丹尼士飛鏢 Dennis Dart

丹尼士飛鏢 Dennis Dart

編號 Class：501 - 503

雖然只得三架丹尼士飛鏢巴士，但其實九鐵巴士部是本港其中一間最早試用飛鏢的巴士公司。一九九零年九月至十一月，丹尼士向九鐵提供一架九米長飛鏢樣板巴士，車牌編號EP1863，配Duple Dartline車身及日本電裝空調系統。這部樣板飛鏢巴士被投放到往返大棠及元朗工業村的656線作試驗。在試用完這部樣板巴士之後，九鐵巴士部未有即時購入更多飛鏢巴士，而這部樣板巴士聯同另一架樣板巴士亦待在車廠一段時間，直到一九九三年九巴購買首批飛鏢巴士時，才雙雙被九巴購入，EP1863並獲得AA2之車隊編號。

到了一九九四年，為了尋找車源取代二手都城一型巴士，九鐵一共訂購了十八架配Northern Counties車身單層巴士，而底盤則包括了十五架富豪B10M及三架丹尼士飛鏢，這令到九鐵巴士部成為全港擁有最多Northern Counties車身巴士的車隊。這三架飛鏢巴士跟樣板飛鏢巴士除了車身供應商有所不同，在長度亦有所不同，這三架飛鏢巴士都是九點八米版本，而空調系統由德國超卓提供。除了九鐵巴士部外，就只有九巴及旗下皇崗過鏡巴士的飛鏢巴士擁有相同車身配搭。

三架丹尼士飛鏢投入服務後，主要安排行走520，658，A51，A59，K1X及K2X。當西鐵於二零零三年通車之後，三架飛鏢巴士改為支援屯門及天水圍區接駁路線，當中較常見於行走A73，K53及K74。

隨著九鐵跟地鐵於二零零七年十二月二日合併成港鐵，所有九鐵巴士部巴士已經轉由港鐵巴士部營運。港鐵巴士由二零零九年九月開始，陸續替旗下巴士換上全新色彩，而501於二零零九年成為三架飛鏢巴士中，首架換上新色彩的成員，而且是第六架得以港鐵新色彩示人的港鐵巴士成員。這三架丹尼士飛鏢在港鐵巴士角色一直未有改變，而到了二零一零年，港鐵巴士向外宣佈訂購十八架雙層巴士，以取代車隊中，包括這三架丹尼士飛鏢在內的單層巴士。三架飛鏢最終於二零一二年九月尾到十月初相繼退役，由亞歷山大丹尼士Enviro500十一點三米巴士所取代，在退役之前，幾乎每條接駁路線都曾出現過飛鏢蹤影。

KCRC Bus division is one of the operator first received the Dennis Dart demonstrator for trial in Hong Kong. From Sept. to Nov., 1990, Dennis supplied a 9m Dart demonstrator fitted with Duple Dartline body and Nippon-Denso air-con unit to KCRC. This bus was registered as EP1863 and deployed on 656 that operated between Tai Tong and Yuen Long Industrial Estate. However, KCRC did not place any further order of Dart immediately. When the trial was completed, this demonstrator was parked with another Dennis Dart prototype tested by KMB at the KCRC bus depot. Instead of placing the first purchasing order for 9.8m version Dennis Dart in 1993, KMB also acquired these two demonstrators and EP1863 then become AA2 in the fleet

KCRC bought a fleet of 18 single decker with Northern Counties bodies in 1994 to replace those aging second-hand MCW Metrobus MK I, this made KCRC bus division become the operator having the most Northern Counties bodies fleet in Hong Kong. Three Dennis Dart chassis were chosen within this batch. Besides the bodybuilder chosen was different from the demonstrator, the longest version at that time, 9.8m in length was chosen. To go one step further, the air-conditioning unit was supplied by Sutrak from Germany, an usual combination for Dart in Hong Kong. Dennis Dart with Northern Counties bodyworks can also find in the fleet of KMB and it subsidiary which operates the cross-boarder shuttle service at Lok Ma Chau.

All Dennis Dart owned by KCRC Bus Division were assigned to serve A59, K1X and K2X when commissioned. Afterwards, they served 520, 658 and A51. During the age after the opening of West Rail, it was easily to find them on route A73, K53 and K74.

KCRC were merged into MTR on 2, Dec. 2007 and all buses of KCRC Bus Division were then operated by MTR Bus Division. 501 became the sixth MTR bus painted with the new livery in Oct., 2009 under the changing new colour scheme of MTR Bus Division. The role of the Dennis Dart played in MTR Bus remain unchanged until they were replaced by the Alexander Dennis Enviro500 11.3m ordered in 2010. Before their withdrawal from the end of Sept. to early Oct., 2012, they almost run on all MTR Bus routes.

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