Who owns alexander dennis

One double decker bus by Scania and Alexander Dennis fueled with biogas is currently on a pilot in Suffolk for the operator Ipswich Buses. The vehicle began its trial on June 3 and will be in operation for 6 weeks. Recently, the same model of bus has been bought in 21 units by Bristol Community Tran Bristol Community Transport has invested in a fleet of 21 Scania biogas buses built with Alexander Dennis bodywork. They will be deployed on m1 Metrobus route, which will be operated by First West.

Biogas buses for Metrobus in Bristol Metrobus is a new rapid public transport system for the West of E A modest revival comes with the Dennis Loline, a licence-built version of the Bristol Lodekka chassis for low-height double deckers which its state-owned designers could only sell to nationalised companies. Dennis faces no such restrictions, but declining demand for front-engined buses nevertheless takes its toll and in the decision is made to concentrate on fire engines and municipal vehicles.

With the new Panorama coach, Plaxton sets new standards for the industry. With alternate body pillars stopping at the waist-rail, its wide windows give passengers an unrivalled view. The modern design is further confirmed through a restyle in pictured , and its success ensures that the company rides out consolidation in the industry, leaving it by the end of the s as one of two major coach builders in the United Kingdom.

Alexander builds the first of a new single decker, the Y type. The highly adaptable design is available in four lengths and can be fitted out as a bus, a dual-purpose vehicle or a coach on front, underfloor or rear-engined chassis.

A revolution in coach design as the first British coach to feature curved side windows, the Plaxton Elite sets the style for the next two decades. When the new Supreme model replaces it in , its construction still incorporates wood, but three years later it has become an all-steel structure. In addition to British-made chassis of the day, the Supreme is available on increasingly popular imports, establishing a combination that continues to this day with the choice of Volvo chassis.

With the new AL type double decker, Alexander introduces aluminium for the body structure, reducing weight and improving resistance to corrosion. Although modular specification options result in visually varied vehicles, the buses remain the same under the skin, making them easy to maintain and support. In response to demand from Hong Kong for its market-leading designs, Alexander exports buses for the first time in its history.

Instead of sending built-up vehicles, it decides to produce kits of completely-knocked-down bodies for local assembly and sets up an office in the territory, establishing a local presence that continues to this day and which facilitates further vehicle sales across the Asia Pacific region, with the first buses arriving in Singapore in Having been bought by the Hestair group in , Dennis returns to the bus market with the rear-engined Dominator chassis that quickly establishes itself as a staple of British fleets.

Hong Kong bus operators also turn to Dennis, initially for the rugged, front-engined Jubilant before a three-axle version of the Dominator emerges as the Dragon and Condor models, designed to cope with extreme peak loadings of up to passengers. Enjoying a production run of nearly 20 years, it will be adapted to a wide range of chassis and engine positions to suit a changing market environment. For the first time, a double deck version is offered, giving unprecedented seating capacity for intercity routes.

While demand for van-derived minibuses had flourished with deregulation of bus services in , many operators want something bigger, yet not too big. Dennis has the answer with the Dart, a purpose-designed midibus that offers outstanding fuel economy and is robust enough for the challenges of intensive bus operation. Its success exceeds all expectations, making it and its successors the best-selling British bus of all time.

The late s are a period of major organisational change for Plaxton. In it took over its largest dealer, Kirkby, based at Anston near Sheffield.

Two years later, it concentrates its Scarborough production in an expanded plant at Eastfield pictured , where Plaxton continues to operate to this day. It then goes on to buy car sales business Henlys the following year, adopting this name for the group but keeping the Plaxton brand for coaches. To replace its ageing manufacturing plant, Dennis opens a new factory at Slyfield on the outskirts of Guildford. Although the last fire engine will be built here in , the site continues to be the centre of bus chassis manufacturing for Alexander Dennis today.

Pat Rafferty, the union's Scottish Secretary, said: "It's important to state that we have had productive industrial relations following the vital role Unite, and the workforce, played in keeping the company in business nine years ago. Bus manufacturer reports fall in turnover. Image source, Alexander Dennis. Alexander Dennis has been owned by group of Scottish investors since