The single deck Dennis Dart SLF (Super Low Floor) was introduced by Dennis of Guildford in 1996 as a replacement for the first generation Dart, which Dennis had launched back in 1988. It was 2.4m (7ft 10in) wide and initially offered in lengths of 10m (33ft) and 10.6m (35ft), although several lengths ranging between 8.8m (29ft) to 11.3m (37ft) were later offered. The SLF also introduced air suspension on the Dart, replacing the taper leaf type used in the earlier models.

It was initially offered with a low floor version of the Plaxton Pointer bodywork that had first been seen on Darts in 1991, but this was replaced by the updated Pointer 2 bodywork in 1997. Power was provided the same Cummins 6BT diesel engine used in the first generation Darts, but the move to Euro III emissions in October 2001 saw the SLFs fitted with the new Cummins ISBe engine.

The type saw widespread usage with operators across the UK and overseas, with almost 9,000 being completed before production ended 2008, when it was replaced by the Alexander Dennis Enviro200. Few streets managed to avoid the sight of an SLF passing through them, making the return of the type a worthy addition to the EFE Road range.

Our new models are based on EFE Road’s popular 10.6m (35ft) Dennis Dart SLF/Pointer 2 tooling, with this example being LX03OJP, a 37 seater that entered service with Metrobus of Crawley in May 2003. It is presented in its circa 2020 condition as fleet number 6320 as working on service 526 to Crawley via Smallfield.