Alexander Dennis Enviro300 | |
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Overview | |
Manufacturer | TransBus International/ Alexander Dennis |
Production | 2001–2008 (1st generation) 2007–2015 (2nd generation) |
Assembly | Falkirk, Scotland |
Body and chassis | |
Doors | 1 |
Floor type | Low floor Low entry |
Chassis | Alexander Dennis Enviro300 MAN 18.240 and 18.250 Volvo B7RLE Scania K230UB |
Related | Enviro200, Enviro350H, Enviro400, Enviro500 |
Powertrain | |
Engine | Cummins ISBe (Enviro 300/MAN 18.240 retrofits) MAN D0836 (MAN 18.240) Volvo D7E (Volvo B7RLE) Scania DC9/OC9 (Scania K230UB) |
Capacity | 43 to 80 seated |
Power output | 185–250 hp (136–184 kW) |
Transmission | ZF Ecomat/EcoLife Voith DIWA Allison |
Dimensions | |
Length | 11.8–12.8 m (38 ft 9 in – 42 ft 0 in) |
Width | 2.54 m (8 ft 4 in) |
Curb weight | 14.4–18 t (14.2–17.7 long tons; 15.9–19.8 short tons) |
Chronology | |
Predecessor | Body: Alexander ALX300 Chassis: Dennis Lance |
Successor | Alexander Dennis Enviro200 MMC |
The Alexander Dennis Enviro300 (previously known as the TransBus Enviro300) is a light-weight full-size single-decker bus that was built by Alexander Dennis and its predecessor TransBus International between 2001 and 2015. The design was the first of the new Enviro range of buses from TransBus and also the first bus to be built as an integral bus by TransBus.
The Enviro300 was introduced in order to fill a gap in the manufacturer's product range. At the beginning the Cummins ISBe220 5.9-litre Euro III engine was provided as standard, but for Euro IV and V, the engine was the 6.7-litre ISBe with 225 hp for Euro IV and 225 or 250 hp for Euro V. There was a choice of 3 gearboxes: ZF Ecomat (originally 5HP502C, then 6HP504C), Allison T280R and Voith DIWA 854.5 (originally DIWA854.3E). The second generation Enviro300, with front end redesigned to match the Enviro200 and Enviro400, was launched in 2007.
Production of the Enviro300 ceased in 2015 with the introduction of a long-wheelbase Enviro200 MMC. More than 1,000 complete buses were produced. [1]
Developed from the Alexander ALX300 body, the TransBus Enviro300 was launched in 2001 by TransBus International, becoming the first member of the Enviro range; [2] with the collapse of TransBus in 2004, successors Alexander Dennis took over production and rebranded the Enviro300 as the Alexander Dennis Enviro300. [3] [4] In 2005, a school bus version was launched. [5]
A common design was used primarily that the bus has a single-curvature windscreen with a peaked roof dome and a separately mounted destination sign. The bus was developed to compete with the European-built heavy-weight single-decker buses sold in the United Kingdom, the most notable being Volvo. Many full-size (12m or more) single-decker buses are primarily designed for use on the continent and to carry a large number of standing passengers which is commonplace on the continent, but the Enviro300 was designed solely for the UK market where large numbers of standing passengers are not often carried. TransBus therefore believed that operators could make significant fuel savings by operating light-weight buses and produced a vehicle which is claimed to be lighter than its continental rivals but offer more seating capacity.
The Enviro300 had not sold as well as the manufacturer had hoped, though sales were not helped by the collapse of TransBus International in 2004. First Midland Red purchased 35. [6] Arriva purchased at least 40. [7] [8] A small number of original style Enviro300s were sold to Stagecoach Group, Cardiff Bus and Bus Éireann.
The Enviro300 chassis was also able to be fitted with bodywork by other manufacturers, with Courtney Coaches purchasing East Lancs Esteem bodied examples in 2006. This was the first time the Enviro300 chassis being constructed with bodywork by another manufacturer. [9]
In late 2007 Alexander Dennis introduced a second generation version of Enviro300 which featured styling cues similar to the Enviro200 Dart and the Enviro400. It had a single-piece windscreen covering the destination display (no longer a peaked roof dome similar to the Marshall Capital and the MCV Stirling). In addition to being available as an integral bus, it was also available on MAN 18.240/18.250, Volvo B7RLE and Scania K230UB chassis. [10] [11] The second generation Enviro300 was far more successful sales wise than its predecessor, with Arriva, FirstGroup and Stagecoach purchasing examples. [12]
Stagecoach ordered 100 Enviro300 bodied MAN 18.240s in 2007, [13] with the first eight production Enviro300s entering service with Stagecoach in Perth to launch the Stagecoach Goldline bus service in October 2007. [14] Further orders boosted the total number of Enviro300s operated by Stagecoach Group companies to over 350. In mid-2008 Ulsterbus ordered 45 Enviro300 bodied Volvo B7RLEs, which were the first to feature Volvo chassis since the introduction of this option, they were also built to a rural specification featuring unusual modifications such as narrower entrance doors, side wheelchair access door and 55 seatbelted seats in the form of 2+3 layout. [15]
In January 2011, Stagecoach placed an order for 50 Enviro300s on the diesel-powered Scania K230UB chassis. These were followed by further 28 examples in 2012/13 [16] and 28 in 2014/15. [17]
In April 2013 Reading Buses took delivery of 20 gas-powered Enviro300SG buses based again on a Scania K UB chassis. [18] [19] [20] These buses were jointly developed by Alexander Dennis and Scania, who had a demonstrator on loan to other operators from March 2013. [21] [22] [23] Stagecoach North East purchased 40 Scania K270UBs in 2014. [24]
Production of the Enviro300 ceased in late 2015 with the introduction of a long-wheelbase variant of the new Enviro200 MMC. The final Enviro300s were delivered to Stagecoach Merseyside & South Lancashire in December 2015.
