The Alexander Dennis Enviro200 Dart is a two-axle single-story low-floor bus produced by Alexander Dennis in the United Kingdom. It was released in 2006 and mainly replaced the Dennis Dart SLF series buses and Pointer bodyworks.
This bus was originally named Enviro200 Dart to distinguish it from the Enviro200 full-low floor platform that failed to develop at that time. Later, Alexander Dennis directly renamed this bus Enviro200 Dart.[3] In 2014, the Enviro200 MMC with Euro VI engine came out, while the older Enviro200 Dart was kept in production as the Enviro200 Classic in the British market. As the UK fully implemented the Euro VI environmental protection at the end of 2016, this model has been discontinued in 2018 and new orders were no longer accepted.[4]
In Hong Kong, KMB, MTR Bus (ordered by Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation), Discovery Bay Transit Services and Park Island Transport all have this model. Since 2006, a total of 68 Enviro200 Darts have been produced in Hong Kong, of which KMB has 11 unique single-door variants in addition to its standard dual door units.
Design[]
The chassis of the Enviro200 Dart (also known as Dart 4[3]) can be equipped with Cummins ISBe Euro 4 or an environmental standard engine between Euro 5 and Euro 6[5], using SCR selective reduction Catalytic device, and need to add AdBlue. In addition, it is equipped with Allison 2100 gearbox, Allison T280 five-speed gearbox or Voith DV500 four-speed gearbox. The body adopts aluminum brackets and a fiberglass shell.
At present, all Enviro200 Darts running in Hong Kong use Lazzerini Pratico 2840 or Vogel Revo seats instead of Lazzerini City 2657 seats generally used by Enviro500s. Some Enviro200 Darts adopted the Lazzerini Pratico 2840 used the Lazzerini Pratico 3840 seat at a later stage.
Test demonstrator bus[]
SD62[]
VIN:SFEY21118CGN33203
This unit is a left-hand drive version of the E200 that the factory gave to the North American market for trial use, where it was marketed as the New Flyer MD35. It was shipped to the United States in 2013 for various road tests, and was returned to the factory in 2014 for side impact testing. In 2022, it was purchased by the Bromley Bus Preservation Group and modified to operate in the UK. In terms of appearance, this bus and the right-hand drive version were changed to use larger head and tail lights, a height indicator light was also added above the rear of the bus, and the exhaust pipe is changed to the roof. In terms of mechanical specifications, this bus uses an Allison B300R automatic gearbox and a Cummins engine that meets the US EPA 2013 emissions standard.
Bus fleets[]
KMB[]
AAU1-30[]
Chassis number: SFD5F4BR5AGY4
In mid-2010, KMB announced the purchase of 30 10.4m Enviro200 Dart buses. The bus is assembled in the UK, using Lazzerini Pratico 2840 bus seats and EEV standard Cummins engine, with a capacity of 62 passengers (28 seats and 34 standing seats), becoming the third major model after Scania K230UB and Volvo B7RLE It is used to replace the now retired Dennis Dart and Mitsubishi MK117J. One of the buses (AAU12/PX3045) was exhibited at the European Bus Expo 2010 held in Birmingham, UK in November 2010 before coming to Hong Kong.[6][7][8]
On 17 October 2010, KMB's first Enviro200 Dart bus arrived in Hong Kong.[9] The remaining 29 Enviro200 buses also arrived in Hong Kong one after another. Seven of them were equipped with manual retarders to replace the Dennis Darts equipped with manual retarders that were put into service in 1994 to operate on Route 51. On 30 March 2011, the first Enviro200 Dart was officially registered (AAU1/PU4458)[10]; the remaining 29 buses were also registered from April to September of the same year.
On 4 May 2011, AAU1 and AAU3 made their debut on Route 276. On 6 May 2011, AAU4 and AAU5 were officially registered, and they made their debut on Route 53 the next day, and AAU first appeared on Route 51 on 17 July 2011.[11] All AAUs were put into service from March to September 2011, and mainly serve on routes with low passenger demand or vehicle restrictions, including Routes 34M, 51[12], 53, 68, 68F and 211[13]. In addition, AAU buses will operate Routes 14S or 32P during the Ching Ming Festival and various suburban routes after bad weather, whereas units with a manual retarder mainly operate on Route 51 or serve as spare buses for the route.
