Suffix letters on their own

[RDP]

I seem to remember that they used to have an actual 3 in the Canterbury area. I have found older photos from over ten years ago showing a 3 in Canterbury town centre. I wonder when that got withdrawn.

There was until quite recently when the Canterbury-Faversham service was reduced and remaining journeys were renumbered X3.

 

[duncombec]

As others have suggested, there is a slight issue here with the assumption that suffixed routes must have a "parent", i.e. are a variant or deviation, and not that they may be suffixed to show some other information, e.g. clockwise and anti-clockwise circulars, serving two locations from the same core route, or to convey come other information. There may have been a "parent" at some point, but that was removed for whatever reason and the suffix has remained to avoid a double renumbering (e.g. you wouldn't want to withdraw the 1, and then immediately renumber the 1A to 1, lest passengers think it is still the old 1).

The classic example that comes to mind is the (former?) West Midlands use of 'E', which I believe stood for 'Exception', to denote a short working. Brighton & Hove seem to be adopting X for "not serving all stops", except on the regency routes, where the routes along Lewes Road are limited stop, and the 29X is an even-more direct version for a few journeys.

1st Bus Stop have the 418R (but no 418 route).

Red Route Buses have the 418W (but no 418 route).

This is the odd pair. As far as I can tell, they operate over the same route. Indeed, Redroute had both until the end of the last school year. There was a 418 route a long time ago, though. I wonder whether the 'R' was once "Relief" (see below), but then can't explain how W came along (they both serve Wrotham school), unless they did operate over a different route at some point.

Arriva Kent have the 77X (but no 77 route).

They used to, though - it is now run by Nu-Venture. In any case, I think the usage here stems from the corridor, where a 77n number is used for a stream of services coming from Tunbridge Wells schools to West Malling and Kings Hill (771-776 are all used, in one direction or another). Kent started to renumber/alphanumerize a number of school routes before Covid to fit corridors, in much the same way the 600-series is used in Medway.

Brookline Coaches have the 4A (but no 4 route).

They did until July. The contract for the 4 passed to Hams Travel, but Brookline retained the 4A, which runs through to/from the 67. The 4 requires a DD, but the 4A/67 an SD, so there was no real need to change that number "just because".

Compass Bus have the 35A and 35C (but no 35 or 35B routes).

Compass Bus have the 66A and 66C (but no 66 or 66B routes).

In both cases for clockwise-anti-clockwise.

Hams Travel have the 5C (but no 5 or 5A or 5B routes).

I believe the C here is for Cranbrook (the school it serves), as a wide variant of Arriva service 5.

Nu Venture have the 3A and 3C (but no 3 or 3B routes).

Another case where they now stand for Anti-clockwise and Clockwise. I believe there was a plan for a 3B variant, but was dropped for simplification.

Stagecoach South East have the 3A (but no 3 route).

As others have said, they used to. But as it is only a minor variant, there was no need to renumber it (especially if there were ever any plans to re-increase the frequency by reintroducing the 3).

Not quite in the spirit of the original question, but Arriva Kent & Surrey also have the 6H, which shows short workings of the 6 between Tunbridge Wells and Tunbridge Wells Town Centre, and Nu-Venture have started the 588R, which is for "Relief" to the main 588... call it a different number and scholars don't get on it, give it a suffix and they do... This is all similar to Bus Vannin's lettering, (e.g. J for Jurby, F for Foxholes).

Edit: Forgot to add Travelmasters. Their system largely consists of a core number for the schools they serve (e.g. all 370s go to one school, all 371s to another), but with a wild array of suffixes to show route variations. There are a substantial number of Sheppey - Sittingbourne buses over a variety of routes, and doing it this way saves needing about 20 route numbers). This does see a variety of otherwise unusual suffixes, e.g. Q for via Queenborough, or W for to West Minster.

 

[hdennis13]

A2B of Melbourn, Cambridgeshire operate 16A Cambridge to Gt Thurlow and 19A Cambridge to Landbeach via Horningsea and Waterbeach
Both used to be operated by stagecoach with the 19a as 19 according to bus atlas.
Until 2021 star cabs operated 19 between Haverhill-Linton-Burough Green.

