Created 15-Aug-19
Modified 8-Mar-24
This gallery features all the Dennis Darts operated by Rhondda that were built with Wright Handy-bus bodies, although as will be seen 97 ended up with a Plaxton body. As with the Plaxton Pointer-bodied Darts, these started with the higher numbered vehicles, later deliveries having lower numbers, hence the list below is in reverse chronological order.
The Handy-bus body was the design that really established Wrightbus as a coachbuilder, as prior to its introduction their products had only sold in small numbers. Of aluminium construction it was fairly boxy design originally with a rather retro-looking raked-back driver's side windscreen. There was an option for a single-piece flat screen option and the last batch (64/65/67) were to this design. I always saw the Handy-bus as the typical Rhondda Buses vehicle although there were only ever ten, however that was standardisation in this very varied fleet!
64/65/67 (M64/65/67 HHB) were 9.8m long Dennis Dart 98SDL3054 and were new in February 1995 with B39F bodies.
86/87/89 (L86/87/89 CWO) were 9.0m long Dennis Dart 9SDL3024 and were new in August 1993 with B35F bodies.
94/95 (K94/95 AAX) were 9.0m long Dennis Dart 9SDL3011 and were new in January 1993 with B35F bodies.
97 (K97 XNY) was a 9.0m long Dennis Dart 9SDL3011, new in August 1992 with a B35F body. However, it burnt out at Talbot Green on 1st October 1994 and was subsequently re-bodied with a Plaxton Pointer B35F body, entering service again in April 1995.
98 (K98 XNY) was a 9.8m long Dennis Dart 98SDL3017 with a B39F body.
On takeover by Stagecoach these vehicles had 500 added to their fleet numbers and when the national numbering system was introduced these were renumbered by adding 32900 to their original numbers.
64/65/67 all found further use after sale by Stagecoach whilst 86 and 89, by then 32986 and 32989, went on loan to Stagecoach Cumberland at Carlisle in early 2005 to help alleviate vehicle shortages after a large quantity of buses were damaged due to flooding at the depot on 8th January 2005.
© David Beilby