At the end of 2013, KMB installed manual retarders for some AAUs (including AAU3, 8, 16, and 22) belonging to Tuen Mun Depot (Yuen Long Sub-depot) (U).[14][15] In 2015, in response to the change of bus deployments of Route 51 to the Lai Chi Kok Depot, KMB transferred some AAUs equipped with manual retarders from Tuen Mun Depot (Yuen Long Sub-depot) (U) to the Lai Chi Kok Depot (L).
These buses have been equipped with Dennis traditional wheel covers when they rolled out of the factory, but the AAU12/PX3045 is not equipped with the imitation traditional cover with the word "DENNIS", replaced by a black base with a white Alexander Dennis logo sticker; at the same time, part of the glass of this bus is pasted with a grey sticker with the words Enviro200.
Since 2017, guardrails have been added to rear doors of all 30 AAU vehicles.
In October 2019, AAU19/PY7153 was involved in a major traffic accident while operating a crew bus service. KMB later refurbished it and replaced the damaged flip-dot displays with orange LED displays.
Appearance[]
- Evolution of rear
- Compartment layout
AAS1-11[]
Chassis number: SFD5F4BR5DGY2
In 2012, KMB ordered an additional 11 Enviro200 Dart buses. These buses are equipped with Hanover LED orange electronic display screens, a new automatic stop announcement system provided by Shanghai CanRun, and Vogel Revo seats with "Bus Boy" family patterns, replacing the 1996 Dennis Dart low-floor "Easy Access Buses" that were set to be retired. The new Enviro200 Dart buses measure 10.5 metres in length[16][2] and feature a single-door design.[17][18] The first AAS arrived in Hong Kong in April 2013[19], but online rumours suggested that the buses did not meet KMB's requirements or had issues and would be sold off.[20] KMB ultimately decided to purchase them[21] and re-inspected them at the Transport Department's To Kwa Wan Vehicle Inspection Centre on 16 July.[22] Unlike the AAU, all AAS buses were delivered without wheel covers, which were later retrofitted with Dennis traditional wheel covers starting in 2017.
The first AAS bus, AAS1, was registered on 26 August 2013 with the registration number SE5971[23] and made its maiden voyage on Route 203 the following day.
The entire batch of buses was fully deployed between August and September 2013, initially all based at Lai Chi Kok Depot (L), operating on routes 203C and 208. Following operational adjustments, Kowloon Bay Depot (K) now also has two of these buses, operating on Route 2D; while the two buses originally based at Lai Chi Kok Depot now operate on Route 208, occasionally also serving Routes 30, 32H, 53 and 203C. Additionally, during the Ching Ming Festival and Chung Yeung Festival periods, AAS buses may operate on Routes 14S or 32P, and following adverse weather conditions, they may also serve various rural routes.
- Appearance
- Evolution of rear end
- Compartment layout
Fleet summary[]
| Fleet summary of KMB Alexander Dennis Enviro200 Dart | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fleet no. | Body | Engine | Gearbox | Capacity | Year served |
| AAU1-30 | Alexander Dennis Enviro200 dual-door | Cummins ISBe6.7EV225B (Euro 5 EEV) |
Voith DIWA 854.5 | L28+S34 62 |
2011- |
| AAS1-11 | Alexander Dennis Enviro200 single-door | L33+S26 59 |
2013- | ||
See Enviro200 Dart fleet list for the detailed fleet list.
Fleet gallery[]
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This gallery saves only part of the images related to Enviro200 Dart Only a limited number of representative images will be included in this gallery. To see more related images, please go to the Gallery:Enviro200 Dart/KMB |
KCR/MTR Bus[]
901-911[]
On 12 January 2007, the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation announced the purchase of 11 Enviro200 Dart 11.3m buses to replace the Mitsubishi MK117J single-decker buses (301-311), which were nearing 17 years of service. Following the rail merger, all 11 buses were leased to the MTR Corporation for use, making the MTR the first public transport operator in Hong Kong to use this model of bus. However, since these vehicles were ordered by KCRC, they remain KCRC assets.
