THE Indian owners of a North Yorkshire bus factory has announced it is looking to close the plant with the loss of 200 jobs.
The move affects the Switch Mobility Limited UK (Switch UK) plant at Sherburn-in-Elmet near Tadcaster, which until 2020 was known as Optare, and has customers including First York.
Parent company Ashok Leyland blames continuing general economic uncertainty in the UK and Europe, plus a slower than expected transition to electric vehicles in public transport for the move.
On Wednesday, the board of directors of Switch Mobility Limited UK (Switch UK) approved the start of a consultation process with employees which could potentially lead to the end of bus manufacturing and assembly at Sherburn-in-Elmet.
Switch UK says it will execute and complete all the orders on hand and will continue to provide aftermarket support for existing vehicles.
The plan is to cater to the UK and Europe markets, when the market recovers, from Ashok Leyland’s alternate manufacturing sites in India and UAE.
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