The Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC (sold as the Alexander Dennis Enviro400) is a
low-floor
Accessibility is the design of products, devices, services, vehicles, or environments so as to be usable by people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design and practice of accessible development ensures both "direct access" (i. ...
double-decker bus
A double-decker bus or double-deck bus is a bus that has two storeys or decks. They are used for mass transport in the United Kingdom, the United States, New Zealand, Europe, Asia and also in cities such as Sydney; the best-known example is the ...
produced by the British bus manufacturer
Alexander Dennis
Alexander Dennis is a British bus manufacturing company based in Larbert, Scotland. The largest bus and coach manufacturer in the United Kingdom with a 50% market share in 2019, it has manufacturing plants and partnerships in Canada, China, ...
since 2014, replacing the
Alexander Dennis Enviro400
The Alexander Dennis Enviro400 is a twin-axle low-floor bus, low-floor double-decker bus that was built by the United Kingdom, British bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis between 2005 and 2018. It replaced the Alexander ALX400, Dennis Trident 2, ...
. The Enviro400 MMC is produced at Alexander Dennis'
Falkirk
Falkirk ( gd, An Eaglais Bhreac, sco, Fawkirk) is a large town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow.
Falkirk had a ...
and
Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to:
People
* Scarborough (surname)
* Earl of Scarbrough
Places Australia
* Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth
* Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong
* Scarborough, Queensland, su ...
factories in the United Kingdom.
The Enviro400 MMC is available as a complete integral bus – including an alternative styling, the Enviro400 City – or as a bus bodywork on
Scania
Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces of Sweden, provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conte ...
and
Volvo
The Volvo Group ( sv, Volvokoncernen; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distributio ...
chassis. A tri-axle variant, known as the Enviro400 XLB, is also produced. The Enviro400 MMC is available powered by either
Euro VI
The European emission standards are vehicle emission standards for pollution from the use of new land surface vehicles sold in the European Union and EEA member states and the UK, and ships in EU waters. The standards are defined in a ser ...
diesel
Diesel may refer to:
* Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression
* Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines
* Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engin ...
,
compressed natural gas
Compressed natural gas (CNG) is a fuel gas mainly composed of methane (CH4), compressed to less than 1% of the volume it occupies at standard atmospheric pressure. It is stored and distributed in hard containers at a pressure of , usually in cy ...
(CNG),
hybrid-electric or
fully-electric powertrains.
Introduction
The Enviro400 MMC can trace its design roots back to 1997, with the introduction of the
Dennis Trident 2
The Dennis Trident 2 is a 2-axle low-floor double-decker bus chassis originally manufactured by Dennis, which was unveiled in 1997 and replaced the Dennis Arrow. It was built by TransBus after Dennis was incorporated into the group in 2001, th ...
, one of the first low-floor double-decker buses to enter service. The model saw immense success at the turn of the millennium, despite financial difficulties facing
Dennis Specialist Vehicles
Dennis Specialist Vehicles was an English manufacturer of commercial vehicles based in Guildford, building buses, fire engines, lorries (trucks) and municipal vehicles such as dustcarts. All vehicles were made to order to the customer's require ...
during this period. As a result of these, production of the Trident 2 passed first to
TransBus International
Alexander Dennis is a British bus manufacturing company based in Larbert, Scotland. The largest bus and coach manufacturer in the United Kingdom with a 50% market share in 2019, it has manufacturing plants and partnerships in Canada, China, E ...
in 2001 and then to
Alexander Dennis
Alexander Dennis is a British bus manufacturing company based in Larbert, Scotland. The largest bus and coach manufacturer in the United Kingdom with a 50% market share in 2019, it has manufacturing plants and partnerships in Canada, China, ...
in 2004.
Alexander Dennis updated the basic Trident 2 chassis to launch the
Alexander Dennis Enviro400
The Alexander Dennis Enviro400 is a twin-axle low-floor bus, low-floor double-decker bus that was built by the United Kingdom, British bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis between 2005 and 2018. It replaced the Alexander ALX400, Dennis Trident 2, ...
in 2005 – the basic chassis of which was initially still badged internally as a Trident. A second-generation Enviro400 was launched in 2009, with facelifted styling and updated chassis design which finally dropped the Trident moniker. The second-generation Enviro400 was overhauled again to create the Enviro400 MMC, which was launched as the classic model's eventual replacement in 2014. Production of the Enviro400 ceased in 2018.