On 1 August 2008, the first Enviro200 Dart bus arrived in Hong Kong and was driven by staff to the MTR Fo Tan Depot. After vehicle calibration was completed and Passenger Service Licences were obtained, buses with fleet numbers 901 (NM4716) and 902 (NM4760) made their maiden voyage on Route K68 on the afternoon of 31 August 2008, with the remaining nine buses entering service by March 2009. All 11 buses joined the MTR Bus Northwest New Territories Fleet, serving Tuen Mun and Yuen Long districts. All buses were originally equipped with Dennis traditional wheel covers, though some were later removed.
This batch of buses is the only one in Hong Kong to use Euro IV engines and lacks a stop announcement system.
Like the Mitsubishi buses they replaced, these buses are primarily designed for standees, with a total capacity of 27 seated passengers and 50 standing passengers. This arrangement has been highly effective in managing large passenger volumes on short-haul routes. As a result, during peak hours, these buses are frequently deployed on special services and routes such as K58 and K75S, while they are more commonly kept in the depot during daytime hours. Prior to the cancellation of Route A73 on 9 November 2009, these buses were also the main vehicles used on that route.
From 2010 to early 2011, MTR began to repaint the buses with the new colour scheme. The body is white with purple and green stripes representing the three Light Rail routes[24], aligning with the new paint scheme of the Light Rail and replacing the original colour scheme from KCR.
As the population in the northwestern New Territories continued to grow, the low passenger capacity of this batch of buses could no longer meet the increasing demand. Therefore, MTR Bus gradually withdrew the entire batch of Enviro200 Dart buses from daily operations starting in December 2015. Routes K75 and K75S, which previously relied on this batch of vehicles as their main fleet, switched to double-decker buses as their primary vehicles by the end of January 2016, effectively rendering this batch of buses idle. To make better use of resources, MTR Bus has arranged for this batch of buses to be used as training buses for MTR Free Shuttle Buses, MTR Free Shuttle Buses, staff shuttle buses, and to occasionally support Routes K58 and K75S during peak hours on weekdays, as well as special services on various MTR Bus routes. Additionally, they are deployed on routes K52, K52A, K65A and K66 after adverse weather conditions. Starting from late October 2015, MTR has deployed two Enviro200 Dart buses to stand by at Po Lam Station and Hong Kong Station from early morning to late night daily, with the service later expanded to all districts across Hong Kong. These buses primarily stand by at Po Lam Station, Tiu Keng Leng Station, Kowloon Tong Station, East Tsim Sha Tsui Station, Hong Kong Station and Cheung Sha Wan (Kom Tsun Street). When MTR train services at nearby stations are disrupted and free shuttle buses are required, the standby buses are deployed on the corresponding shuttle routes. During late-night and early-morning hours, they are used as staff shuttle buses.
However, since Route K54 commenced operations in 2022, due to high demand and insufficient vehicle supply, these buses have been reintroduced into regular service, primarily operating on routes with lower passenger volumes during afternoon peak hours, such as routes K58 and K74.
The dashboards of these buses were the only ones among the Dennis buses supplied to Hong Kong to feature removable dashboards, until New World First Bus introduced the only batch of five Enviro200 MMC buses.
Since the Euro 4 diesel non-franchised buses registered between 2008 and 2009 will no longer be eligible for renewal from 2025 onwards, this model will enter a retirement phase from 2025 onwards. It is anticipated that once all vehicles of this model have been retired, they will be replaced by Enviro500EV electric buses.
- Appearance
- Compartment layout
| Fleet summary of MTR Bus Alexander Dennis Enviro200 Dart | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fleet no. | Body | Engine | Gearbox | Capacity | Year served |
| 901-911 | Alexander Dennis Enviro200 11.3m | Cummins ISBe4+225B （Euro 4） |
Voith DIWA 854.5 | L27+S50 77 |
2008/2009- |
See Enviro200 Dart fleet list for the complete fleet list.
Fleet gallery[]
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This gallery saves only part of the images related to Enviro200 Dart Only a limited number of representative images will be included in this gallery. To see more related images, please go to the Gallery:Enviro200 Dart/MTR Bus |
DBTSL[]
Chassis number: (1st batch 10.4m) SFD5F4BR5DGY4/(1st batch 11.3m) SFD6F4BR5DGY44090/(2nd batch 10.4m) SFD5U4BR5GGY4[25]
On 8 February 2014, Discovery Bay Transit Services confirmed the purchase of five Enviro200 Dart buses, with deliveries commencing in early February and arriving in Hong Kong on 1 March.[26] One of the buses is an 11.3-metre version, while the remaining four are 10.4-metre versions. The first 10.4-metre bus underwent vehicle examination on 10 March, while the 11.3-metre bus passed the vehicle examination on 4 April.
