Alexander Dennis Enviro200Dart
Encyclopedia
The Alexander Dennis Enviro200 Dart is a midibus
manufactured by Alexander Dennis
for the British
market as the successor of the Dart SLF chassis and Pointer
body.
in August of that year. The bus is available in five lengths, ranging from 8.9m to 11.4m.
Unlike the innovative but unsuccessful TransBus Enviro200, the chassis of Enviro200 Dart (also known as the Dart 4) retains the conventional rear-engined layout of the Dart, and is offered with a choice of four or six-cylinder Cummins
ISBe Euro IV engines with a range of transmission options, and features new front and rear axles.
It offers the same seating capacity of the Pointer, but with more 'fixed' seats rather than 'tip up' for each length. The vehicle features integrated chassis and body multiplexing, and cantilevered seats.
Externally, the bus features the same front panel as the double-deck Enviro400, projecting a "family look" onto the two models. The Enviro200 Dart chassis is also available with East Lancs Esteem and MCV
Evolution bodywork.
As of February 2007 the body of Enviro200 Dart became available on MAN 14.240 chassis, this is to give the option of EGR
emissions reduction as some operators prefer this technology to the Cummins' SCR
.
In August 2007 due to very large orders for the Enviro400, Alexander Dennis announced that the production of Enviro200 bodywork would be moved from the Alexander Dennis's plant at Falkirk
to the recently acquired Plaxton
factory at Scarborough. This means that the Scarborough factory once again bodying the Dart chassis, and bodying the MAN 14.240 both with the Plaxton Centro
and Enviro200 bodies simultaneously.
In 2008, Alexander Dennis unveiled the hybrid-electric powered version of Enviro200 Dart (known as the Enviro200H, not to be confused with the TransBus Enviro200H which was unveiled in 2003) using BAE Systems
's HybriDrive series drive system with Cummins ISBe 4-cylinder engine fitted for power generation.
From around 2009, most began to refer to the Enviro200 Dart simply as the "Alexander Dennis Enviro200". This creates confusion with the original TransBus model.
-based Jim Stones Coaches
, and is a single 10.7m version of the model. The first in the London
area were two 8.9m models with Sunray Travel
, for route 516 which was newly won from September 2006. The first for a Transport for London
contract were six 10.2m Enviro200 Darts for Travel London
for use on route 152 in December 2006. Another early customer for the Enviro200 Dart was East Yorkshire Motor Services
, taking four 10.7m examples in December 2006 and eight 10.7m examples in 2007. Now most operators of London Buses
routes own Enviro200 Darts.
The Enviro200 Dart was also sold for export. In January 2007 Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation
of Hong Kong
ordered 11 Enviro200 Dart for delivery in 2008, they are 11.3 metres in length and entered service in 2008/2009. Bus Éireann
of Ireland
received 23 in 2008/2009. One demonstrator had been exported to Australia
.
For the Enviro200-bodied MAN 14.240, Stagecoach
ordered 50 example in 2007 (for delivery in 2008) and 32 in 2008, making it one of the standard Stagecoach midibuses. These have rounded instead of squared gasket glazing.
Competitors (bodywork):
Midibus
A midibus is a classification of single-decker minibuses which generally are larger than a traditional minibus but smaller than a full-size single decker and can be anywhere between and long...
manufactured by Alexander Dennis
Alexander Dennis
Alexander Dennis Limited is the largest bus builder in the United Kingdom. It incorporated the three last surviving bus manufacturers which started bus production before World War II: Dennis, Alexander and Plaxton.- History :Alexander Dennis was formed as TransBus on 1 January 2001, after the...
for the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
market as the successor of the Dart SLF chassis and Pointer
Plaxton Pointer
The Plaxton Pointer is a successful single-decker bus body manufactured during the 1990s by Plaxton and latterly built by Alexander Dennis.With the launch of the Dennis Dart in 1989, Plaxton's subsidiary Reeve Burgess made the Pointer body on the short 8.5 m...
body.
Design
The Enviro200 Dart was announced by Alexander Dennis on 20 March 2006, with the vehicle being launched at a media event at the Alexander Dennis factory in GuildfordGuildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
in August of that year. The bus is available in five lengths, ranging from 8.9m to 11.4m.
