Dennis Dart SLF
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The Dennis Dart is a
rear-engined In automobile design, a rear-engine design layout places the engine at the rear of the vehicle. The center of gravity of the engine itself is behind the rear axle. This is not to be confused with the center of gravity of the whole vehicle, as an im ...
single-decker
midibus A midibus is a classification of single-decker minibuses which are generally larger than a traditional minibus but smaller than a full-size single decker and can be anywhere between and long. While used in many parts of the world, the mi ...
chassis that was introduced by
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 requirem ...
of
Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...
, England in 1989, replacing the
Dennis Domino The Dennis Domino was a step-entrance midibus chassis manufactured by Dennis in Guildford, England in 1984 and 1985. It was in essence, a scaled down single-decker version of the Dennis Dominator. Developed for intensive urban work, the Domin ...
. Initially built as a high-floor design, In 1996 the
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.e ...
second generation Dennis Dart SLF was launched. In 2001, production of the Dart SLF passed to TransBus International, during which time it was sold as the TransBus Dart SLF;
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, ...
took over production in 2004, renaming the product as the Alexander Dennis Dart SLF. More than 11,000 Darts were produced in total during a 19-year production run. Most were purchased by United Kingdom operators, although examples were sold in North America, Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore. In the United States, the Dart SLF, with
Alexander ALX200 __NOTOC__ The Alexander ALX200 was a single-decker bus body built by Alexander of the United Kingdom. It was created for low-floor bus chassis produced from the late 1990s. It was launched in spring 1996 as a low floor replacement of the Ale ...
bodywork, was built and sold by
Thomas Built Buses Thomas Built Buses, Inc. (commonly known as Thomas) is an American bus manufacturer. Best known for its production of yellow school buses, Thomas produces other bus designs for a variety of usages. Currently, its production is concentrated on sc ...
as the Thomas-Dennis Dart SLF 200. The first generation Dart ceased production in 1998. Production of the Dart SLF continued until 2008, when it was replaced by the
Alexander Dennis Enviro200 The Alexander Dennis Enviro200 (previously known as the TransBus Enviro200) is a midibus that was manufactured by TransBus International and later Alexander Dennis between 2003 and 2018. The original TransBus Enviro200 design was innovative but ...
.


First generation (high-floor)