Star cabs operate 46a between Newmarket and Haverill, which replaces A2B 46.

 

[Pyewipecarshed]

The Newark town services operated by Stagecoach East Midlands are 1N and 2N.
There is no corresponding 1 or 2 in Newark, although SEM operates many 1s and 2s in other towns and cities.

 

[Cambus731]

First Essex have a 42A from Chelmsford to Bishops Stortford which was a derivative of the 42 Chelmsford city service which has been renumbered C1

 

[ElBoiii]

From October 2022 to March 2023, there was an 83a but no 83 in Sheffield. The old 83 was operated by First and ran between Ecclesfield and Bents Green; the 83a was operated by Stagecoach and ran between Ecclesfield and Fulwood. First withdrew the 83 in October 2022, leaving only the 83a. In March 2023, Stagecoach renumbered the 83a to 83 and extended it from Ecclesfield to Chapeltown, ending this example.

 

[asb]

First Cymru have a 3A in Swansea but no 3, after it was put out of its misery (1 journey a day in one direction) a year or so ago.

 

[TwinTurbostar]

Until fairly recently, Diamond West Midlands ran a 401E service, between Walsall and the Yew Tree Estate. The 'E' generally denoted an exception to the regular route, such as a short working, in the West Midlands. However, the 401 route was renumbered a good few years prior to the 43, and said route was cut back from Walsall to run between Bilston and West Bromwich only, the West Bromwich to Walsall section becoming (if my memory serves correctly) the 405, and which has since been renumbered to the 45. I'm surprised that the route number lasted for as long as it did, but it's since been withdrawn, with Diamond winning the tender for the 45 from NX West Midlands.

 

[Statto]

Before dregulation Liverpool used to have routes that ended in C or D, like 14C & 14D Pier Head - Croxteth, but had no number 14, what they meant was, C, Pier Head routes via Church Street & D Pier Head routes via Dale Street (although there were exceptions), of course introdiction of one way systems & pedestrianisation schemes from the 1960s put paid to that

 

[318266]

McGill's has a few across their group:

• since the rise (and subsequently quite immediate failure!) of Johnstone Area Community Transport, the former 1 (Kilmacolm to Johnstone via Brookfield) was withdrawn, the 1A moved to avoid Quarrier's Village (as to avoid competition) and the 1B created out of the first morning run of the original 1A!
• Confusingly, the X6A and X6B (tender non-express evening routes in place of the 1A/1B/9/32, for whatever reason) are variants of the long-withdrawn X6, which was a sort-of variant of the X7!
• the Dundee 4s Harris Academy service is a variant of the withdrawn 4, which appears to have been withdrawn in 2009.

Indeed, the SPT have a little habit of doing this across a few more of their tendered services:

• PVT Transfer run the 71A to Torrance late in the evening, in place of one of the 88/89 variants (which one I cannot recall)
• Shuttle Buses operate the 49A Cumnock local service, and also the 49B evening service of some description? There is no 'original' 49.

 

[TwinTurbostar]

Another one I've just remembered exists, Diamond operate the 26A, an evenings and Sundays only tendered route. There is no corresponding 26, but it does cover part of the 25 route, which is currently ran by NX West Midlands.

 

[Belfastmarty]

In Belfast all of the Metro core routes have only suffixes. So, on corridor 7 (Ormeau Road) there's 7a, 7b up to 7h. The only time you will see the 7 unsuffixed is in the event of a short run, for example a 7 turning back at Rosetta or Forestside. This applies to corridors 1 - 12. The same applies for the Foyle Metro routes in Derry.

 

[YorkRailFan]

Transdev York and Go Ahead East Yorkshire both jointly operate the 31X, but no 31 service.

East Yorkshire also operates a X47, but no 47.

 

[Simon75]

D&G has the 8A Hanley to Endon
84X Crewe to Nantwich

 

[Hyebone]

East Yorkshire also operates a X47, but no 47.

There's a whole plethora of routes with the X prefix denoting 'express' routes.

 

[Simon75]

There's a whole plethora of routes with the X prefix denoting 'express' routes.

