亞歷山大丹尼士Enviro400 Alexander Dennis Enviro400
編號 Class：7000 - 7059
二零零九年，亞歷山大丹尼士向香港提供兩架長十點五米的兩軸雙層空調巴士Enviro400，成為第三款於香港出現的Enviro家族成員。亞歷山大丹尼士Enviro400是繼早年九巴的利蘭勝利二型(G544)，丹尼士喝采(N364)及城巴的兩軸利蘭奧林比安客車(7)之後，再一次出現於香港的兩軸雙層空調巴士。
本港巴士公司自八十年代初出現三軸雙層巴士開始，便確立了購買三軸雙層巴士的方向，以取其能提供高載客量去滿足營運需要，只有除了特殊環境，例如九巴最後八架都城嘉慕都城型以及從英國引進的二手巴士是例外，及後發展出雙層空調巴士，不論任何長度，為著應付加設空調機之後的額外負重，以及減少對路面的損壞，新巴士必定是三軸設計，更加限制了巴士公司引進全新兩軸雙層巴士來港。在二零零八年，因應本港巴士業經營環境有變，巴士公司開始尋求減輕營運成本方法，當中其中一個就是研究引入兩軸雙層空調巴士之可行性，有關計劃終於在一年後得到實現，亞歷山大丹尼士從其Enviro系列中選出Enviro400並加以改良，以迎合加裝空調設備及應付本港營運環境需要。在引進Enviro400時，除了是首款兩軸雙層空調超低地台巴士，更是第二款配置歐五排放標準引擎的雙層巴士。
首兩架供香港巴士公司試用的Enviro400樣板車於二零零九年十一月二十二日抵港，當中屬於城巴的Enviro400於二零零九年十二月八日由城巴接收，並於隨後二十二日安排驗車。城巴的Enviro400新車對比九巴的一架，外觀上有著些少差異，主要是車頭仍然保留樹擋，電子牌箱雖然同是由Hanover供應，但卻是城巴標準的橙色LED牌箱，空調系統則是日本電裝出品。動力來源是康明斯ISLe引擎，配以ZF "Ecolife"波箱，透過SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction)技術，令廢氣排放達至歐五標準。另外，車廂照明全數採用LED照明系統，而7000更是首架城巴下層逃生出口採用全新的全玻璃太平門。
城巴的Enviro400於二零一零年二月一日作首次登記，並獲得7000的車隊編號以及PC6795的車牌，載客量方面為上層四十一個座位，下層二十三個座位及二十四個企位，總載客量合共八十八人。7000隨於二月八日派往行走跑馬地及深水埗的117路線以作測試，而由二零一零年三月二十二日開始，被改為安排行走往返中環及赤柱的260路線。城巴第二架Enviro400樣板車於二零一零年六月十四日抵港，第二架樣板車是於7000完成測試之後，作出必要調校工作後再運往本港。這架Enviro400(7001)於二零一零年七月二日出牌，並於同月二十二日投入服務。
隨著試驗效果滿意，城巴於二零一零年十一月增購三十八架Enviro400，用作替換車隊中的利蘭奧林比安及首批丹尼士巨龍十點三米。新車正如之前訂購的Enviro500一樣，底盤於英國組裝完成後，再安排運往中國國內裝配車身，當中不同的地方是城巴之前委託深圳五洲龍組裝車身，由這批Enviro400則改為由珠海廣通客車廠組裝，而廣通客車廠一直則有替九巴及龍運組裝Enviro500新車。跟樣板車不同，量產型Enviro400下層逃生出口改回使用傳統太平門，而車內座椅亦轉用了早在Enviro200使用的Lazzerni Pratico款式，同時配合新的車廂佈局，上層座位總載客量較樣板車多出六人，下層企位數目則少兩個，令到載客量得以由八十八人提升至九十人。Enviro400下層亦增設一塊垂直LCD顯示屏，為乘客提供報站及路線資訊，是城巴車隊中首款設置有關裝置的車型。
首架量產Enviro400於二零一一年八月初到港，隨著完成各種測試及出牌程序，這批新車陸續於八月底投入服務，行走南區72，72A及75，海洋公園路線629，當然不少得赤柱路線6，6X及260。為了進一步淘汰車隊中餘下的丹尼士巨龍，城巴於二零一二年加訂二十架Enviro400，首兩架屬是次訂單的新車於二零一三年二月初投入服務，餘下新車亦於同年六月底前領牌行走。
於二零一九年年初開始，鑒於車鈴質素及表現問題，城巴陸續替全數Enviro400的美國鋁業合金車鈴更換成傳統鐵製車鈴，當中量產型Envrio400(7002- 7059)因而需要調整企位數目由二十個至十八個，而樣板車更減少了三個企位。目前兩架Enviro400樣板車主要被安排行走往返利東邨的98線，其餘Enviro400則主要行走南區及赤柱路線。另外，在山頂纜車進行改善工程期間，城巴曾經於週末時候借出若干Enviro400予新巴，以支援9號及14號兩條路線之用。
Brand-new 2-axle double decker appeared in Hong Kong again with a pair of Alexander Dennis Enviro400, the third member of the Enviro series in Hong Kong, was delivered in late 2009. They were also the 2-axle air-con. bus after the Leyland Victory MK2, Dennis Jubilant and the Leyland Olympian 2-axle coach in the 1980s.