The Dennis Dart was conceived when
Hestair Group Heston Aircraft Company was a British aircraft manufacturer based at Heston Aerodrome, Middlesex, England. Starting in 1934 the company produced a number of aircraft designs beginning with the Heston Phoenix and the Hordern-Richmond Autoplane. ...
(owner of
Dennis Dennis or Denis is a first or last name from the Greco-Roman name Dionysius, via one of the Christian saints named Dionysius. The name came from Dionysus, the Greek god of ecstatic states, particularly those produced by wine, which is someti ...
and Duple) decided to produce a bus between a
minibus A minibus, microbus, minicoach, or commuter (in Zimbabwe) is a passenger-carrying motor vehicle that is designed to carry more people than a multi-purpose vehicle or minivan, but fewer people than a full-size bus. In the United Kingdom, th ...
and a full-sized single-decker. It was launched in 1988 and was originally offered with the
Duple Dartline The Duple Dartline was a single-decker bus body built on the Dennis Dart chassis by three manufacturers - Duple Coachbuilders of Blackpool, Carlyle Works of Birmingham and Marshall Bus of Cambridge - between 1989 and 1993. Duple The Dartline ...
bodywork. It was 2.3m wide and was initially available in the length of 9.0m, but later available in lengths of 8.5m and 9.8m. It was powered by a
Cummins Cummins Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and distributes engines, filtration, and power generation products. Cummins also services engines and related equipment, including fuel systems, controls, air ...
6BT engine and coupled to the
Allison Allison may refer to: People * Allison (given name) * Allison (surname) (includes a list of people with this name) * Eugene Allison Smith (1922-1980), American politician and farmer Companies * Allison Engine Company, American aircraft engine ...
AT545 gearbox (the same engine and gearbox were also used in the
MCW Metrorider The MCW Metrorider, launched at the 1986 Motor Show, was a minibus designed built by Metro Cammell Weymann (MCW) between 1986 and 1989. Constructed in two lengths, 7.0 m and 8.4 m, the Metrorider was an bus manufacturing, integral bus, marking i ...
, latterly the
Optare MetroRider The Optare MetroRider was a midibus manufactured by Optare between 1989 and 2000. History Optare based the original design on the MCW Metrorider after it bought the rights from Metro Cammell Weymann after the latter decided to cease production. ...
). This model was sold to
London Regional Transport London Regional Transport (LRT) was the organisation responsible for most of the public transport network in London, England, between 1984 and 2000. In common with all London transport authorities from 1933 to 2000, the public name and operatio ...
and to some operators outside
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. Soon after it was launched, Duple was sold to
Plaxton Plaxton is an English builder of bus and coach vehicle bodies based in Scarborough. Founded in 1907 by Frederick William Plaxton, it became a subsidiary of Alexander Dennis in May 2007. In 2019, the maker was acquired by Canadian bus manufac ...
and the
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
plant closed. Plaxton decided not to acquire the design rights of the
Duple Dartline The Duple Dartline was a single-decker bus body built on the Dennis Dart chassis by three manufacturers - Duple Coachbuilders of Blackpool, Carlyle Works of Birmingham and Marshall Bus of Cambridge - between 1989 and 1993. Duple The Dartline ...
and it was sold to
Carlyle Works Carlyle Works was an English builder of bus and coach bodywork based in Edgbaston. History In 1920, the Birmingham & Midland Motor Omnibus Company established a bus repair facility on land adjoining Rotton Park Reservoir. It initially perfo ...
, who continued producing the bodywork from 1991. Production passed to
Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia * Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Islands * Marshall Islands, an i ...
of
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 ...
in 1992 who bodied five Darts to this design. In 1993,
Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia * Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Islands * Marshall Islands, an i ...
updated the design to the C36 and later, the C37. In 1990,
Wadham Stringer Wadham Stringer was an English ambulance and bus manufacturer. History Wadham Stringer was formed when Wadham merged with Stringer Motors in 1968. It was a distributor for Morris cars and British Leyland commercial vehicles. It also was an Aus ...
became the next builder to body the Dart with a body called the Portsdown, but it was sold in small numbers and replaced by the
UVG Urbanstar The UVG Urbanstar was a step-entrance and low-entry midibus body built by the Universal Vehicles Group in Waterlooville, England on Dennis Dart and Dart SLF chassis. The first examples were delivered to Provincial in Southampton in December ...
in 1995. In the same year,
Wright Wright is an occupational surname originating in England. The term 'Wright' comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word 'wryhta' or 'wyrhta', meaning worker or shaper of wood. Later it became any occupational worker (for example, a shipwright is ...
bodied the Dart with the Handybus. In early 1991, Plaxton launched the Pointer (which was initially designated as
Reeve Burgess Reeve Burgess was a bus body manufacturer based in Pilsley, North East Derbyshire in the United Kingdom. It was a subsidiary of Plaxton from 1980 until its closure in 1991. History The original company known as Harry Reeve was founded in Bridg ...
Pointer as it was built at Reeve Burgess's plant, until later in the same year when it was transferred to Plaxton's
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 ...
plant). Later in 1991,
East Lancs East Lancashire Coachbuilders Limited was a manufacturer of bus bodies and carriages founded in 1934 in Blackburn, Lancashire, England. The company went into administration for a short while in August 2007, before being bought by Darwen Group ...
bodied the Dart with its EL2000. In the latter half of 1991,
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 ...
launched the
Dash The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
. Another contender entering the market at the same time was the
Northern Counties Paladin The Northern Counties Paladin, also badged as the Plaxton Paladin towards the end of production, is a step-entrance single-decker bus body built by Northern Counties of Wigan, UK, between 1991 and 1998. The replacements for the Paladin are th ...
. Initially, it was built with a design of a barrel shaped windscreen with quarterlights (which were mainly sold to Warrington Borough Transport), later models had a deep double-curvature two-piece windscreen. It was phased out when
Plaxton Plaxton is an English builder of bus and coach vehicle bodies based in Scarborough. Founded in 1907 by Frederick William Plaxton, it became a subsidiary of Alexander Dennis in May 2007. In 2019, the maker was acquired by Canadian bus manufac ...
bought Northern Counties in 1995. In 1993,
Southampton Citybus Southampton Citybus was a bus operator which operated local services throughout the English city of Southampton. It was formed in 1898 as Southampton Corporation Transport. In 1986, as a result of deregulation an 'arms-length' limited company ...
purchased 16 Dart 9SDL buses adapted to use natural gas, the cylinders being mounted in a pod on the roof. As the
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.e ...
single-decker bus A single-decker bus or single-decker is a bus that has a single deck for passengers. Normally the use of the term ''single-decker'' refers to a standard two- axled rigid bus, in direct contrast to the use of the term double-decker bus, which ...
es became more popular in late 1990s, orders for standard-floor Dart dropped heavily and production ceased in 1998, with the final five delivered to Jersey Motor Transport. A total of 3,470 first generation Darts were produced.


