The Enviro200 was originally designed to be the replacement for the Dennis Dart SLF chassis and Alexander ALX200 and Plaxton Pointer 2 bodies.

An "Enviro Pack" mounted to the roof was also incorporated, intended to vent exhaust emissions, noise and heat away from ground level and thus alighting passengers.

[1] A single demonstrator of the hybrid variant, the Enviro200H, was produced in 2004 and entered long-term trials in London;[1] however the unconventional engine and door layout,[2] combined with the collapse of TransBus International in 2004, led to the type's commercial failure.

Only two more first generation Enviro200s were built following the collapse of TransBus, one diesel and one hybrid vehicle, delivered to Far East Travel of Ipswich in early 2007.

[3] The second generation Enviro200 retained the conventional rear-engined layout of the Dennis Dart, and was offered with a choice of four or six-cylinder Cummins ISBe Euro IV engines with a range of transmission options, and featured new front and rear axles.

[4] In August 2007, due to significant orders for the Enviro400, Alexander Dennis announced that the production of Enviro200 would be moved from its plant at Falkirk to the recently acquired Plaxton factory at Scarborough.

[2] Following the Enviro200's launch, 60 orders were confirmed to have been placed, with the first production Enviro200 being delivered to Jim Stones Coaches, an independent operator based in Leigh, Greater Manchester.

Production of the original Enviro200 alongside the Enviro200 MMC continued for a time, with the third generation Enviro200 referred to by Alexander Dennis as the Enviro200 Classic from 2015.

[8] The first of these was in January 2007, when the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation of Hong Kong ordered 11 11.3 metres (37 ft) Enviro200s for delivery to its MTR Bus operation in 2008.

[11][12] In May 2017 production was transferred to Alexander Dennis's own facility in Nappanee, Indiana, which manufactured the North American variant of the Enviro500 double-decker bus since 2014.

[12] Currently, the third-generation North American Enviro200 bus is offered in 30-foot (9.1 m) and 35-foot (10.7 m) lengths,[10][12] with or without a rear exit door, equipped with a 250-hp Cummins ISB engine and an Allison B300R 6-speed transmission.

The buses were exported in knock-down kit form from the United Kingdom and then assembled in Custom Coaches' plant in Villawood, Sydney.