Dennis Lance: the first British low-floor bus chassis

The Dennis Lance was a single-decker bus chassis manufactured by Dennis between 1991 and 2000, replacing the Dennis Falcon. It was unveiled at the 1991 Coach & Bus Show as a larger version of the Dart, and in 1993 it gained a low-floor derivative, the Lance SLF, which was the first low-floor bus chassis built in the United Kingdom.

Dennis Lance at a glance

Based on one source, the English Wikipedia article on the Lance.

History of the Dennis Lance

Designed on computer at Guildford

The Lance was unveiled at the 1991 Coach & Bus Show as both a larger version of the Dennis Dart and the successor to the Falcon chassis. It was the first Dennis product developed at the company’s new Guildford factory with computer-aided design. The rear-engined chassis used an inline driveline with a longitudinally mounted Cummins C6T engine, a layout Dennis claimed improved fuel economy by 15 per cent against conventional angle-drive arrangements. It was also developed around the recommendations of the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee, with 275 mm entrance and interior steps as standard.

Bodies and operators

The chassis could be fitted with the Alexander PS and Strider, the East Lancs EL2000, the Northern Counties Paladin, the Optare Sigma and Delta or the Plaxton Verde. Ipswich Buses was the first operator in the United Kingdom to order one, taking a single East Lancs EL2000 bodied example in 1991, followed by two more EL2000s and an Optare Sigma in 1994. London Buses subsidiary Selkent took 16 Alexander PS bodied Lances in April 1992 for route 36B, replacing AEC Routemasters. The Plaxton Verde was the most popular body: Badgerline companies Midland Red West and Yorkshire Rider placed the largest orders, the latter for Huddersfield ‘Flagship’ services, and further Verdes followed under FirstBus, including 30 for the rebranded Leeds City Link operation.

The Lance SLF

In March 1993 Dennis unveiled the Lance SLF, the Super Low Floor, the first low-floor bus chassis manufactured in the United Kingdom. It had independent kneeling front suspension as standard, able to lower the step-free entrance from 320 mm to 250 mm, a wheelchair ramp, and Girling disc brakes on all wheels, another British first for a bus chassis. Of around 105 Lance SLFs built, most used Wright Pathfinder bodywork. The best known were 38 dual-door examples for London Buses on the first routes converted to low-floor operation, with London United on route 120, Metroline on 186 and CentreWest on 222. A single-door Pathfinder followed in 1994 for operators outside London. From 1995 to 1998 Dennis also built a double-deck variant, the Dennis Arrow, at first marketed as a double-deck Lance, as the replacement for the Dominator.

Design and features

• Inline driveline: a longitudinally mounted Cummins C6T behind the rear axle, claimed to cut fuel use by 15 per cent.
• Accessibility: 275 mm steps as standard, designed around DiPTAC recommendations.
• Low-floor SLF: kneeling suspension, a wheelchair ramp and a step-free entrance at 250 mm.
• Disc brakes: the SLF was the first British bus chassis to have them as standard.

Dennis Lance versions

• Lance step-entrance (1991–2000): the standard chassis with a wide choice of bodies.
• Lance SLF (1993–1996): the low-floor version, mostly with Wright Pathfinder bodywork.
• Lance SLF single-door (1994): Pathfinder body aimed at operators outside London.
• Dennis Arrow (1995–1998): the double-deck derivative, initially sold as a double-deck Lance.
• Berkhof bodied SLF: export chassis built with Dutch bodywork.

The Lance was the larger stablemate of the Dennis Dart, and the Arrow that replaced it as a double-decker came after the Dennis Dominator. More are in the Dennis collection.

Video: First Midland Red Dennis Lance with Plaxton Verde body

Video on YouTube.

Sources

• Dennis Lance, English Wikipedia: design, versions, operators, SLF