Second generation (Dart SLF)

In 1996, Dennis launched 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.e ...
version of the Dart known as the Dart SLF, with the letters SLF standing for ''Super Low Floor'' in reference to the new low-floor design. It was 2.4m wide and initially offered in lengths of 9.2m, 10m and 10.6m, with air suspension introduced in place of the taper leaf used in the original design. The driveline of the step-entrance Dart was retained, although some early examples were fitted with Eaton manual transmission. It was initially offered with the
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. ...
version of the Pointer bodywork (which was notable for being wider), replaced by the updated Pointer 2 in 1997. It was also offered with a wide variety of bodies, namely the
East Lancs Spryte The East Lancs Spryte was a low floor single-decker bus body built by East Lancashire Coachbuilders. It was designed to body the Dennis Dart SLF chassis, but a handful have been built on others, for example, the Volvo B6LE. Mechanically and ...
, UVG Urbanstar (later renamed as the Caetano Compass; replaced by the
Nimbus Nimbus, from the Latin for "dark cloud", is an outdated term for the type of cloud now classified as the nimbostratus cloud. Nimbus also may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Halo (religious iconography), also known as ''Nimbus'', a ring of ligh ...
in 1999), the
Wright Crusader The Wright Crusader was a single-decker bus body built on Dennis Dart SLF, Volvo B6LE and Volvo B6BLE chassis by Wrightbus between 1995 and 2002. First generation (1995–2000) The Wright Crusader was introduced in 1995, replacing the Wright H ...
,
Alexander ALX200 __NOTOC__ The Alexander ALX200 was a single-decker bus body built by Alexander of the United Kingdom. It was created for low-floor bus chassis produced from the late 1990s. It was launched in spring 1996 as a low floor replacement of the Ale ...
(discontinued in 2001 with the formation of TransBus International and being replaced by the Pointer 2),
Marshall Capital The Marshall Capital (later sold as the MCV Capital) was a single-decker bus body built originally by Marshall Bus between 1996 and 2002, and later by MCV Bus & Coach between 2002 and 2003. Initially launched on the step-entrance MAN 11.220 a ...
(developed from the C37; later built by MCV), Caetano Nimbus and
MCV Evolution The MCV Evolution (stylised as ''eVolution''; internal designation: MCV C102) is a low floor and low entry single-decker bus body built by Manufacturing Commercial Vehicles. It was unveiled in 2003 as the successor to the MCV Stirling. The MCV ...
(since 2005 - a further evolution of the Marshall bodywork). With the move to
Euro III 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 ...
emissions in October 2001, the new
Cummins ISBe The Cummins B Series is a family of diesel engines produced by American manufacturer Cummins. In production since 1984, the B series engine family is intended for multiple applications on and off-highway, light-duty, and medium-duty. In the auto ...
engine was launched, with the 4-cylinder 3.9-litre model being used in all lengths except the 11.3m version, which uses the more powerful 6-cylinder, 5.9-litre version. The Cummins ISBe
Euro IV 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 seri ...
engine became available on the Dart SLF chassis since late 2006. In 2007 the Dennis Dart SLF was superseded by the
Alexander Dennis Enviro200 The Alexander Dennis Enviro200 (previously known as the TransBus Enviro200) is a midibus that was manufactured by TransBus International and later Alexander Dennis between 2003 and 2018. The original TransBus Enviro200 design was innovative but ...
. The last Alexander Dennis Dart SLF was delivered to Park Island Transport of
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
in March 2008. A total of 9,191 Dart SLFs were produced, making it one of the most successful buses of all time.
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 r ...
for instance was one operator that took order to many of low floor Dennis Darts and a few high-floor examples (Alexander Dash). These were numbered 23-28 (high-floor), then 301–320, 361–399, 144–199, and 211–244. In 2015, S302 SHB was preserved as one of the first low-floor Darts preserved and goes to many rallies.