Three of the 10.4-metre versions were registered on 11 April 2014 and made their debut on routes 2, 8 and 9A on 16 April. All buses in this batch were put into service by April 2014. These buses were equipped with traditional-style wheel covers at the time of registration.
In October 2016, Discovery Bay Transit Services ordered an additional two Enviro200 Dart 10.4-metre buses. One of them was photographed by a British netizen while parked at ADL factory in Scotland, and the photos show that the bus was painted with the second version of the livery.[27][25] The two buses were first registered in April 2017.[28]
- Appearance
.JPG "DBAY5@9A(0904).JPG (1.28 MB)")
- Compartment layout
_Cabin.jpg "DBTSL E200(DBAY36) Cabin.jpg (2.89 MB)")
| Fleet summary of DBTSL Alexander Dennis Enviro200 Dart | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fleet no. | Body | Engine | Gearbox | Capacity | Year served |
| DBAY5, 27, 36, 37, 86, 121 |
Alexander Dennis Enviro200 10.4m | Cummins ISBe6.7EV225B (Euro 5 EEV) |
Voith DIWA 854.5 | L27+S32 59 |
2014/2017- |
| DBAY135 | Alexander Dennis Enviro200 11.3m | L33+S34 67 |
2014- | ||
See Enviro200 Dart fleet list for the complete fleet list.
Fleet gallery[]
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This gallery saves only part of the images related to Enviro200 Dart Only a limited number of representative images will be included in this gallery. To see more related images, please go to the Gallery:Enviro200 Dart/DBTSL |
PITCL[]
Chassis number: (1st batch) SFD6F4BR5FGY45185/(2nd batch) SFD6U4BR5GGY4/(3rd batch) SFD6U4BR5HGY4
In October 2015, Park Island Transport Company Limited (PITCL) confirmed that it had ordered an Enviro200 Dart 11.3m to replace the Lions Bus LBC6101 bus (901/NG4254). The bus was assembled in the UK, with the middle door positioned further forward compared to the two-door version of the same model already in service in Hong Kong. This Enviro200 Dart 11.3-metre bus was registered on 30 January 2016 and inherited the registration number NG4254 from 901. At the time of registration, it was not fitted with a wheel cover.
In December 2016, January and February 2017, more Enviro200 Dart 11.3-metre buses arrived in Hong Kong for PITCL.[29] A total of four buses were ordered to replace the Transbus Dart SPD 11.3-metre buses (111-114), and all were registered in March and April 2017. At the time of registration, the buses were not equipped with wheel covers, and guardrails were added to the rear doors.
In March 2018, two more 11.3-metre Enviro200 Dart buses arrived in Hong Kong for PITCL.[30] These two Enviro200 Dart buses were officially registered on 2 May 2018, replacing two Transbus Dennis Dart SPD 11.3-metre buses (107/LB8858 and 108/LB9730).
On 12 July 2018, PITCL introduced two more 11.3-metre Enviro200 Dart buses and registered them to replace two Transbus Super Pointer Dart SPD 11.3m buses (109/LE5705 and 110/LE6074).
Fleet gallery[]
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This gallery saves only part of the images related to Enviro200 Dart Only a limited number of representative images will be included in this gallery. To see more related images, please go to the Gallery:Enviro200 Dart/PITCL |
- Appearance
-NR330.JPG "NG4254(E200)-NR330.JPG (1.79 MB)")
- Compartment layout
| Fleet summary of PITCL Alexander Dennis Enviro200 Dart | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fleet no. | Body | Engine | Gearbox | Capacity | Year served |
| — | Alexander Dennis Enviro200 11.3m | Cummins ISBe6.7EV225B (Euro 5 EEV) |
Voith DIWA 854.5 | L35+S32 67 |
2016/2017/2018- |
See Enviro200 Dart fleet list for the complete fleet list.
