Route U7

Route U7
10 March 2007

The U7 started off as circular route 207A, which had been operated by Centrewest with a single Metrobus on an hourly frequency. Charville Lane lies some way off the Uxbridge Road, near Hayes End, and had been served by various routes connecting it to Hayes. Such a facility still exists in the form of route 195, but the 207A was added, running from Uxbridge via the 207 as far as Hayes End, and then in a one-way-loop via Hewens Road, Charville Lane and Lansbury Drive to return to Uxbridge.

London Transport decided to enhance the service somewhat, and it was usefully diverted via Hillingdon Hospital. However, the loop was unravelled, and buses now run via Lansbury Drive in both directions, leaving Hewens Road and the west end of Charville Lane totally un-served — but these are not too far off the main Uxbridge Road. After reaching Uxbridge Road via Lansbury Drive, buses cut across to Harlington Road via West Drayton Road, and then follow route U4 to Uxbridge. At the same time, the frequency was doubled to every 30 minutes and converted to low floor Darts, and the route renumbered U7.

The route was placed out to competetive tender and awarded to a new operator, Wings Buses. The company was established as a coach operator, Wings Luxury Coaches, but the U7 provided an opportunity to expand into bus work in a small way. Three East Lancs bodied Dennis Darts were ordered and painted into a distinctive yellow, red and orange livery. Three vehicles were obtained for an initial requirement for 2 buses in service, although the very tight timetable proved unworkable and the third bus was later added into the schedule too.

The Wings Buses operation subsequently expanded with two other routes, H50 and E6, the buses for which were painted into completely different liveries, but was then sold to Tellings-Golden Miller (who added a fourth route, 112, to the ex-Wings base in Hayes). T-GM in turn sold their London Bus operations to National Express who absorbed it into their existing Travel London operation.

The inital 7 year contract expired in November 2006 but was renewed for a further 5 years by Travel London. A minor re-shuffle of vehicles took place with similar but marginally newer buses redundant from route H50, and which had been used on route 152 in the meantime, now forming the main allocation. These are painted in the standard plain red livery, and what is now DE417 (W435 CRN) was photographed in in Belmont Road, Uxbridge on Thursday 1st February 2007.

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Chronologically S1 48

Numerically U4 W3
See also routes 195, 207, U4, H50, E6, 112, 152

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