Dart SPD

In 1997, the Dart SPD (short for ''Super Pointer Dart'') was launched with a length of 11.3m (about the same length as a long
Leyland National The Leyland National is an integrally-constructed British step-floor single-decker bus manufactured in large quantities between 1972 and 1985. It was developed as a joint project between two UK nationalised industries – the National Bus Co ...
), typically seating 40 to 44 passengers. The Dart SPD was launched to compete with full-size buses such as the
Volvo B10BLE The Volvo B10BLE was a rear-engined low-entry single-decker bus chassis manufactured by Volvo in Sweden between 1993 and 2004. The first prototypes were built in 1992, but mass production started in 1993, only a year after the high-floor B10B. It ...
and
Scania L94UB The Scania 4-series low floor city bus and coach range was introduced by Scania in 1997 as a successor to the 3-series bus range. The 4-series bus range was first presented in September 1996, when the integral low-floor city bus OmniCity w ...
, while retaining the more lightweight construction of the basic Dart SLF. The Dart SPD has a more powerful engine and a more heavy duty
Allison Allison may refer to: People * Allison (given name) * Allison (surname) (includes a list of people with this name) * Eugene Allison Smith (1922-1980), American politician and farmer Companies * Allison Engine Company, American aircraft engine ...
World Series B300R gearbox than the Dart SLF, but also with an option of a
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 Hei ...
gearbox. Originally offered only with
Plaxton Pointer 2 The Plaxton Pointer (originally known as the Reeve Burgess Pointer, and later as the TransBus Pointer and Alexander Dennis Pointer) was a single-decker bus body manufactured during the 1990s by Reeve Burgess, Plaxton and latterly built by Alexa ...
bodywork (hence the 'P' in the name), this larger bus was later offered with other bodywork such as the
East Lancs Myllennium The East Lancs Myllennium was a type of single-decker bus body manufactured by East Lancashire Coachbuilders on DAF SB220, Dennis Dart SLF, MAN 14.220 and Scania OmniTown chassis. It was designed in 1999 as a bus for Millennium Dome routes M1 ...
, the
Alexander ALX200 __NOTOC__ The Alexander ALX200 was a single-decker bus body built by Alexander of the United Kingdom. It was created for low-floor bus chassis produced from the late 1990s. It was launched in spring 1996 as a low floor replacement of the Ale ...
and a few have also been bodied by
Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia * Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Islands * Marshall Islands, an i ...
. At least 230 Dart SPDs were produced.