Notes and references[]
- ↑ "Angle angle side" originated from the KMB fleet number AAS for the single-door version Enviro200 Dart and AAS is the acronym for Angle Angle Side, and therefore "Angle Angle Side" is only used to describe KMB's single-door version Enviro200 Dart buses.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 There was also a claim that the length of the KMB AAS was 10.4 metres. In fact, the length of the AAU and AAS is 10.443 metres, which falls between 10.4 and 10.5 metres. The chassis numbers of both batches are also marked as 10.4 metres, so both lengths are well-founded. Refer to: KMB Dennis Enviro200 Dart A/C 10.4m, HKBRIC.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Looking Sharp, RouteOne (Issue 347), 19 August 2010.
- ↑ busandcoachbuyer.com - alexander-dennis
- ↑ i.e. EEV type.
- ↑ [轉貼]九巴E200現身外國, hkdiscuss
- ↑ [GB] Eurobus Expo 2010 - 3 KMB buses (Photos Restored)，hkitalk.net。
- ↑ 〔轉載〕各巴士公司的訂單．, hkitalk.net.
- ↑ [2010s] 九巴E200抵港 ([2010s] KMB E200 arrives in HK), hkitalk.net.
- ↑ KMB E200 出牌消息 (Licensing of KMB E200), HKBF.
- ↑ [徵相] 低地台巴士行走九巴51號線的照片 (AAU除外), hkitalk.net.
- ↑ Must be in possession of prohibited zone permits fitted with manual retarders.
- ↑ Must be in possession of prohibited zone permits.
- ↑ 屯門廠路線更換掛牌車及調廠消息(23,25,26/1/2014) (Change in scheduled buses and depots for Tuen Mun Depot routes (23,25,26/1/2014)), hkitalk.net
- ↑ 已安裝手動減速器的巴士，KMB.HK2007.NET
- ↑ Information of single-door Enviro200 buses on plaxtonl's Bus Page
- ↑ 香港討論區: 已確定九巴新E200用單門!!有相, 31 March 2013.
- ↑ hkiTalk: 左邊兩隻門 . AAU, 16 August 2013.
- ↑ 9.8米 Enviro 200 Dart 已到港 (9.8m Enviro200 arrived in HK), hkitalk.net (Remark: There is error on the original title, and the actual length is 10.5m)
- ↑ 金色單門E200即將轉售? (Gold single-door E200s to be resold?), hkitalk.net
- ↑ Information of 11 single-door Enviro200s purchased by KMB on HK Bus Channel
- ↑ Information of 11 Enviro200s purchased by KMB on "土驗速遞", 16 July 2013.
- ↑ 2013年8月未/新出牌巴士消息 (Unregistered/Newly-registered buses in August 2013), hkitalk.net.
- ↑ These 3 are Light Rail Route 705, Light Rail Route 706 and Light Rail Route 761P.
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 Two Enviro 200s off to Discovery Bay in Hong Kong. For those who compile chassis & body lists they are, message sent by Tony Hunter to the "Friends of the PSV Circle" Facebook page.
- ↑ DbAY E200, hkitalk.net
- ↑ 愉景灣E200出現蘇格蘭ADL廠房 (DBTSL E200s appeared at ADL factory in Scotland), hkitalk.net
- ↑ 3/4 愉景灣交通兩部全新 ADL Enviro 200 中型單層巴士已正式出牌 (Two new ADL Enviro200 single-decker buses in DBTSL officially registered), plaxtonl's Bus Page.
- ↑ [即日快報] 再有珀麗灣 Enviro 200抵港 ([Sight of the day] More PITCL Enviro200s arrived in HK)
- ↑ [即日快報] 珀麗灣Enviro200新車抵港 (7 pics) ([Sight of the day] New PITCL Enviro200s arrived in HK)
Bottom scraping locations[]
Vehicles may experience bottom scraping at the access between Metroplaza and Kwai Tsing Theatre.
Related articles[]
- Enviro200 MMC
- Dennis Dart
- Enviro400
- Enviro series
- Volvo B7RLE
External links[]
- Alexander Dennis: Enviro200 (Redirected to Enviro200 MMC currently)
- Alexander Dennis: Enviro200 The Movie
- 新車型-九巴Enviro200 (New model - KMB Enviro200) (Chinese only)
Enviro200Dart, Enviro200, Alexander Dennis Enviro200, Alexander Dennis Enviro200Dart, ADL Enviro200, ADL Enviro200 Dart, AAU and AAS