Alexander Dennis
Encyclopedia
Alexander Dennis Limited (formerly known as TransBus International) is the largest bus builder in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

. It incorporated the three last surviving bus manufacturers which started bus production before World War II: Dennis
Dennis Specialist Vehicles
Dennis Specialist Vehicles is a major British coachbuilder and manufacturer of specialised commercial vehicles based in Guildford, England...

, Alexander
Walter Alexander Coachbuilders
Walter Alexander Coachbuilders was a Scottish bus coachbuilder and operater based in Falkirk.-History:Walter Alexander, notice a lack expasion by the Falkirk and District Tramways Company's especially in to Grangemouth which never hdd a tram line. In 1913 Alexander's Motor Service was created to...

 and Plaxton
Plaxton
Plaxton is a builder of bus and coach vehicle bodies based in Scarborough, England.-History:The Plaxton of today is the successor to a business founded in Scarborough in 1907 by Frederick William Plaxton.-Beginnings:...

.

History

Alexander Dennis was formed as TransBus on 1 January 2001, after the merger of Mayflower Corporation
Mayflower Corporation
Mayflower Corporation PLC or Mayflower as it was more commonly known was a company that designed, engineered and manufactured bodies for cars, light trucks, sports utility vehicles, commercial vehicle cabs, bus, coach bodies, chassis and fire engines. Its chief executive was John Simpson...

-owned Dennis and Alexander, and Henlys-owned Plaxton, all based in the United Kingdom.

TransBus had a variety of factories around the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 from all three merged companies: the former Alexander factories at Falkirk
Falkirk
Falkirk is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies in the Forth Valley, almost midway between the two most populous cities of Scotland; north-west of Edinburgh and north-east of Glasgow....

, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 and Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...

, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

, the former Plaxton factories at Anston
Anston
The villages of North Anston and South Anston are the principal constituents of the civil parish of North and South Anston, in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham in South Yorkshire, England...

 and Scarborough, the former Northern Counties factory at Wigan
Wigan
Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south-west of Bolton, north of Warrington and west-northwest of Manchester. Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town of Wigan had a total...

, and the Dennis factory at Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...

.

At the height of TransBus, the company produced a range of both bus & coach chassis and bodies as well as fire engines
Fire apparatus
A fire apparatus, fire engine, fire truck, or fire appliance is a vehicle designed to assist in fighting fires by transporting firefighters to the scene and providing them with access to the fire, along with water or other equipment...

 and waste collection vehicle
Waste collection vehicle
Garbage truck refers to a truck specially designed to collect small quantities of waste and haul the collected waste to a solid waste treatment facility. Other common names for this type of truck include trash truck and dump truck in the United States, and bin wagon, dustcart, dustbin lorry, bin...

s. Included among its range of chassis were the Dennis Dart, one of the all-time best-selling buses in the UK, and the Dennis Trident. TransBus also produced export variants
Dennis Trident 3
Dennis Trident 3 is the first low floor double-decker bus chassis built by Dennis in the United Kingdom, with a large number purchased by bus companies in Hong Kong, Singapore, the United States and Canada.-Design:...

 for service in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

, and other locations. The Dennis Trident
Dennis Trident 2
Dennis Trident 2 is a 2-axle low-floor double-decker bus chassis originally built by Dennis in the United Kingdom, which was unveiled in 1997 and replaced the Dennis Arrow...

 is the most common bus model in service in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

.

Since the creation of TransBus merged both Plaxton and Alexander, the TransBus range included Plaxton coaches as well as two double-decker bodies (the Plaxton President
Plaxton President
The Plaxton President was a double-decker bus body built at Northern Counties plant in Wigan, England and branded as a Plaxton product for its main production run. It was unveiled in 1997 and built between 1999 and 2005. When Plaxton became part of TransBus International, the body was sold under...

 and the Alexander ALX400
Alexander ALX400
The Alexander ALX400 is a 2-axle double-decker bus body built by Walter Alexander Coachbuilders...

), the Alexander ALX300
Alexander ALX300
The Alexander ALX300 is a full size single-decker bus body built by Alexander at Falkirk, Scotland, United Kingdom, which was first built in 1997...

 citybus and the Pointer body built in quantity on the aforementioned Dennis Dart chassis, which replaced the Alexander ALX200
Alexander ALX200
The Alexander ALX200 was a midibus body built by Alexander of the United Kingdom. It was one of the ALX-series, which accounted for 5 different models , built for new generation bus chassis produced since late 1990s.It was designed by John Worker, and was launched in summer...

 body built previously on a Dart chassis.

