Category:TransBus International

English: TransBus International was a British bus and fire engine builder formed in 2001 as a joint venture between the Mayflower Corporation and the Henlys Group (with share capital distributed (70/30). It comprised the Mayflower's companies of Alexanders (a bus body builder) and Dennis Bus & Dennis Fire (bus chassis and fire appliance manufacturers), and the UK based bus subsidiaries of Henlys, comprising Plaxton and Northern Counties, both body builders (with the Northern Counties products having already been rebadged as Plaxton products). Mayflower was entirely involved in the venture, while Henlys retained other independent companies in North America. TransBus began phasing out the the Alexander, Dennis Bus & Plaxton brand names in favour of the Transbus identity, and also rationalised the product lines, with Alexander and Plaxton having previously been direct competitors in a number of market segments. It also launched the new semi-integrated body/chassis Enviro bus range, with the Enviro200 (full size), 300 & 500 models. The joint venture only lasted until 2004 however, entering administration by default when Mayflower entered administration. The recievership first saw management buyout of Plaxton take control of the coach and minibus products, seeing the restoration of the Plaxton name. The new Plaxton did not include the Plaxton Pointer midibus however, whose production location had moved to an Alexander factory under TransBus. The remainder of the assets passed to a new company, Alexander Dennis, who rebadged the Transbus Enviro range as Alexander Dennis, going on to introduce more models, the Enviro200 (Dart) & 400, and also rebadged the surviving pre-TransBus products, meaning some models were now onto their third brand name, passing between Alexander or Dennis, to Transbus, to Alexander Dennis. (In 2007 Alexander Dennis bought Plaxton, but retained their re-established separate brand identity).