Unlike the innovative but unsuccessful TransBus Enviro200, the chassis of Enviro200 Dart (also known as the Dart 4) retains the conventional rear-engined layout of the Dart, and is offered with a choice of four or six-cylinder Cummins
Cummins
Cummins Inc. is a Fortune 500 corporation that designs, manufactures, distributes and services engines and related technologies, including fuel systems, controls, air handling, filtration, emission control and electrical power generation systems...
ISBe Euro IV engines with a range of transmission options, and features new front and rear axles.
It offers the same seating capacity of the Pointer, but with more 'fixed' seats rather than 'tip up' for each length. The vehicle features integrated chassis and body multiplexing, and cantilevered seats.
Externally, the bus features the same front panel as the double-deck Enviro400, projecting a "family look" onto the two models. The Enviro200 Dart chassis is also available with East Lancs Esteem and MCV
MCV Bus and Coach
MCV Bus and Coach is a British manufacturer of bus bodies founded in late 2002 after buying the assets of defunct bus builder Marshall Bus who closed down in the summer of that year...
Evolution bodywork.
As of February 2007 the body of Enviro200 Dart became available on MAN 14.240 chassis, this is to give the option of EGR
Exhaust gas recirculation
In internal combustion engines, exhaust gas recirculation is a nitrogen oxide emissions reduction technique used in petrol/gasoline and diesel engines. EGR works by recirculating a portion of an engine's exhaust gas back to the engine cylinders. In a gasoline engine, this inert exhaust...
emissions reduction as some operators prefer this technology to the Cummins' SCR
Selective catalytic reduction
Selective catalytic reduction is a means of converting nitrogen oxides, also referred to as with the aid of a catalyst into diatomic nitrogen , , and water, . A gaseous reductant, typically anhydrous ammonia, aqueous ammonia or urea, is added to a stream of flue or exhaust gas and is absorbed...
.
In August 2007 due to very large orders for the Enviro400, Alexander Dennis announced that the production of Enviro200 bodywork would be moved from the Alexander Dennis's plant at Falkirk
Falkirk
Falkirk is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies in the Forth Valley, almost midway between the two most populous cities of Scotland; north-west of Edinburgh and north-east of Glasgow....
to the recently acquired Plaxton
Plaxton
Plaxton is a builder of bus and coach vehicle bodies based in Scarborough, England.-History:The Plaxton of today is the successor to a business founded in Scarborough in 1907 by Frederick William Plaxton.-Beginnings:...
factory at Scarborough. This means that the Scarborough factory once again bodying the Dart chassis, and bodying the MAN 14.240 both with the Plaxton Centro
Plaxton Centro
The Plaxton Centro is a bus body designed by Bluebird Vehicles and manufactured by Plaxton. It was launched on the VDL SB120 in February 2006. The Centro was also made available on the VDL SB200 chassis in 2006. In 2007 the Centro was made available on the MAN 12.240 and the Volvo B7RLE chassis....
and Enviro200 bodies simultaneously.
In 2008, Alexander Dennis unveiled the hybrid-electric powered version of Enviro200 Dart (known as the Enviro200H, not to be confused with the TransBus Enviro200H which was unveiled in 2003) using BAE Systems
BAE Systems
BAE Systems plc is a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that has global interests, particularly in North America through its subsidiary BAE Systems Inc. BAE is among the world's largest military contractors; in 2009 it was the...
's HybriDrive series drive system with Cummins ISBe 4-cylinder engine fitted for power generation.
From around 2009, most began to refer to the Enviro200 Dart simply as the "Alexander Dennis Enviro200". This creates confusion with the original TransBus model.
The orders
60 confirmed vehicles were ordered at the vehicle's launch, with options for up to 50 more being declared. The first Enviro200 Dart entered service in August 2006 with LeighLeigh, Greater Manchester
Leigh is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England. It is southeast of Wigan, and west of Manchester. Leigh is situated on low lying land to the north west of Chat Moss....
-based Jim Stones Coaches
Jim Stones Coaches
Jim Stones Coaches is a bus operator that operates a number of commercial and supported routes on behalf of Transport for Greater Manchester in the town Wigan Borough Town of Leigh in Western Greater Manchester area...
