazefield orders six Eclipse Commuters". Plum Publishing.
(9 December 2005). "Eclipse Commuters to enter service". Plum Publishing.
(15 November 2006). "Translink places school bus order". Plum Publishing.
(23 May 2007). "New SchoolRun unveiled by Wrightbus". Plum Publishing.
(18 December 2007). "Translink's new fleet to hit the road with style". Belfast Telegraph.
(10 December 2012). "Raising the bar for bus refurbishment". Plum Publishing.
(18 February 2009). "Nineteen new Volvos for Transdev Burnley and Pendle". Volvo Buses United Kingdom and Ireland.
Challen, John. (1 April 2011). "National Express signs key Volvo Bus deal".
(13 August 2013). "NatEx Coventry and Centro partnership welcomes 33 new buses". Coach & Bus Week.
(12 December 2011). "National Express launches Dennis the Menace and Oor Wullie branded buses". The Drum.
(13 August 2013). "New B7RLEs rolled out for First in Huddersfield". Coach & Bus Week.
(3 October 2012). "Arriva invests £1.7m in Luton Busway fleet". Coach & Bus Week.
(20 January 2012). "Plymouth Citybus invest in new Volvos". Coach & Bus Week.
Challen, John. (11 July 2012). "South coast to benefit from 36 new Volvo buses".
(26 August 2014). "Fastway investment sees 18 new Volvo buses enter service for Metrobus". Volvo Buses United Kingdom & Ireland.
(2 July 2013). "Lothian Buses releases 2012 accounts". Coach & Bus Week.
Cream, Andrew. (11 June 2013). "The latest generation".
(5 September 2009). "New fleet of buses move into town". Warrington Guardian.
(16 February 2010). "Rossendale thank residents with investment in new Volvo buses". Volvo Buses United Kingdom & Ireland.
(15 August 2011). "McGill's upgrade for Glasgow". Plum Publishing.
Challen, John. (6 February 2012). "Minsterley Motors adds six Volvos to its bus fleet".
(31 January 2012). "Celtic Travel's Wright Volvos hit the road". Coach & Bus Week.
(14 September 2010). "Loyal Volvo customer Henry Cooper Coaches back for more with new B7RLE". Volvo Buses United Kingdom & Ireland.
(12 January 2015). "Malta's new contractor starts". Coach & Bus Week.
(October 2015). "Wrightbus launches Eclipse 3". Key Publishing.
Champan, Jessamy. (19 April 2017). "15 single-decks for East Lothian". routeone.
(19 September 2018). "Delaine upgrades fleet and goes contactless". routeone.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::