Core body designs
Enviro400 MMC
The Enviro400 MMC (Major Model Change) was unveiled by Alexander Dennis on 1 May 2014 as the successor to the
Enviro400
The Alexander Dennis Enviro400 is a twin-axle low-floor double-decker bus that was built by the British bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis between 2005 and 2018. It replaced the Alexander ALX400, Dennis Trident (from which the Enviro400 was de ...
. Compared to the Enviro400, changes included a complete body redesign with new front and rear ends and Euro VI engines as standard. The
Oxford Bus Company
Oxford Bus Company is the trading name of The City of Oxford Motor Services Ltd. Company Number 91106 It is a bus operator serving the city and surrounding area of Oxford, England. It is a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group.
History Horse trams ...
were among the first operators to purchase the Enviro400 MMC, followed by the
Go-Ahead Group
The Go-Ahead Group plc is a passenger transport company based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, with operations in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Singapore, Norway and Germany. Formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange, in 2022 it was purchased ...
, the
Stagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group is a transport group based in Perth, Scotland. It operates buses, express coaches and a tram service in the United Kingdom.
History
Stagecoach was born out of deregulation of the British express coach market in the early ...
and
Reading Buses
Reading Buses is a bus operator serving the towns of Reading, Bracknell, Newbury, Slough, Windsor, Maidenhead, Wokingham and the surrounding areas in the counties of Berkshire, Oxfordshire, and Hampshire, England, as well as parts of Greater L ...
.
The Stagecoach Group, the founders of which were shareholders of Alexander Dennis until 2019, operate a large number of Enviro400 MMCs across the group's operations in England, Wales and Scotland. Outside London, some of the largest fleets are in service with their
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
and
Merseyside and South Lancashire subsidiaries.
Most have been delivered to the company's standard single-door specification, but there have been some exceptions: at
Stagecoach East Midlands, six Enviro400 MMCs entered service on
Lincolnshire InterConnect
Lincolnshire InterConnect is a rural Public transport bus service, bus network in the Counties of England, county of Lincolnshire in the east of England.
A number of ''InterConnect''-branded Intercity bus, interurban bus routes with fixed Pub ...
cross-county services in November 2017 in a purple variation of the standard Stagecoach livery, while fourteen Enviro400 MMCs entered service at
Mansfield
Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area (followed by Sutton-in-Ashfield). It gained the Royal Charter of a market tow ...
and Workshop depots between 2018 and 2020 for the
Nottingham
Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...
to
Chesterfield
Chesterfield may refer to:
Places Canada
* Rural Municipality of Chesterfield No. 261, Saskatchewan
* Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom
* Chesterfield, Derbyshire, a market town in England
** Chesterfield (UK Parliament constitue ...
'Pronto' service.
Stagecoach East
Stagecoach East is the divisional name for the bus operations of the Stagecoach Group in eastern England.
History
Under the control of the National Bus Company, ''Cambus Ltd.'' was set up when the Eastern Counties Omnibus Company was split in ...
introduced 22 dual-door Enviro400 MMCs painted in colour-coded liveries to
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
's park & ride network in 2017, while
Stagecoach Bluebird introduced eight branded Enviro400 MMCs equipped with luggage racks to its 'JET 727' service to
Aberdeen Airport
Aberdeen International Airport ( gd, Port-adhair Eadar-nàiseanta Obar Dheathain) is an international airport, located in the Dyce suburb of Aberdeen, Scotland, approximately northwest of Aberdeen city centre. A total of just under 3.1  ...
, and 12 branded examples were introduced to
Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire
Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire operates both local and regional bus services in Cumbria, Lancashire, Northumberland and Tyne and Wear, England, as well as Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It is a subsidiary of the Stagecoach Group, which ...
