A NEW bus depot opened at Dawley Road, Hayes, on Monday, to replace Abellio’s previous North Hyde Gardens site. 

This is Abellio’s first fully-owned depot in London. It is purpose-built and can house up to 56 buses.

Routes 278, 350, 482, U5, U7 and U9 will operate from there, serving customers across West London.

The site was constructed during lockdown, with planning permission granted in March 2021 and ground being broken in August. 

It includes a living roof and nesting boxes, as well as a wall of historic significance that dates back to Tudor times.

Maintenance, driver training and driver theory testing will take place at an additional new centre in Waterway Park half a mile away. 

The Hayes depot will be the home of new EV buses operating on route U5. They include innovative features, like USB chargers and mobile phone holders in the seats and a colour scheme for priority seats.

Louise Cheeseman, Director of Bus at TfL, who attended, said, “[It]is another exciting step in London’s journey towards a zero-emission bus fleet.”