Dennis Dart

In the early 1990s, Singapore Bus Service (SBS) had purchased the Nissan Civilian and Mercedes-Benz 811D midibus averaging 7 metres in length and introduced to a number of low ridership services. To improve ride quality even further on these services, SBS ordered 10 units of Dennis Dart for delivery in 1994. With a length of 9.4 metres and far superior specifications as compared to the former, it was first introduced to service M1 and M2 (later renumbered as 92 and 42 respectively) where passenger loading were higher than the other low ridership services.

The axles were generally smaller than other public buses as they are not designed for heavy loading. They were unique not only because of its size, but also of the use of Alison AT545 gearbox that is significant in Singapore, as not many buses were fitted with such gearbox (including private coach operators). They were powered by the Cummins 6BT engine which is rated 130bhp, similar to other Darts introduced elsewhere in the world. Air-conditioning was supplied by Sutrak.

As the bus was generally smaller than other public buses, there were only 1 EZ-Link Card Reader at both the Entrance and Exit. In 2003, SBS Transit trialed the Darts on a few services which has lower demand than others do. Services like 33, 229, 284 had Dennis Dart for a moment, before they were replaced back to normal 12 metre buses as it was not feasible to use such buses in the long run.

Bus Operator	SBS Transit
Country	Singapore
Fleet registration	SBS 8009 A – SBS 8018 Z
Total Quantity	10
Make	Dennis
Model	Dart
Years Introduced	1994
Years Retired	2011
Bodywork	Duple Metsec
Length	9,407mm
Chassis	Dennis Dart 9SDL.3037
Air-conditioner	Sütrak AC 35
Engine & Transmission
Engine	Cummins 6BT
Power	130bhp (97 kW) @ 2500 rpm
Torque	470 Nm @ 1500 rpm
Capacity	5,883cc
Emission Standard	Euro I
Transmission	Allison AT545
Passenger Capacity
Seating	33
Standing	20
Total	53