's scenic Lakes Connection 555 service in the
Lake District
The Lake District, also known as the Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous for its lakes, forests, and mountains (or ''fells''), and its associations with William Wordswor ...
in 2016. Enviro400 MMCs for
Stagecoach Gold
Stagecoach Gold is a luxury bus sub-brand used by various Stagecoach bus subsidiaries in the United Kingdom.
Stagecoach Gold (originally Goldline) was launched in 2007 and was designed to attract more middle-class passengers to choose bus travel ...
services began to be delivered from 2016 onwards; examples have entered service with
Stagecoach South
Stagecoach South is a bus operator providing services in South East England. It is a subsidiary of Stagecoach. It operates services in Hampshire, Surrey, and Sussex with some routes extending into Brighton and Wiltshire. It operates 487 buses fr ...
,
Stagecoach Yorkshire
Stagecoach Yorkshire is an operating division of Stagecoach Group.
It was formed in 2005 to take over the former Traction Group fleets in Yorkshire by Stagecoach Group, which took over Traction from Frank Carter on 14 December 2005; Yorkshi ...
,
Stagecoach West
Stagecoach West is the trading name of Cheltenham & Gloucester Omnibus Company Limited, a bus operator providing services in Gloucestershire, Bristol, Swindon, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, North Somerset and Herefordshire, in the West of England. ...
and Stagecoach Merseyside & South Lancashire.
National Express West Midlands
National Express West Midlands (NXWM) is a bus operator in the West Midlands that operates services in Birmingham, Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall, Wolverhampton, and Solihull, as well as limited routes outside of the general area of Birmingham, su ...
(NXWM) also operate a large number of Enviro400 MMCs, mainly for its high-specification Platinum network. Deliveries of the first batches of these buses began in 2015 with deliveries of over one hundred of the type for services in
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
. 58 of these were delivered with Platinum branding, with the remaining order being delivered in the company's standard 'crimson' livery. A further 96 Platinum Enviro400 MMCs were purchased in 2016 for services in the
Black Country
The Black Country is an area of the West Midlands county, England covering most of the Metropolitan Boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell and Walsall. Dudley and Tipton are generally considered to be the centre. It became industrialised during its ro ...
, 38 more were delivered throughout December 2017 for services in
Harborne
Harborne is an area of south-west Birmingham, England. It is one of the most affluent areas of the Midlands, southwest from Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in ...
, and 72 more were delivered in 2018 for the 9, 50, X10 and X70 services, as well as for sister company
National Express Coventry
National Express Coventry is a bus operator providing services in Coventry. It is a subsidiary of National Express operating on the operators licence of National Express West Midlands.
History
In October 1986 the bus operations of the West ...
's first Platinum services. Enviro400 MMCs built to similar specification were also purchased for service with
Xplore Dundee
Xplore Dundee is a bus operator based in Dundee, Scotland, operating services mainly within Dundee City. The operator also runs a service to Edinburgh Airport. It is a subsidiary of McGill’s Buses, which is based in Greenock, Scotland.
Histo ...
between 2018 and 2019. Orders of the diesel Enviro400 MMC ceased in 2020 after the
National Express Group
National Express Group is a British multinational public transport company headquartered in Birmingham, England. It operates bus, coach, train and tram services in the United Kingdom, Ireland (National Express operates Eurolines in conjunction ...
pledged to stop buying diesel buses for its West Midlands and Coventry operations.
The Enviro400 MMC has also received orders from the
FirstGroup
FirstGroup plc is a British multi-national transport group, based in Aberdeen, Scotland.[First Scotland East
First South East & Central Scotland, formerly known as First Scotland East, was an operator of both local and regional bus services in Clackmannanshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, Falkirk, Fife, Midlothian, North Lanarkshire, Scottish B ...]
received 19 Enviro400 MMCs in 2016 for services in
West Lothian
West Lothian ( sco, Wast Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Iar) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and was one of its shires of Scotland, historic counties. The county was called Linlithgowshire until 1925. The historic county was bounded geogra ...