Dart MPD

In 1998, the Dart MPD (short for ''Mini Pointer Dart'') was launched. At 8.8m long, the Dart MPD was a model reminiscent of the original 8.5m Darts; it was launched to compete with newly emerging shorter midibuses such as the
Optare Solo The Optare Solo is a low-floor minibus/midibus with one or two doors manufactured by Optare in the United Kingdom since 1998. The Solo name is a play on its low-floor status, the manufacturer marketing its vehicle as having an entrance that is ...
. The Dart MPD typically seated 23 to 29 passengers, and was available in both provincial and
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
specifications. As with the Dart SPD, the MPD was launched initially with only the
Plaxton Pointer 2 The Plaxton Pointer (originally known as the Reeve Burgess Pointer, and later as the TransBus Pointer and Alexander Dennis Pointer) was a single-decker bus body manufactured during the 1990s by Reeve Burgess, Plaxton and latterly built by Alexa ...
bodywork, although other bodies became available later on.


Narrow width Dart SLF

In 2002, TransBus launched a narrower-width variant of the Dart SLF at the request of bus operators in the
Channel Islands The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, ...
of
Guernsey Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency. It is the second largest of the Channel Islands ...
and then
Jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label=Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependencies, Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west F ...
, who replaced the majority of their fleets with slightly narrower Darts designed to comply with the islands' vehicle size restrictions, sporting adapted versions of existing
East Lancs Myllennium The East Lancs Myllennium was a type of single-decker bus body manufactured by East Lancashire Coachbuilders on DAF SB220, Dennis Dart SLF, MAN 14.220 and Scania OmniTown chassis. It was designed in 1999 as a bus for Millennium Dome routes M1 ...
and Caetano Nimbus bodies respectively. Further examples have since joined them and small numbers of similar buses have entered service with other operators around the UK.
Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...
also has a fleet of these narrower buses. The last ones entered service in summer 2007 in Gibraltar.


Thomas-Dennis Dart SLF 200

The Dennis Dart SLF, with
Alexander ALX200 __NOTOC__ The Alexander ALX200 was a single-decker bus body built by Alexander of the United Kingdom. It was created for low-floor bus chassis produced from the late 1990s. It was launched in spring 1996 as a low floor replacement of the Ale ...
bodywork, was constructed in the United States for the North American market by
Thomas Built Buses Thomas Built Buses, Inc. (commonly known as Thomas) is an American bus manufacturer. Best known for its production of yellow school buses, Thomas produces other bus designs for a variety of usages. Currently, its production is concentrated on sc ...
, being sold as the Thomas-Dennis Dart SLF 200 in reference to both the chassis and bodywork.


Exports

Although primarily sold in the United Kingdom, some were sold overseas:


Australia

ACTION Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...
(25),
Brisbane Bus Lines Brisbane Bus Lines is an Australian bus operator in the northern suburbs of Brisbane. It operates one service under contract to the Queensland Government under the Translink banner. History Brisbane Bus Lines was formed in the mid-1950s when B ...
(3),
Invicta Bus Services Invicta Bus Services was a bus and coach operator in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It was a Melbourne bus company that operated 16 bus routes under contract to Public Transport Victoria. It was purchased by Grenda Corporation in March 2009. ...
(27) and
Transperth Transperth is the brand name of the public transport system serving the city and suburban areas of Perth, the state capital of Western Australia. It is managed by the Public Transport Authority (PTA), a state government organisation. Train op ...
(2)


Hong Kong

In Hong Kong,
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 ...
purchased 76,
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. ...
60, Citybus 30,
New Lantao Bus The New Lantao Bus Company (1973) Limited, commonly known as New Lantao Bus or NLB, is a franchised bus company operating in Hong Kong. It mainly operates bus routes on Lantau Island. History NLB was formed in 1973 through the merger of three b ...
3, Park Island Transport 15 and Discovery Bay Buses 5. They were delivered between 1994 and 1999. Most were retired in 2014 - 2017.


