Plaxton Pointer

Plaxton Pointer
A high-floor Plaxton Pointer 1, owned by Sunray Travel.
Manufacturer	Reeve Burgess/Plaxton /TransBus International/Alexander Dennis
Operator(s)	Metroline Blue Triangle Metrobus Travel London Arriva London London Central/General Transdev London NCP Challenger Selkent East London Southern Vectis and others.
Specifications
Floor type	Step entrance/Low floor
Doors	1 or 2 door
Chassis	Pointer (Step entrance): Dennis Dart Volvo B6 Pointer (Low floor): Dennis Dart SLF Volvo B6LE Pointer 2 (Low floor): Dennis Dart SLF
Engine(s)	Cummins B-series (Dennis Dart) Cummins B-series/ISBe (Dennis Dart SLF) Volvo TD63 (Volvo B6) Volvo TD63/D6A (Volvo B6LE)
Options	Various customer options

The Plaxton Pointer (originally known as the Reeve Burgess Pointer, and later as the TransBus Pointer and Alexander Dennis Pointer) is a successful single-decker bus body manufactured during the 1990s by Plaxton and latterly built by Alexander Dennis.

With the launch of the Dennis Dart in 1989, Plaxton's subsidiary Reeve Burgess made the Pointer body on the short 8.5 m chassis. Launched in 1991, at 2.3 m wide, this proved popular with big transport operators, and they sold in big numbers in London. The modular nature of both chassis and body meant for various permutations in length, with 8.5 m, 9.0 m and 9.8 m variants being manufactured. The Pointer became the most successful midibus body. The Pointer was also available with Volvo B6 chassis.

The introduction of the Super Low Floor version of the Dennis Dart, the Dart SLF, in 1995 saw the Pointer body redesigned at a 2.4 m width, with a step-free entrance, giving easy access for the disabled. This redesigned Pointer bodywork was also built on the Volvo B6LE, one for the UK and the other 20 for Citybus of Hong Kong. Not long after, the body received an all-new lower front end design, and alterations to the rest of the body - the Pointer 2 was born, and has proved to be just as successful. This was also available in a range of lengths to suit individual needs - 9.3 m, 10.1 m, 10.7 m, 11.3 m "Super Pointer Dart" (SPD), and after 3 years of production, the 8.8 m "Mini Pointer Dart" (MPD).

In 1998, the Mayflower Group, owner of Alexander's Coachbuilders, took over Dennis. The future of the Pointer at that time appeared uncertain as it was thought the Dart may be solely bodied by Alexander. As a result, Plaxton built two Pointer bodies on the Volvo B6BLE chassis known as Bus 2000, but the project was scrapped when Mayflower also purchased Plaxton, forming TransBus International. Certain design features of the scrapped Bus 2000 project have since been used on other designs, most notably the Alexander Dennis Enviro300 and Enviro500.

With the collapse of TransBus in 2004 and subsequent restructuring by the administrators, Plaxton and Alexander Dennis were sold to different parties. As Pointer production had been transferred to the former Alexander plant at Falkirk, it became an Alexander Dennis product. Plaxton, once again an independent company, has signalled its return to the bus market by developing the Centro on VDL and MAN chassis to join its Primo low-floor minibus in competition with the Pointer.

As of 2006 the Pointer was still popular in the UK, securing large orders from Stagecoach, First and Arriva.

On 20 March 2006 Alexander Dennis announced the replacement for the Pointer Dart, the Enviro200 Dart, with the vehicle being launched in August 2006. Some Pointers were still being finished off as the first Enviro200 Darts came off the production line, but all have now been delivered.

Gallery

Arriva Kent and Sussex 3176, a Plaxton Pointer 1. The low-floor Pointer 1 was made for a short while between when the low-floor Dennis Dart chassis came into production and before the Pointer 2 came out.

A low-floor Plaxton Pointer 2-bodied Dennis Dart SLF.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Plaxton Pointer

• Plaxton
• Henlys Group PLC
• Alexander Dennis

External links

• Alexander Dennis Pointer product website