, and a total of 96 Enviro400 MMCs were delivered to
First Glasgow
First Glasgow is the largest bus company serving the Greater Glasgow area in Scotland. It is a subsidiary of FirstGroup. The company operates within the area covered by the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport, a public body responsible for h ...
by 2019. Enviro400 MMCs have also entered service with
, primarily for its
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
operation,
First West Yorkshire
First West Yorkshire operates both local and regional bus services in West Yorkshire, England. It is a subsidiary of the FirstGroup, and is made up of three sub-division brands: First Bradford, First Halifax, Calder Valley & Huddersfield and Firs ...
, who had eight high-specification Enviro400 MMCs delivered for the ''Wharfedale Connection'' X84 service between
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
and
Skipton
Skipton (also known as Skipton-in-Craven) is a market town and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the East Division of Staincliffe Wapentake in the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is on the River Air ...
, and with
First Kernow
Kernow (formerly known as First Kernow) is a bus company operating services in Cornwall, England. It is part of First South West, a subsidiary of FirstGroup.
History
Kernow is a division of First South West, which was formed from two previou ...
, where 51 Enviro400 MMCs entered service on the company's branded services. 16 Enviro400 MMCs were delivered to
Go Cornwall Bus in 2020 following the subsequent tendering of the
Cornwall County Council
Cornwall County Council ( kw, Konteth Konsel Kernow) was the county council of the non-metropolitan county of Cornwall in south west England. It came into its powers on 1 April 1889 and was abolished on 1 April 2009.
History
Cornwall County Counc ...
's entire bus network to the Go-Ahead Group.
Arriva UK Bus
Arriva UK Bus is a major bus operator in the United Kingdom based in Sunderland, England. It is a subsidiary of Arriva which runs transport services across Europe, which has been a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn since 2010.
Arriva UK Bus operates ...
also operate Enviro400 MMCs.
Arriva Midlands
Arriva Midlands is a bus operator providing services in the East Midlands and West Midlands areas of England. It is a subsidiary of Arriva UK Bus.
Arriva Midlands North Operations
In September 1981 Midland Red North was formed with 230 bus ...
introduced 35 of the type for services in
Leicester
Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city l ...
in 2016, while 18 were delivered to
Arriva Southend that same year. In 2017,
Arriva North East
Arriva North East operates both local and regional bus services in County Durham, Cumbria, Northumberland, North Yorkshire and Tyne and Wear, England. It is a subsidiary of Arriva UK Bus, which operates bus and coach services across the United K ...
introduced 12 Enviro400 MMCs, delivered to newly redesigned
Arriva Sapphire
Arriva Sapphire is a premium brand used by various Arriva bus subsidiaries in the United Kingdom.
History
In February 2013, Arriva UK Bus announced that it would launch a premium service under the Sapphire brand for its bus services in the U ...
specification for services to
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...
and
Ashington
Ashington is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, with a population of 27,864 at the 2011 Census. It was once a centre of the coal mining industry. The town is north of Newcastle upon Tyne, west of the A189 and bordered to the ...
, and
Arriva Yorkshire
Arriva Yorkshire is a major bus operator providing services primarily within and across West Yorkshire, although it also provides service in some parts of South Yorkshire, East Riding of Yorkshire and southern areas of North Yorkshire. It is a ...
placed 50 Enviro400 MMCs into service at their
Castleford
Castleford is a town within the City of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. It had a population of 45,106 at a 2021 population estimate. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, to the north of the town centre the River Calder joins the ...
and
Heckmondwike
Heckmondwike is a town in the metropolitan borough of Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England, south west of Leeds. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is close to Cleckheaton and Liversedge. It is mostly in the Batley and Spen pa ...
depots, with thirteen delivered to Sapphire specification for Leeds to
Dewsbury
Dewsbury is a minster and market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Calder and on an arm of the Calder and Hebble Navigation waterway. It is to the west of Wakefield, east of Hudder ...
and
Halifax services 254 and 255 and the remaining 37 delivered in the new standard fleet livery.
