Green Line route 797

Coordinates: 51°54′04″N 0°12′07″W / 51.901°N 0.202°W / 51.901; -0.202

797

Overview
System	Green Line
Operator	Uno
Garage	Hatfield
Vehicle	Mercedes-Benz O530 Citaro
Night-time	No night service
Route
Start	Hatfield
End	London Baker Street
Length	23 miles (37 km)
Service
Level	Daily
Frequency	Hourly
Journey time	1 hour 5 minutes
Operates	05:22 - 22:-2
See also Green Line Coaches

Green Line route 797 is a limited-stop express coach service, currently operated by Uno as part of the Green Line Coaches network. It operates between Hatfield and London. Arriva recently decided to stop running this route and Uno are running a revised and reduced service from March 2015.^[1]

History

The UK coach market was deregulated in 1980 under the Transport Act 1980.

Route 797 was started by Green Line in the 1980s and once ran from London to Cambridge.^[2] When London Country Bus Services was broken up in 1986, route 797 passed with the Stevenage depot to London Country North East, sold in 1988 to AJS Group, whoch established the Sovereign brand. The operation was sold in 1990 to Luton & District Transport, which was itself then acquired by Arriva. In 1996, Arriva sold the route back to Sovereign, by then owned by the Blazefield Group.^[3]

In 2004, Arriva purchased the Hertfordshire side of the Sovereign business, with the London side being sold to Transdev London. From 2005 to 2015, Arriva operated the route, but operation was transferred to Uno.

In 2001, before the sale, Sovereign purchased two Volvo B10M/Plaxton Premiere, which were specially branded for the route.^[4] However these are no longer used, being replaced by older Van Hool coaches and more recently, newer ones that were cascaded from the 757 London-Luton service. They were specially branded for the 797 service and feature rear adverts for shopping, leisure, and work uses of the service.

A standard bus on route 797. The only green is that of an advertisement for Plusbus.

It was common to see standard Arriva buses, instead of coaches, running on the route. They were mainly ex-Sovereign dual purpose vehicles.

Unobus operated the route from Hatfield to London Victoria from 28 February 2015 until 31 August 2015, when route was made to terminate at London Baker Street. At the same time, the route north to Stevenage and Hitchin was extended to terminate at Hitchin railway station. Previously, the service north from Hatfield was provided by connecting service 625/635 to Stevenage, Hitchin, Letchworh and Baldock. This service was withdrawn on 31 August 2015 and replaced by the 797.

Current route

^[5]

Route departing Hitchin

Hitchin
Stevenage
Direct via A1(M) motorway
Hatfield and;
University of Hertfordshire
South Hatfield
Direct via A1(M) motorway
London Hendon Central
London Finchley Road Station
London Lords Cricket Ground
London Baker Street

Route departing London Baker Street

London Baker Street
London Lords Cricket Ground
London Finchley Road Station
London Hendon Central
Direct via A1(M) motorway
South Hatfield
University of Hertfordshire and;
Hatfield
Direct via A1(M) motorway
Stevenage
Hitchin

Coach stops at the University of Hertfordshire include the College Lane Campus, The Halls of Residence on Bishops Rise, and the de Havilland campus.

References

↑ Under-threat Welwyn Hatfield bus service saved - but will not run at weekends - Welwyn Hatfield Times, 12 February 2015
↑ History of Green Line Coach Services
↑ Competition Commission report (2005) para 2.7
↑ Fotopic - Picture of the two new Plaxtons Accessed 23 March 2008
↑ Uno - Route 797 timetable Accessed 31 Aug 2015

External links

Green Line Coaches routes

Uno	797

New Enterprise Coaches	781^† and 784^† (Past routes)

First Berkshire & The Thames Valley	700, 701 and 702

Stephensons of Essex	X1^† and X10^† (Past routes)

^† Not run with Green Line liveried coaches, but still part of the Green Line network

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