Bus operators decided to purchase 3-axle double-decker since early 1980s as they can increase the capacity of buses to meet the demand. Unless for some specific operation conditions (e.g. the Metrobus of KMB for the Route TWISK) or the second hand buses introduced from UK, all new buses are 3-axle designed especially after the development of air-con double-decker to carry the extra load of the air conditioning unit. In 2008, as the change in the operation environment, bus operators started looking for the way to reduce operation cost. The introduction of 2-axle air-con double-decker was one of the solution and this was implemented in 2009 with the introduction of the Enviro400. Unlike the Enviro400 operated in UK, the Enviro400 supplied to Hong Kong got some modified to suit the operation environment in Hong Kong and was 0.3 meter longer for accommodation of the air-conditioning unit supplied by Nippon-Denso. The Enviro400 not only the first 2-axle super low floor double-decker but also the second Euro 5 standard double decker in Hong Kong.
The first two Enviro400 demonstrators were delivered to Hong Kong on 22, Nov., 2009 and the one for City Bus was arranged to receive the type approval test after one month of the delivery. Compared with the KMB demonstrator, the tree guard at the top front still retain on this Enviro400 and an orange coloured LED display from Hanover was fitted. This Enviro400 demonstrator was powered by a Cummins ISLe engine with a "Ecolife" gearbox from ZF, with the help of the Selective Catalytic Reduction technology to achieve Euro 5 emission standard. LED lighting was fitted inside the compartment and the safety door at the lower saloon was made of a single piece of toughened glass glass.
This City Bus first Enviro400 was registered on 1, Feb., 2010 as PC6795 with fleet number 7000. 41 upper seatings and 23 lower seatings with 24 standees was offered. 7000 was started to serve 117, running between Happy Valley and Sham Shui Po on 8, Feb., 2010. It was arranged to serve 260 running between Central and Stanley since 22 Mar., 2010. City Bus received another Enviro400 demonstrators on 14, Jun., 2010 with some further modification after all essential testing of the first one was completed. The second City Bus Enviro400 was registered on 2, Jul., 2010 and started to serve passengers since 22, Jul., 2010.
The good and reliable performance resulted in a further order of 38 Enviro400 was made in Nov., 2010 to tie in with the withdrawal of Leyland Olympian and the first batch Dennis Baby Dragon. The production Envrio400 chassis was completed in UK and send to Zhuhai Guangtong Automobile Company Ltd. for bodyworks assembly instead of the Wuzhoulong in Shenzhen which assembled the City Bus Enviro500 before. Unlike the prototype, the production units of Enviro400 choose traditional door as the emergency exit. Lazzerni Pratico seats used on Enviro200 was also chosen in the production Enviro400. With the revised compartment design, the total capacity of production Enviro400 is increased from 88 to 90 as a result of 6 extra seatings on the upper deck but with the reduction of 2 standees. To go one step further, Enviro400 was the first installed with a vertical LCD monitor at the lower saloon to provide route information and as a next stop announcement system.
The first production Enviro400 was arrived Hong Kong in the early of Aug., 2011, they were entered service on different routes like 6, 6X, 72, 72A, 75, 260 and 629 since the end of Aug., 2011 after all the testing and process for registration completed. Further delivery of Enviro400 was made in early 2013 after City Bus placed an additional order for 20 in 2012, first two of the batch were commissioned in Feb., 2013 and started to replace all Dennis Dragon purchased in 1996 and 1997.
Since early 2019, the original Alcoa wheels on the Enviro400 was gradually replaced with the traditional one, further reduction of standees was resulted and total carrying capacity was changed from 90 to 88 while for the demonstrators, the new carrying capacity was 85. At present, City Bus mainly deployed the pair of demonstrators on route 98 running between Lei Tung Estate and Aberdeen while the remaining actively serving the Stanley and Southern District routes. It should be mentioned that a batch of Enviro400 was on loan to NWFB for supporting route 9 and 14 during weekends when the Peak Tram system closed for the Peak Tram Upgrade Project.
 |
 |
 |