East Yorkshire
The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a ceremonial county and unitary authority area in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, South Yorkshire to th ...
and parent company
Go North East
Go North East operates both local and regional bus services in County Durham, Cumbria, Northumberland, North Yorkshire and Tyne and Wear, England. It was previously known as the Northern General Transport Company and Go-Ahead Northern. The compa ...
placed fourteen Enviro400 MMCs with high-specification interiors into service in November 2019 for services in and around
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull, usually abbreviated to Hull, is a port city and unitary authority in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England.
It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Estuary, inland from the North Sea and south-east ...
and Newcastle upon Tyne. More Enviro400 MMCs were delivered to both companies in 2020; Go North East took on eleven Enviro400 MMCs in two batches for a pair of flagship ''X-Lines'' express routes, while eight Enviro400 MMCs built to similar specification were delivered to East Yorkshire in August 2020 for use on flagship ''EastRider'' services X46 and 45 serving Hull,
Bridlington
Bridlington is a coastal town and a civil parish on the Holderness Coast of the North Sea in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is about north of Hull and east of York. The Gypsey Race enters the North Sea at its harbour. The 2011 Cen ...
and
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
.
Transdev Blazefield
Transdev Blazefield is a bus group, which operates local and regional bus services across Greater Manchester, Lancashire, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire, England. Formed in August 1991, the group has been a subsidiary of French-based operato ...
ordered a batch of Enviro 400 MMCs for two of their flagship services in December 2020. Built to Transdev's own "Sky Class" specification, fourteen were allocated to the
Witchway X43 between
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Bru ...
and
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
, with next stop announcements on these buses voiced by
Coronation Street
''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford.
Origi ...
actress
Jennie McAlpine
Jennie Elizabeth McAlpine (born 12 February 1984) is an English television actress, comedian and businesswoman. She is known for her role as Fiz Brown in the ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street''. She also took part in the seventeenth series of ...
. The remaining five of the new vehicles were allocated to the ''CityZap'' express route between
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
and York, featuring next stop announcements voiced by
BBC Yorkshire and Lincolnshire
BBC Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, sometimes abbreviated to BBC Yorks & Lincs, is the name for the BBC's twelfth English Region, based in Kingston upon Hull and created from the division of the former BBC North region, based in Leeds (now known a ...
weather forecaster
Paul Hudson.
In 2016,
Bluestar took delivery of 10 Enviro400 MMCs, primarily for use on the Bluestar 1 between
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
and
Winchester
Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...
. One of these Enviro400 MMCs was fitted with an experimental air cleaning system in 2018. A further 5 Enviro400 MMCs were also delivered between 2019 and 2020. Bluestar also took delivery of 32 Enviro400 MMCs for their
Unilink
Unilink is the branded bus service operated under contract and serving the University of Southampton in Hampshire, England. The service was created in 1998 following the university's expansion onto several new campuses, requiring new transport ...
operation in 2018, which allowed displacement of buses to Bluestar in order to replace the older buses in their fleet.
Other operators of conventional Enviro400 MMCs include
Cardiff Bus
Cardiff Bus ( cy, Bws Caerdydd) is the dominant operator of bus services in Cardiff, Wales and the surrounding area, including Barry and Penarth. The company is wholly owned by Cardiff Council and is one of the few municipal bus companies to ...
, who had ten of the type delivered in 2015, followed by a further seven on rental from the Mistral Group in 2022;
Southern Vectis
Southern Vectis is a bus operator on the Isle of Wight. The company was founded in 1921 as "Dodson and Campbell" and became the "Vectis Bus Company" in 1923. The company was purchased by the Southern Railway (Great Britain), Southern Railway b ...
, who took delivery of 16 Enviro400 MMCs to launch alongside its new ticket machines in 2017;
Yellow Buses
Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575585 nm. It is a primary color in subtractive color systems, used in painting or color printing. In the ...
, who took delivery of six in 2017, and
Borders Buses
Borders Buses operates both local and regional bus services in the City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian and Scottish Borders, Scotland, as well as Cumbria and Northumberland, England. It is a subsidiary of West Coast Motors.
History
T ...
, who took three of the type which were fitted with lower deck
bicycle carriers in 2019.