X also means long distance

 

[Wolvercoter]

Stagecoach South West in Exeter City has F1 and F2 but no F. All other city services are lettered only (A, B, C, E, G, H, I, J, K, M, P, R, S, T, U)

 

[LancasterRed]

First Buses X50-X55 across Dorset, as well as the CR6?

Preston Bus' EL1 and C4

Stagecoach Merseyside/South Lancs' P1 and Cumbria/North Lancs' UB1

 

[SSmith2009]

Over recent months Leicestershire County Council have relaunched most of their tendered services with suffixes.

MC1-5 for Melton Connect (Melton Mowbray)
HC1-4 for Harborough Connect (Market Harborough)
LC1/LCC2*/LC3-16 for their rural services (Leicestershire County)

 

[Hophead]

Over recent months Leicestershire County Council have relaunched most of their tendered services with suffixes.

MC1-5 for Melton Connect (Melton Mowbray)
HC1-4 for Harborough Connect (Market Harborough)
LC1/LCC2*/LC3-16 for their rural services (Leicestershire County)

First Buses X50-X55 across Dorset, as well as the CR6?

Preston Bus' EL1 and C4

Stagecoach Merseyside/South Lancs' P1 and Cumbria/North Lancs' UB1

All of those look rather more like prefixes to me........

 

[6Gman]

84X Crewe to Nantwich

There is a longstanding 84 (now operated by Stagecoach) of which the 84x is a more direct variant.

 

[Arriva Fan]

If we leave the uk, Bus Vannin have:

17k. No 17.
18a/18k. No 18.

 

[joieman]

As others have suggested, there is a slight issue here with the assumption that suffixed routes must have a "parent", i.e. are a variant or deviation, and not that they may be suffixed to show some other information, e.g. clockwise and anti-clockwise circulars, serving two locations from the same core route, or to convey come other information. There may have been a "parent" at some point, but that was removed for whatever reason and the suffix has remained to avoid a double renumbering (e.g. you wouldn't want to withdraw the 1, and then immediately renumber the 1A to 1, lest passengers think it is still the old 1).

Last month Arrival withdrew their service 7 in the Hinckley area and renumbered the 7A as the 7.

Leicester's Orbital service, the 40, ran both clockwise and anticlockwise without any denotation of direction in the route number. Earlier this year, however, the 40 was split into two separate services: the 40N, which runs around the north of Leicester between Leicester General Hospital and Glenfield Hospital; and the 40S which runs around the south of the city between the Hamilton branch of Tesco Extra and the Beaumont Shopping Centre (which incidentally also has a Tesco Extra branch). The routes of the two services overlap between Glenfield and Beaumont Leys as well as between Hamilton and the City Hospital, although I believe the services use alternate routes between the latter two locations.

This example is probably a stretch, but some time after Kinchbus cut back their service 2 to run between Loughborough and Sileby only, Central Connect (then Vectare) introduced a 2X service to run a couple of early morning and late evening services through to Leicester from Loughborough.

 

[SSmith2009]

Leicester's Orbital service, the 40, ran both clockwise and anticlockwise without any denotation of direction in the route number. Earlier this year, however, the 40 was split into two separate services: the 40N, which runs around the north of Leicester between Leicester General Hospital and Glenfield Hospital; and the 40S which runs around the south of the city between the Hamilton branch of Tesco Extra and the Beaumont Shopping Centre (which incidentally also has a Tesco Extra branch). The routes of the two services overlap between Glenfield and Beaumont Leys as well as between Hamilton and the City Hospital, although I believe the services use alternate routes between the latter two locations.

40S serves Nether Hall and Thurnby Lodge estates while the 40N follows the HH(Hospital Hopper) route to General Hospital.

Keep hearing rumours it's going to be increased to a 30 min full circular service again soon...

 

[PaulWC]

D&G has the 8A Hanley to Endon
84X Crewe to Nantwich

The 8A follows the same route as First's 8 from Hanley to Norton.

From November, D&G will have a 93A and 93C in Congleton, but no 93.

 

[joieman]

40S serves Nether Hall and Thurnby Lodge estates while the 40N follows the HH(Hospital Hopper) route to General Hospital.

Keep hearing rumours it's going to be increased to a 30 min full circular service again soon...

I think Leicester City Council ultimately want to increase the frequency to every fifteen minutes.