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W7
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| Overview | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operator | Metroline | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Garage | Holloway | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vehicle | Dennis Trident 2 9.9m / Plaxton President | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Peak vehicle requirement | 15 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nighttime | No night service | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Route | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Start | Finsbury Park Station | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Via | Stroud Green Crouch End Alexandra Park |
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| End | Muswell Hill Broadway | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Length | 3 miles (4 km) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Service | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Level | Daily | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Frequency | About every 6-10 minutes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Journey time | 10-25 minutes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operates | 5:05am until 1:00am | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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London Buses route W7 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Metroline. Cash fares are not available on this route.
The W7 started as the former route 212, which had express variations from 1960 until 1968, and used single-deck buses for many years due to a weight restriction on the bridge by the former Muswell Hill railway station. The LNER, who owned the line, did not strengthen the bridge as the 212 competed with the railway.
The 212 became a double-deck operation in 1963 with RTs from Muswell Hill garage. Routemasters, spare from route 43, ran at weekends. In 1969 the 212 was renumbered W7. The letter prefix showed that it was a local flat fare route, the letter used indicated the area served, but not uniquely, e.g. H applied to both Harrow and Hounslow, R to Richmond and Romford.
The route later ran with Daimler Fleetline and then MCW Metrobus buses, all from Muswell Hill garage until its closure in 1990 when the route was transferred to Finchley. On privatisation in 1994 the route was run by London Northern, later Metroline. The route used Metrobuses and Volvo Olympian/Northern Counties Palatine II (V class).
Later still a mix of low-floor double-deckers from Holloway garage with Trident and Volvo with Plaxton President bodywork, with both long and short base, was used. The long buses are used more on the W7 especially the Volvo type. Dennis Trident/Plaxton President (TP 1-65) rarely feature on the route.
Route W7 was chosen to trial the cashless "Pay Before You Go" system whose aim was to speed up boarding. From 17 October 2001 [1] each passenger, before boarding, needed a valid ticket or travel card bought from an agent or a road side ticket machine. The system worked and was extended on 23 August 2003 to all routes in the West End of London and to all bendy bus routes.