Dennis Dominator - What Might Have Been

What Might Have Been

One of the persons behind the development of the Dennis Dominator was Geoffrey Hilditch, then the Engineering Director of West Yorkshire PTE. The development bus for Dennis Dominator was an ex-Leeds City Transport Daimler CV, which was re-engined with a Gardner 6LXB coupled up to a Voith gearbox. By the time this was completed, Hilditch had left the WYPTE and had become General Manager of Leicester City Transport.

The Dennis Dominator was to have been the new standard bus for the WYPTE, but never was. The closest this came to happening was an attempt in 1999, when First Calderline (which WYPTE-Halifax became) received a 1981 Dennis Dominator from First Mainline (which SYPTE became) to replace the ageing Fleetlines in Halifax. No more were received, and both Halifax and Huddersfield received ex-London MCW Metrobuses instead.

When Southend Transport issued a tender for double deck coaches in 1982, Ensignbus offered Dominators with DAF engines and Berkhof Eclipse coach bodies. Southend chose Van Hool Astromegas instead.