Singapore

In Singapore,
Singapore Bus Service SBS Transit Limited (SBST or just SBS) () is a multi-modal public transport operator in Singapore operating bus and rail services. With a majority of its shares owned by Singaporean multinational transport conglomerate ComfortDelGro Corporation ...
purchased 10
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 ...
bodied Darts in 1994 for smaller routes (M1, M2, M4 and 183). All the buses were retired in 2010 and replaced by
Volvo B10M The Volvo B10M was a mid-engined city bus and coach chassis manufactured by Volvo between 1978 and 2003. It succeeded the B58 and was equipped with the same 9.6-litre horizontally mounted Volvo diesel engine mounted under the floor behind the ...
s. Several private operators uses Dennis Darts (including SLF), those are being scrapped by 2019.


Gallery

File:DennisDartDupleDartlineBusG123RGT.jpg,
Arriva North West & Wales Arriva North West and Wales was a division of Arriva that operated bus services around North West England and Wales. It was made up from several previous bus operators including North Western (in Merseyside, Cheshire and Lancashire), most of ...
early (1989)
Duple Dartline The Duple Dartline was a single-decker bus body built on the Dennis Dart chassis by three manufacturers - Duple Coachbuilders of Blackpool, Carlyle Works of Birmingham and Marshall Bus of Cambridge - between 1989 and 1993. Duple The Dartline ...
bodied Dennis Dart in
Crewe Crewe () is a railway town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. The Crewe built-up area had a total population of 75,556 in 2011, which also covers parts of the adjacent civil parishes of Willaston ...
File:Dennis Dart East Lancs EL2000 1.jpg,
East Lancs EL2000 The East Lancs EL2000 is a type of single-decker bus body built on a wide variety of bus chassis by East Lancashire Coachbuilders. Chassis Many different chassis types, both new and secondhand, were fitted with EL2000 bodywork. These include: ...
bodied Dennis Dart in
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
in 2005 File:20161210 L116 YVK.jpg, Preserved
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 ...
Northern Counties Paladin The Northern Counties Paladin, also badged as the Plaxton Paladin towards the end of production, is a step-entrance single-decker bus body built by Northern Counties of Wigan, UK, between 1991 and 1998. The replacements for the Paladin are th ...
bodied Dennis Dart in December 2016 File:Rossendale Transport bus 6 (L26 FNE), 24 July 2008.jpg, Rossendale Transport 1994
Marshall C37 The Marshall C37 was a step-entrance midibus body introduced in 1993 on the Dennis Dart chassis, the body was also able to be fitted to the MAN 11.220 chassis. About 140 were produced. Brighton & Hove and Oxford Bus Company purchased 20 each whil ...
bodied Dennis Dart in July 2008 File:Go North East bus 8284 Dennis Dart SLF Caetano SC Coachbuilders V434 KGF in Washington Tyne and Wear 9 May 2009 pic 1.jpg,
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 ...
Caetano Compass bodied Dennis Dart SLF in
Washington, Tyne and Wear Washington is a town in the City of Sunderland district of Tyne and Wear, England. Historically part of County Durham, it is the ancestral settlement of the Washington family, which George Washington descended from. It is located between Ches ...
in May 2009 File:Southern Vectis 817 G526 VYE 5.JPG, Preserved
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 ...
Carlyle Works Carlyle Works was an English builder of bus and coach bodywork based in Edgbaston. History In 1920, the Birmingham & Midland Motor Omnibus Company established a bus repair facility on land adjoining Rotton Park Reservoir. It initially perfo ...
bodied Dennis Dart in April 2011 File:Arriva Southern Counties 3176.jpg, Arriva Kent and Sussex 1996
Plaxton Pointer The Plaxton Pointer (originally known as the Reeve Burgess Pointer, and later as the TransBus Pointer and Alexander Dennis Pointer) was a single-decker bus body manufactured during the 1990s by Reeve Burgess, Plaxton and latterly built by Alexa ...
bodied