, and is a single 10.7m version of the model. The first in the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
area were two 8.9m models with Sunray Travel
Sunray Travel
Sunray Travel is a bus and coach operator based in the Surrey town of Epsom, England. They operate private hire coaches, and previously a variety of bus services, however as of September 2011 are now only running one Surrey County Council school bus contract...
, for route 516 which was newly won from September 2006. The first for a Transport for London
Transport for London
Transport for London is the local government body responsible for most aspects of the transport system in Greater London in England. Its role is to implement the transport strategy and to manage transport services across London...
contract were six 10.2m Enviro200 Darts for Travel London
Travel London
Travel London was a bus operator in London which was originally a subsidiary of the National Express Group. In May 2009 the company was sold to NedRailways, now called Abellio...
for use on route 152 in December 2006. Another early customer for the Enviro200 Dart was East Yorkshire Motor Services
East Yorkshire Motor Services
East Yorkshire Motor Services is a large bus and coach operator which operates throughout Kingston upon Hull, the East Riding of Yorkshire, the North Yorkshire coast and the North York Moors. In and around Scarborough, EYMS operates as Scarborough & District Motor Services...
, taking four 10.7m examples in December 2006 and eight 10.7m examples in 2007. Now most operators of London Buses
London Buses
London Buses is the subsidiary of Transport for London that manages bus services within Greater London, UK. Buses are required to carry similar red colour schemes and conform to the same fare scheme...
routes own Enviro200 Darts.
The Enviro200 Dart was also sold for export. In January 2007 Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation
Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation
The Kowloon–Canton Railway Corporation was established in 1982 under the Kowloon–Canton Railway Corporation Ordinance for the purposes of operating the Kowloon–Canton Railway , and to construct and operate other new railways...
of Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
ordered 11 Enviro200 Dart for delivery in 2008, they are 11.3 metres in length and entered service in 2008/2009. Bus Éireann
Bus Éireann
Bus Éireann provides bus services in Ireland with the exception of those operated entirely within the Dublin Region, which are provided by Dublin Bus. Bus Éireann, established as a separate company in 1987, is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann. The logo of Bus Éireann incorporates a red Irish...
of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
received 23 in 2008/2009. One demonstrator had been exported to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
For the Enviro200-bodied MAN 14.240, Stagecoach
Stagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group plc is an international transport group operating buses, trains, trams, express coaches and ferries. The group was founded in 1980 by the current chairman, Sir Brian Souter, his sister, Ann Gloag, and her former husband Robin...
ordered 50 example in 2007 (for delivery in 2008) and 32 in 2008, making it one of the standard Stagecoach midibuses. These have rounded instead of squared gasket glazing.
See also
Competitors (chassis/complete bus):- MAN 12.240/14.240
- Optare SoloOptare SoloThe Optare Solo is a low-floor midibus manufactured by Optare in Leeds, UK since 1997. The name "Solo" is a play on the low-floor status of the bus, the manufacturer believing its vehicle having an entrance that is "so low" from the floor, namely 200 mm with kneeling suspension.The innovative...
- Optare VersaOptare VersaThe Optare Versa is a midibus built by Optare in its Leeds factory. It was officially launched in Britain at the Euro Bus Expo 2006 at the NEC, Birmingham, on 7 November 2006, with the first order of 25 buses being placed by Stagecoach on the same day....
- VDL SB180
Competitors (bodywork):
- East Lancs Esteem
- MCV EvolutionMCV EvolutionThe MCV Evolution is a single-decker bus bodywork built by Manufacturing Commercial Vehicles. It was unveiled in late 2004.This body is based on the frame of the Stirling but has been drastically restyled, incorporating a new roof-dome , and other new mouldings...
- Plaxton CentroPlaxton CentroThe Plaxton Centro is a bus body designed by Bluebird Vehicles and manufactured by Plaxton. It was launched on the VDL SB120 in February 2006. The Centro was also made available on the VDL SB200 chassis in 2006. In 2007 the Centro was made available on the MAN 12.240 and the Volvo B7RLE chassis....