In the UK in 2019, DVSA (Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency) issued an instruction to all operators of the Enviro 300 to carry out additional safety checks of suspension components following several safety concerns raised by DVSA. ADL are expected to implement a number of technical measures and recalls to resolve these issues. [25]
The Volvo B9TL is a low-floor double-decker bus built by Volvo from 2002 until 2018. It superseded the Volvo Super Olympian and the Volvo B7TL. The 2-axle version has been superseded by the Volvo B5TL in 2014 and the 3-axle version has been superseded by the Volvo B8L in 2018.
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, Europe, Hong Kong, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa and the United States.
The Volvo B7RLE is a low-entry single-deck bus chassis manufactured by Volvo. It was superseded by the Volvo B8RLE in 2013.
The Alexander ALX400 was a 2-axle double-decker bus body built by Walter Alexander Coachbuilders. It was one of the ALX-series bodywork, all of which featured the same designs on the front and rear panels that were originally designed for the new generation of mainly low-floor bus chassis produced since the late 1990s.
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 and Plaxton President. In 2014, the Enviro400 was succeeded by the updated Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC and production of the classic Enviro400 ceased in 2018.
The Scania OmniCity is an integrally constructed transverse-engined low floor city bus that was available from Scania on the European market between 1997 and 2012.
The Alexander Dennis 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 ultimately unsuccessful, with few being sold before the introduction of the second generation Enviro200 revived sales for the product from 2006. It was supposed to be positioned in between a minibus and a rigid single-decker bus.
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, then from 2004, it was built by Alexander Dennis following the collapse of TransBus.
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 and performed a reverse takeover with Optare when its parent purchased the company in 2008 and its site and business was later closed in 2012.
Southdown PSV Limited, which traded as Southdown Buses, was a medium-sized country bus operator, with 18 routes across East Surrey, West Sussex, South London and Kent, 9 of which were school bus routes. Most of their routes were operated on behalf of Surrey County Council, other work included railway replacement services for planned engineering work.
The Scania N series is a line of low-floor bus chassis with straight-up, transversely mounted Euro IV or newer engine at the rear, built by Scania since 2006, replacing the Scania N94.
The Optare Esteem was a low-floor single-decker bus body manufactured by East Lancashire Coachbuilders, Darwen East Lancs and Optare between 2006 and 2009 on Scania N94UB, Scania N230UB, Volvo B7RLE, MAN 12.240, Alexander Dennis Dart SLF, Alexander Dennis Enviro200 Dart and Alexander Dennis Enviro300 chassis.
The Optare Olympus is a double-decker bus built by Optare, East Lancs and Darwen. It could be built as a body available on Alexander Dennis Enviro400, Volvo B9TL or Scania N230UD/N270UD chassis with the 2-axle and 3-axle variants. It is the double-decker equivalent of the Optare Esteem. Some 3-axle Olympus buses were built.
The Darwen Group was a bus manufacturer located in Blackburn, Lancashire, England. The company originated from the purchase of East Lancashire Coachbuilders who went into administration in August 2007. After a series of developments, in June 2008 Darwen performed a reverse takeover with the then bus manufacturer Optare, with the Darwen name disappearing.
The Plaxton Pointer is a single-decker bus body that was manufactured during the 1990s by Reeve Burgess, Plaxton and latterly built by Alexander Dennis.
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The Alexander Dennis Enviro200 MMC, also marketed as the Alexander Dennis Enviro200, is a single-decker city bus produced by Alexander Dennis since 2014 as the successor to the Enviro200 midibus and Enviro300 full-size bus. The first Enviro200 MMCs entered service with National Express West Midlands in 2015. Notably, Enviro200 MMCs have been modified by Fusion Processing to be used as the basis for the first driverless bus trials in the United Kingdom.
The Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC is a low-floor double-decker bus produced by the British bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis since 2014, replacing the Alexander Dennis Enviro400. The Enviro400 MMC is produced at Alexander Dennis' Falkirk and Scarborough factories in the United Kingdom.
The Alexander Dennis Enviro400 City is a low-floor double-decker bus produced by the British bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis since 2015, as an alternative to the standard Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC bodywork. The Enviro400 City is produced at Alexander Dennis' Falkirk and Scarborough factories in the United Kingdom. It is available as a complete integral diesel or hybrid bus, as well as the Enviro400EV complete integral battery electric bus or Scania N280UD compressed natural gas-powered chassis.
The Alexander Dennis Enviro200EV is a battery electric single-deck bus produced by the British bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis in partnership with Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD Auto since 2015. An electric variant of the diesel integral Alexander Dennis Enviro200 MMC, which had been launched that same year to replace the outgoing Enviro200 and Enviro300, the Enviro200EV utilises BYD's own 12 m chassis and drivetrain and has a range of up to 160 miles with a recharge time of 3.5 hours. A shorter 10.8 m variant was subsequently added to the range in 2016.
Media related to Alexander Dennis Enviro300 at Wikimedia Commons