Enviro400 City
In late 2015, Alexander Dennis launched the Enviro400 City, a premium model of the Enviro400 MMC, featuring restyled front and rear ends to match the single-decker
Enviro200 MMC and a glass staircase as standard amongst other features, designed to compete with the
New Routemaster
The New Routemaster, originally referred to as the New Bus for London and colloquially as the Borismaster or Boris Bus, is a low-floor Diesel fuel, diesel double-decker bus operated in London, England. Designed by Heatherwick Studio and manufa ...
and
Wright SRM
The Wright SRM (Son of Route Master[Son of Routemaster](_blank)
''Bus & Coach Buyer'' 22 March 2016) i ...
designs in the
London bus
Buses have been used as a mode of public transport in London since 1829, when George Shillibeer started operating a horse-drawn ''omnibus'' service from Paddington to the City of London. In the decades since their introduction, the red London b ...
market. The first production examples, built with hybrid powertrains, entered service with
Arriva London
Arriva London is a major bus company operating services in Greater London. It is a subsidiary of Arriva UK Bus and operates services under contract to Transport for London. It was formed in 1998 from a fusion of previously separate Arriva s ...
on
route 78
The following highways are numbered 78:
International
* AH78, Asian Highway 78
* European route E78
Australia
* Waterfall Way- New South Wales State Route B78
China
* G78 Shantou–Kunming Expressway, G78 Expressway
Iran
*Road 78 (Iran), Ro ...
; a repeat order in 2016 would later see this fleet grow to a total of 53 Enviro400 Cities.
Enviro400 XLB
![Alexander Dennis Enviro400XLB Lothian Airlink (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/db/Alexander_Dennis_Enviro400XLB_Lothian_Airlink_%28cropped%29.jpg)
The tri-axle Enviro400 XLB was launched in 2019, providing an equivalent option to the
Enviro500 for the United Kingdom market. The Enviro400 XLB features essentially the same body style as the standard Enviro400 MMC, but stretched over three axles and fitted onto
Volvo B8L
The Volvo B8L is a 3-axle bus chassis, for double-decker buses, manufactured by Volvo Buses since 2018, with pre-production batches being produced as early as in 2016.
History
In 2017, two pre-production Volvo B8Ls were completed; one with a W ...
chassis.
Lothian Buses
Lothian Buses is a major bus operator based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is the largest municipal bus company in the United Kingdom: the City of Edinburgh Council (through Transport for Edinburgh) owns 91%, Midlothian Council 5%, East Lothian ...
were the launch customer for the Enviro400 XLB, with an initial order of 42 vehicles for inner city core routes.
Twelve Enviro400 XLBs equipped with guide wheels entered service with
Stagecoach East
Stagecoach East is the divisional name for the bus operations of the Stagecoach Group in eastern England.
History
Under the control of the National Bus Company, ''Cambus Ltd.'' was set up when the Eastern Counties Omnibus Company was split in ...
on the
Cambridgeshire Busway
The Cambridgeshire Guided Busway, known locally as The Busway, connects Cambridge, Huntingdon and St Ives in the English county of Cambridgeshire. It is the longest guided busway in the world, overtaking the O-Bahn Busway in Adelaide, South Aus ...
in early 2020.
Powertrain variants
Enviro400H/ER/VE
![Enviro400-VE-VirtualElectricRte69-P1370155](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/Enviro400-VE-VirtualElectricRte69-P1370155.JPG)
The Enviro400H
hybrid electric
A hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) is a type of hybrid vehicle that combines a conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) system with an electric propulsion system (hybrid vehicle drivetrain). The presence of the electric powertrain is intended ...
platform developed by Alexander Dennis and
BAE Systems
BAE Systems plc (BAE) is a British multinational arms, security, and aerospace company based in London, England. It is the largest defence contractor in Europe, and ranked the seventh-largest in the world based on applicable 2021 revenues. ...
was carried over from the previous Enviro400, and the first examples of the type began to enter service in 2015. The Enviro400H was initially launched with the MMC-style body, although the City-style body was also made available from late 2015; the City was first unveiled at the UK Bus & Coach Expo at the
National Exhibition Centre
The National Exhibition Centre (NEC) is an exhibition centre located in Marston Green, Solihull, West Midlands, England. It is near junction 6 of the M42 motorway, and is adjacent to Birmingham Airport and Birmingham International railway stati ...
