Alexander Dennis Enviro200Dart

The Alexander Dennis Enviro200 Dart is a midibus manufactured by Alexander Dennis since 2006 for the British market as the successor of the Dart SLF chassis and Pointer body. The Enviro200 Dart is manufactured and marketed in North America by New Flyer as the MiDi.

Design
The Enviro200 Dart, as it was originally known, was announced by Alexander Dennis on 20 March 2006, with the vehicle being launched at a media event at the Alexander Dennis factory in Guildford in August of that year. The bus is available in five lengths, ranging from 8.9m to 11.4m.

Unlike the innovative but unsuccessful TransBus Enviro200, the chassis of Enviro200 Dart (also known as the Dart 4 ) retains the conventional rear-engined layout of the Dart, and is offered with a choice of four or six-cylinder Cummins ISBe Euro IV engines with a range of transmission options, and features new front and rear axles.

It offers the same seating capacity of the Pointer, but with more 'fixed' seats rather than 'tip up' for each length. The vehicle features integrated chassis and body multiplexing, and cantilevered seats.

Externally, the bus features the same front panel as the double-deck Enviro400, projecting a "family look" onto the two models. The Enviro200 Dart chassis is also available with East Lancs Esteem and MCV Evolution bodywork.

As of February 2007 the body of Enviro200 Dart became available on MAN 14.240 chassis, this is to give the option of EGR emissions reduction as some operators prefer this technology to the Cummins' SCR.

In August 2007, due to significant orders for the Enviro400, Alexander Dennis announced that the production of Enviro200 bodywork would be moved from the Alexander Dennis's plant at Falkirk to the recently acquired Plaxton factory at Scarborough. This meant that the Scarborough factory would once again be producing the bodywork for the Dart chassis, and producing the bodywork for the MAN 14.240 at the same time as the Plaxton Centro and Enviro200 bodies.

In 2008, Alexander Dennis unveiled the hybrid-electric powered version of Enviro200 Dart (known as the Enviro200H, not to be confused with the TransBus Enviro200H which was unveiled in 2003) using BAE Systems's HybriDrive series drive system with the Cummins ISBe 4-cylinder engine fitted for power generation.



In early 2011, the Enviro200 was modified in order to meet the European Community Whole Vehicle Type Approval (ECWVTA) regulations. Apart from the change of body length options, other modifications include:


 * Space was reserved below the headlamps for installation of daytime running lamps.
 * Offside emergency door, which was no longer mandatory for dual-door version, was relocated from the rear to the centre.
 * New rear bumper was used, with lowered position for the registration number plate.
 * New rear engine cover was used, without the model name 'ENVIRO200'.

The orders
60 confirmed vehicles were ordered at the vehicle's launch, with options for up to 50 more being declared. The first Enviro200 Dart which entered service in August 2006 with Leigh-based Jim Stones Coaches was a 10.7m version of the model. The first Enviro200 Darts in the London area were two 8.9m models with Sunray Travel, which had won the route 516 contract from September 2006. The first Enviro200 Darts for a Transport for London contract were six 10.2m Enviro200 Darts for Travel London for use on route 152 from December 2006. Another early customer for the Enviro200 Dart was East Yorkshire Motor Services, taking four 10.7m buses in December 2006 and a further eight 10.7m buses during 2007. Currently most operators of London Buses routes own Enviro200 Darts.

The Enviro200 Dart was also sold for export. Singapore bus operators has ordered Enviro200Dart since June 2008. Bus Éireann of Ireland received 23 buses during 2008/2009.

Stagecoach ordered 50 the Enviro200-bodied MAN 14.240 buses in 2007 (for delivery in 2008) and ordered a further 32 in 2008, making it one of the standard Stagecoach midibuses. These have rounded instead of squared gasket glazing.

A number of independent UK bus operators have purchased Enviro200 buses.

National Express West Midlands ordered 30 B37F seated Enviro200 buses which started in service from early January 2013.