The Dennis Jubilant was a
front engined 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 ...
chassis manufactured by
Dennis between 1977 and 1981. It was specifically designed for contemporary operating environment (hilly roads and "one-man-operation" with a
farebox
A fare is the fee paid by a passenger for use of a public transport system: rail, bus, taxi, etc. In the case of air transport, the term airfare is often used. Fare structure is the system set up to determine how much is to be paid by various pa ...
) in Hong Kong.
The chassis design featured a set-back front axle, which enabled the front door to be located in front of the front axle, and a strengthened chassis frame. It could be fitted with
Gardner 6LXB engine and
Voith
The Voith Group is a German manufacturer of machines for the pulp and paper industry, technical equipment for hydropower plants and drive and braking systems. The family-owned company, which operates worldwide and has its headquarters in Heid ...
DIWA 851 automatic gearbox.
The orders
Kowloon Motor Bus
The Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited (KMB) is a bus company operating franchised services in Hong Kong. It is the largest bus company in Hong Kong by fleet size and number of bus routes. It is a subsidiary of Transport International.
...
(KMB) received four Dennis Jubilant prototypes for evaluation, they were fitted with KMB's own bodywork (utilising parts from British Aluminium Company) and entered service in 1977/78. After the trial of the prototypes, KMB introduced 209 Jubilants with
Alexander
Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history.
Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...
KB bodywork between 1979 and 1981, and 150 Jubilants with
Duple Metsec
Duple Metsec was a bus bodywork builder based in West Midlands of England in the United Kingdom. It usually supplied body kits for bus assembly overseas.
It was originated from the bus body manufacturing business of Metal Sections, know ...
bodywork between 1981 and 1982.
China Motor Bus
The China Motor Bus Company, Limited (), often abbreviated as CMB, is a property developer in Hong Kong. Before its franchise lapsed in 1998, it was the first motor bus operator in Hong Kong, and was responsible for the introduction of double-d ...
(CMB) in Hong Kong ordered 30 Dennis Jubilants with Alexander CB bodywork, they entered service in 1980.
One Jubilant chassis was delivered to
Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
, South Africa and was fitted with bodywork supplied by Bus Bodies (South Africa) Limited.
Air-conditioned Jubilant
Kowloon Motor Bus
The Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited (KMB) is a bus company operating franchised services in Hong Kong. It is the largest bus company in Hong Kong by fleet size and number of bus routes. It is a subsidiary of Transport International.
...
also received one air-conditioned Jubilant coach with Alexander KB bodywork and put it into service in 1980. The air-conditioner was driven by a separate engine mounted at the rear.
Kowloon coaches
''Commercial Motor'' 12 July 1980 However, the air conditioning proved unreliable and was removed in 1983. The coach was downgraded to a bus few years later.
Withdrawal
China Motor Bus
The China Motor Bus Company, Limited (), often abbreviated as CMB, is a property developer in Hong Kong. Before its franchise lapsed in 1998, it was the first motor bus operator in Hong Kong, and was responsible for the introduction of double-d ...
wrote off one of its Dennis Jubilants after a fire in 1993. The other 29 buses were transferred to New World First Bus
New World First Bus Services Limited (NWFB) is the third-largest bus operator in Hong Kong. Established by NWS Holdings and FirstGroup in September 1998, it took over 88 China Motor Bus services in Hong Kong Island. Since 2020 it has been a s ...
on 1 September 1998 after the franchise of CMB was terminated, they were replaced by new buses by September 1999.
Kowloon Motor Bus also had two of its Jubilants prematurely withdrawn, and in 1994 started to withdraw the rest of its Jubilants. During the process of withdrawal, some of the Jubilants took over the role of the Leyland Victory Mark 2 (the competitor of Dennis Jubilant) in the fleet. The last bus was withdrawn in January 2000.
See also
* Leyland Victory Mark 2, bus manufactured by Leyland with similar design
References
External links
Images of KMB's Dennis Jubilant
{{Dennis, state=collapsed
Jubilant
Double-decker buses
Vehicles introduced in 1977
Bus chassis