,
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
in September 2015.
Ultracapacitor
A supercapacitor (SC), also called an ultracapacitor, is a high-capacity capacitor, with a capacitance value much higher than other capacitors but with lower voltage limits. It bridges the gap between electrolytic capacitors and rechargeable b ...
s were introduced to the range in 2018 to increase the electric range and remove the need for mid-life battery replacement.
In London,
Metroline
Metroline is a bus company operating services in Greater London and south Hertfordshire. It is a subsidiary of ComfortDelGro Corporation and operates services under contract to Transport for London. As at March 2021, the fleet consisted of 1,5 ...
were the first
Transport for London operator to order Enviro400 MMCs, ordering 16 of the type on the Enviro400H chassis in 2014 for service on route 332. They were, however, beaten into service by
Abellio London
Abellio London is a bus company operating services in Greater London. A subsidiary of Abellio, it operates services under contract to Transport for London (TfL). Until September 2018, services were operated in Surrey under the Abellio Sur ...
in January 2015, whose 45 Enviro400Hs became the first Enviro400 MMCs to enter service in London on routes
109, 350 and 415. Vast numbers of Enviro400Hs with MMC bodywork have since entered service with
Stagecoach London
Stagecoach London is a major bus operator in Greater London. It is a subsidiary of Stagecoach and operates services under contract to Transport for London mostly in East and South East London as well as some services into Central London.
It i ...
,
Go-Ahead London
Go-Ahead London is the trading name used collectively for the London bus operations of the Go-Ahead Group. The name first appeared in August 2008, before which the company had traded under separate names and brands. It is currently (as of 2021) ...
, Abellio London and
Arriva London
Arriva London is a major bus company operating services in Greater London. It is a subsidiary of Arriva UK Bus and operates services under contract to Transport for London. It was formed in 1998 from a fusion of previously separate Arriva s ...
.
Three Enviro400H MMCs were delivered to
Dublin Bus
Dublin Bus ( ga, Bus Átha Cliath) is a State-owned bus operator providing services in Dublin. By far the largest bus operator in the city, it carried 138 million passengers in 2019. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann.
...
in 2019 as part of a nine-vehicle evaluation of hybrid buses.
Brighton & Hove
Brighton and Hove () is a city and unitary authority in East Sussex, England. It consists primarily of the settlements of Brighton and Hove, alongside neighbouring villages.
Often referred to synonymously as Brighton, the City of Brighton and H ...
took delivery of 54 MMC-bodied Enviro400 ER buses in two batches between 2019 and 2020. These are
geofenced to operate in electric mode when entering
Brighton
Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
city centre's Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ). The Enviro400 ER was developed as the successor to the Enviro400H, and was first offered on the Enviro400 City body to
Transport for Ireland
The National Transport Authority ( ga, Údarás Náisiúnta Iompair) or NTA is the transport authority for Greater Dublin and the public transport licensing agency for Ireland. It was established under the provisions of the ''Dublin Transport Au ...
.
Prior to the launch of the
Enviro400 EV, the Enviro400 Virtual Electric drivetrain was developed by Alexander Dennis. 100kWh charging plates mounted into the road at bus termini and range extenders allowed for a range of 12 to 14 hours of service a day. Only five Enviro400 Virtual Electrics were produced, with
Tower Transit
A tower is a tall structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting structures.
Towers are specifica ...
taking three and the remaining two entering service with First West of England in Bristol.
Scania Enviro400 MMC
The body of the Enviro400 MMC is also built on the
Scania
Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces of Sweden, provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conte ...
N250UD chassis. These are notable for having no rear lower deck window; this is due to the mounting of the radiator above the engine.