Dennis Dart SLF The Dennis Dart is a Rear-engine design, rear-engined single-decker bus, single-decker midibus chassis that was introduced by Dennis Specialist Vehicles of Guildford, England in 1989, replacing the Dennis Domino. Initially built as a high-floo ...
in a special livery for the centenary of Maidstone's buses in September 2004. File:First Hampshire & Dorset 41646.jpg,
First Hampshire & Dorset First Hampshire & Dorset is a bus operator providing services in the counties of Hampshire and Dorset. It is a subsidiary of FirstGroup. History First Hampshire & Dorset was created out of various different smaller companies which were merged o ...
1997
Marshall Capital The Marshall Capital (later sold as the MCV Capital) was a single-decker bus body built originally by Marshall Bus between 1996 and 2002, and later by MCV Bus & Coach between 2002 and 2003. Initially launched on the step-entrance MAN 11.220 a ...
bodied Dennis Dart SLF in
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...
in July 2008 File:Enterprise 12.JPG,
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 ...
Caetano Nimbus bodied Dennis Dart SLF at
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 ...
in September 2008 File:S824 WYD 42824 East Lancs Spryte- Dennis Dart (8528234001).jpg, First Somerset and Avon
East Lancs Spryte The East Lancs Spryte was a low floor single-decker bus body built by East Lancashire Coachbuilders. It was designed to body the Dennis Dart SLF chassis, but a handful have been built on others, for example, the Volvo B6LE. Mechanically and ...
bodied Dennis Dart SLF in
Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...
in March 2013 File:DennisDart-SBST-Ext.JPG,
Singapore Bus Service SBS Transit Limited (SBST or just SBS) () is a multi-modal public transport operator in Singapore operating bus and rail services. With a majority of its shares owned by Singaporean multinational transport conglomerate ComfortDelGro Corporation ...
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 ...
bodied Dennis Dart in January 2009 File:EZ7136.jpg,
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 ...
Carlyle Works Carlyle Works was an English builder of bus and coach bodywork based in Edgbaston. History In 1920, the Birmingham & Midland Motor Omnibus Company established a bus repair facility on land adjoining Rotton Park Reservoir. It initially perfo ...
bodied Dennis Dart in Hong Kong. File:ACTION - BUS 138 - Wright 'Crusader' bodied Dennis Dart SLF.jpg,
ACTION Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...
Wright Crusader The Wright Crusader was a single-decker bus body built on Dennis Dart SLF, Volvo B6LE and Volvo B6BLE chassis by Wrightbus between 1995 and 2002. First generation (1995–2000) The Wright Crusader was introduced in 1995, replacing the Wright H ...
bodied Dennis Dart SLF in
Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...
in November 2009


Earlier front-engined Dart

The Dart name was originally applied to a front-engined single-decker bus chassis produced by Dennis between 1978 and 1980. However, the front-engined Dart remained unsuccessful, with only two examples produced, both with
Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia * Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Islands * Marshall Islands, an i ...
bodywork. The first was built for the
Iraqi University This is a incomplete list of universities in Iraq. There are more than 85 universities and academics in total: 35 public universities, (four technical universities, one institutes of technology, and two fine arts university, one national defense uni ...
and exported to
Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...
in 1978; the second was produced for the
West Midlands Fire Service West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS) is the fire and rescue service for the metropolitan county of West Midlands, England. The service is the second largest in England, after London Fire Brigade. The service has 38 fire stations, with a blended ...
as a mobile command centre in 1980.Dennis Dart Front Engined
Bus Lists on the Web


References


External links

{{Alexander Dennis Dennis buses Alexander Dennis buses Vehicles introduced in 1989 Bus chassis Buses of the United Kingdom Buses of the United States Full-size buses Low-entry buses Midibuses Single-deck buses