On 31 March 2004, the Mayflower Group was put into administration and by default TransBus also entered administration. On 17 May 2004, the Plaxton coach business was sold to its management and returned to its separate Plaxton
Plaxton
Plaxton is a builder of bus and coach vehicle bodies based in Scarborough, England.-History:The Plaxton of today is the successor to a business founded in Scarborough in 1907 by Frederick William Plaxton.-Beginnings:...

 identity (TransBus had been in the process of eradicating the traditional company names from the vehicles). Four days later, on 21 May 2004, the remaining part of TransBus (Alexander and Dennis) was bought by independent business men (one of whom was Brian Souter
Brian Souter
Sir Brian Souter , is a Scottish businessman. He is the co-founder of the Stagecoach Group, along with his sister, Ann Gloag. He is also widely known for his controversial public statements and for his attempt to keep Section 28 in law, which led to widespread accusations of homophobia...

, owner of the Stagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group plc is an international transport group operating buses, trains, trams, express coaches and ferries. The group was founded in 1980 by the current chairman, Sir Brian Souter, his sister, Ann Gloag, and her former husband Robin...

, although the acquisition was kept separate from the bus and train operation). The new company became Alexander Dennis. The sale did not include the former Alexander Belfast plant, which later closed down.

On 26 January 2005, Alexander Dennis's Wigan plant was closed after finishing the orders of its President body.

Since the administration period and restructuring of the former TransBus International, Alexander Dennis has secured a number of major orders from UK operators, and is the favoured manufacturer of the Stagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group plc is an international transport group operating buses, trains, trams, express coaches and ferries. The group was founded in 1980 by the current chairman, Sir Brian Souter, his sister, Ann Gloag, and her former husband Robin...

. The company has also continued to find success in its predecessors' traditional markets of Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

 and the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

, with the Enviro500 securing orders in both markets, and the ALX400
Alexander ALX400
The Alexander ALX400 is a 2-axle double-decker bus body built by Walter Alexander Coachbuilders...

 double-deck body remaining the Dublin Bus
Dublin Bus
Dublin Bus is a public transport operator in Ireland. It operates an extensive bus network of 172 radial, cross-city and peripheral routes and 18 night routes in the city of Dublin and the Greater Dublin Area. The company, established in 1987, is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann which is...

 standard vehicle until production ended in 2006.

Alexander Dennis is also building its share of the North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

n market, securing £25m worth of orders in 2005 for its Enviro500 model from customers in Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...

, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 (open top models), San Francisco and Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

.

The order book remained strong in the first quarter of 2006 and the company unveiled two new models, the Enviro400 double-decker and Enviro200 Dart midibus.

In early 2007, Colin Robertson replaced Jim Hastie as the CEO of Alexander Dennis. In May of that year Alexander Dennis purchased Plaxton, thus reuniting the two former TransBus businesses.

Alexander Dennis saw reduced orders due to the Financial crisis of 2007–2010, the company laid off almost 100 employees in Falkirk in spring 2009 and introduced short-time working in late 2009. But between 2009 and 2010, bus operators in England and Scotland received awards from the Green Bus Funds to encourage the purchase of more environment friendly buses, and several hybrid buses were ordered by organisations such as Stagecoach and Transport for London.

Bus bodies

  • DM5000 (From Duple Metsec
    Duple Metsec
    Duple Metsec is a former bus bodywork builder based in West Midlands of the United Kingdom, which usually supplied body kits for assembly overseas....

    , 2001–2002)
  • ALX200
    Alexander ALX200
    The Alexander ALX200 was a midibus body built by Alexander of the United Kingdom. It was one of the ALX-series, which accounted for 5 different models , built for new generation bus chassis produced since late 1990s.It was designed by John Worker, and was launched in summer...

     (From Alexander
    Walter Alexander Coachbuilders
    Walter Alexander Coachbuilders was a Scottish bus coachbuilder and operater based in Falkirk.-History:Walter Alexander, notice a lack expasion by the Falkirk and District Tramways Company's especially in to Grangemouth which never hdd a tram line. In 1913 Alexander's Motor Service was created to...

    , 2001)
  • ALX300
    Alexander ALX300
    The Alexander ALX300 is a full size single-decker bus body built by Alexander at Falkirk, Scotland, United Kingdom, which was first built in 1997...

     (From Alexander, 2001–2007)
  • ALX400
    Alexander ALX400
    The Alexander ALX400 is a 2-axle double-decker bus body built by Walter Alexander Coachbuilders...

     (From Alexander, 2001–2006)
  • ALX500
    Alexander ALX500
    The Alexander ALX500 is a 3-axle double-decker bus body built by Alexander of the United Kingdom. It was one of the ALX-series, which accounted for 5 different models , all of the models except the ALX100 featured the same designs on the front and rear panels that were originally designed for the...