Orders for Scanias with Enviro400 MMC bodies have been received from the Stagecoach Group. Eleven were delivered to Stagecoach Merseyside & South Lancashire in 2017 for long-distance services between Liverpool and
Preston, while 21 Scania Enviro400 MMCs, the first buses delivered new in Stagecoach's revised 'Long Distance' livery, were delivered to Stagecoach West in 2021 for services in
Gloucester
Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...
. Enviro400 MMC-bodied Scanias also entered service with
Stagecoach South East and Stagecoach East, with four delivered to the latter with guide wheels for the
Cambridgeshire Busway
The Cambridgeshire Guided Busway, known locally as The Busway, connects Cambridge, Huntingdon and St Ives in the English county of Cambridgeshire. It is the longest guided busway in the world, overtaking the O-Bahn Busway in Adelaide, South Aus ...
.
Seven Scania N250UDs with Enviro400 MMC bodies were introduced to
First Essex
First Essex is a bus company operating services in the county of Essex. It is a subsidiary of FirstGroup.
History
First Essex arose from an amalgamation of Eastern National and Thamesway Buses. First Essex was originally part of the Eas ...
in 2020 to upgrade Airlink services connecting both
Southend
Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authority area with borough status in southeastern Essex, England. It lies on the north side of the Thames Estuary, east of central London. It is bordered ...
and
Stansted airports to double-deck operation. First West of England also operate a number of diesel Scania Enviro400 MMCs around Bristol, with 12 of these Scanias delivered in 2018 upgrading services connecting the city and
Bristol Airport
Bristol Airport , at Lulsgate Bottom, on the northern slopes of the Mendip Hills, in North Somerset, is the commercial airport serving the city of Bristol, England, and the surrounding area. It is southwest of Bristol city centre. Built on ...
to double-deck operation.
In 2016, Alexander Dennis and Scania launched the Enviro400 CNG, built on the
Scania N280UD compressed natural gas
Compressed natural gas (CNG) is a fuel gas mainly composed of methane (CH4), compressed to less than 1% of the volume it occupies at standard atmospheric pressure. It is stored and distributed in hard containers at a pressure of , usually in cy ...
-powered chassis, at the Euro Bus Expo. Most Enviro400 CNGs were built with the City body, although some earlier models were delivered with MMC bodies to
Reading Buses
Reading Buses is a bus operator serving the towns of Reading, Bracknell, Newbury, Slough, Windsor, Maidenhead, Wokingham and the surrounding areas in the counties of Berkshire, Oxfordshire, and Hampshire, England, as well as parts of Greater L ...
.
Volvo Enviro400 MMC
A number of Enviro400 MMCs have been built on
Volvo
The Volvo Group ( sv, Volvokoncernen; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distributio ...
's hybrid electric
B5LH and conventional diesel
B5TL chassis.
The first 13 Enviro400 MMCs bodied on the Volvo B5LH hybrid chassis were delivered to
Stagecoach Strathtay in 2015, who uniquely employed
conductors aboard the buses allocated to the 'Tayway 73' service. Further orders for Enviro400 MMCs on the B5LH chassis in 2015 were taken by
Stagecoach London
Stagecoach London is a major bus operator in Greater London. It is a subsidiary of Stagecoach and operates services under contract to Transport for London mostly in East and South East London as well as some services into Central London.
It i ...
, who had 40 B5LHs delivered in two batches, and
Go-Ahead London
Go-Ahead London is the trading name used collectively for the London bus operations of the Go-Ahead Group. The name first appeared in August 2008, before which the company had traded under separate names and brands. It is currently (as of 2021) ...
, who took on 16 B5LHs.
Lothian Buses took delivery of 89 Volvo B5TLs with Enviro400 MMC bodies between 2021 and 2022, so far being the only operator to order Enviro400 MMCs built onto a conventional diesel Volvo chassis.
See also
*
List of buses
Year refers to the first year introduced. A range of years is the period the bus was manufactured.
#
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
...
References
External links
Alexander Dennis product descriptions for Enviro400 rangePress release for launch of three-axle Enviro400 XLB
{{Alexander Dennis
Enviro400 MMC
Double-decker buses
Hybrid electric buses
Low-floor buses
Electric buses
Vehicles introduced in 2014