Three of the best-known names in the history of British bus building, Alexander, Dennis and Plaxton, have survived the uncertainties of recent times to emerge stronger than ever as Alexander Dennis, Britain’s major bus and coach builder.
With its roots in the 19th century, Dennis became a respected chassis builder. Its innovative models such as the Dart and Trident could be found throughout the UK and worldwide.
Plaxton has built coach bodies at Scarborough for more than a century, including the trend-setting Panorama and Elite. Today, it builds coach and bus bodies.
Alexander started building bodies as its bus operations spread through Scotland, producing classics such as the Y-type single-decker and the current Enviro range. These companies grew individually as major players in the UK bus market, but together are now building zero-emission buses in Britain and assembling them throughout the world. Market-leading single-deck and double-deck Alexander Dennis buses can thus be found in daily service in Europe, Asia and North America.
With more than 160 images, this book traces the story from the original, far-sighted pioneers to their successors, who have weathered mergers, takeovers and potentially fatal financial problems to create the Alexander Dennis brand, which has become the cornerstone of Britain’s bus and coach-building industry.
Superbly illustrated throughout with recent colour and archive black & white photographs. 96 pages.