     (From Alexander, 2001–2002)
  • Pointer (From Plaxton
    Plaxton
    Plaxton is a builder of bus and coach vehicle bodies based in Scarborough, England.-History:The Plaxton of today is the successor to a business founded in Scarborough in 1907 by Frederick William Plaxton.-Beginnings:...

    , 2001–2007)
  • President
    Plaxton President
    The Plaxton President was a double-decker bus body built at Northern Counties plant in Wigan, England and branded as a Plaxton product for its main production run. It was unveiled in 1997 and built between 1999 and 2005. When Plaxton became part of TransBus International, the body was sold under...

     (From Plaxton, 2001–2005)

Bus chassis

  • Dart SLF
  • Trident 2
    Dennis Trident 2
    Dennis Trident 2 is a 2-axle low-floor double-decker bus chassis originally built by Dennis in the United Kingdom, which was unveiled in 1997 and replaced the Dennis Arrow...

  • Trident 3
    Dennis Trident 3
    Dennis Trident 3 is the first low floor double-decker bus chassis built by Dennis in the United Kingdom, with a large number purchased by bus companies in Hong Kong, Singapore, the United States and Canada.-Design:...


Complete buses (or chassis/body only)

  • Enviro200/200H (2003–?)
  • Enviro200 Dart (2006–)
  • Enviro300 (2001–)
  • Enviro400 (2005–)
  • Enviro500 (2002–)

Hybrid electric buses

ADL is the only bus manufacturer in the world with a range of single deck, two-axle and three-axle double deck hybrid electric bus
Hybrid electric bus
A hybrid electric bus combines a conventional internal combustion engine propulsion system with an electric propulsion system. These type of buses normally use a diesel-electric powertrain and are also known as hybrid diesel-electric buses....

es (where H means "hybrid electric"):
  • Enviro200H (midibus
    Midibus
    A midibus is a classification of single-decker minibuses which generally are larger than a traditional minibus but smaller than a full-size single decker and can be anywhere between and long...

    )
  • Enviro350H
    Alexander Dennis Enviro350H
    Alexander Dennis Enviro350H is a hybrid-electric powered full-size single-deck bus built by Alexander Dennis. It was unveiled in 2010.The Enviro350H has its powertrain located at the nearside of the rear overhang, similar with the full-low-floor buses in Continental Europe...

     (full-size single-deck)
  • Enviro400H (double-deck
    Double-decker bus
    A double-decker bus is a bus that has two storeys or 'decks'. Global usage of this type of bus is more common in outer touring than in its intra-urban transportion role. Double-decker buses are also commonly found in certain parts of Europe, Asia, and former British colonies and protectorates...

    , two-axle bus)
  • Enviro500H (double-deck, three-axle bus)

Fire appliance (Chassis and crew cab)

TransBus/Alexander Dennis built fire-fighting vehicles until 2007. The bodywork on a majority of the chassis are built by the sister company John Dennis Coachbuilders or other coachbuilders.
  • Sabre
    Dennis Sabre
    The Dennis Sabre was a purpose-built fire appliance introduced by Dennis Specialist Vehicles of Guildford, Surrey, England in the mid-1990s. The Sabre comes in three sizes, Sabre, Sabre ML, Sabre XL. Most of the coachbuilding on these chassis were by John Dennis Coachbuilders of Guildford, England....

  • Rapier
  • Dagger
    Dennis Dagger
    Dennis Dagger is a purpose-built fire engine manufactured by Dennis Specialist Vehicles in Guildford, Surrey . The Dagger is capable of carrying 12.5 tonnes of equipment and is fitted with a 4000 L/min water pump...

  • RS
    Dennis RS series
    The Dennis RS series is a fire engine built by Dennis, produced from 1978 until early 1990s.-Features:Its new all-steel cab, designed by Ogle of London, replaced the older fibreglass and wood construction of the previous appliances it succeeded, such as the Dennis D and Dennis R.The first of the...

  • SS
    Dennis SS series
    The Dennis SS series is a fire engine built by Dennis, it was produced from early 1980s until 1990s.The Dennis SS was almost identical with the previous RS model. It incorporated the same cab design, engine and transmission, except the SS had a tilting cab which made maintenance and overhaul much...

  • DS
    Dennis DS series
    The Dennis DS series was a fire engine built by Dennis Specialist Vehicles throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. It was almost identical in construction to the Dennis SS series with the exception of a shorter wheelbase.-Significant users:*London Fire Brigade...

  • DFS

External links

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