Suffix letters on their own

[py_megapixel]

Sorry for the slightly cryptic title, I couldn't think of a better way to describe succintly!

The question is - are there any examples of suffix-lettered bus routes where the corresponding un-suffixed number doesn't exist? e.g. a route 1A where route 1 doesn't exist (or is a completely different service bearing no relation at all to the 1A)?

 

[Dai Corner]

Newport Transport have a 9A and 9C but no 9 and 31A and a 31C but no 31. In this case, the routes are circular and letters stand for anticlockwise and clockwise

Edit: for the sake of completeness, there are also the 8A/C, 16A/C and 26A/C, which are also circular routes.

 

[Pyewipecarshed]

Probably the best known are National Express West Midlands' 11A and 11C, Birmingham Outer Circle. Again A and C stand for anticlockwise and clockwise.

The operator does have a couple of "11" services, but in different areas entirely (Walsall and Wolverhampton).

 

[GusB]

Stagecoach Bluebird has 33A and 33C with no 33 or 33B (the letters denote anti-clockwise and clockwise).

 

[Parebunks]

Oxford Bus has the 4A and 4B. The corresponding 4 was merged with the 33, then demerged shortly after but inexplicably as number 44 rather than just returning to the 4.

 

[Roger1973]

Newport Transport have a 9A and 9C but no 9 and 31A and a 31C but no 31. In this case, the routes are circular and letters stand for anticlockwise and clockwise

Reading Buses have a circular 19A and 19C on the same basis, there's also a 19B that follows part of the same route but runs to a conventional terminus. But there isn't a 19.

London Buses had a circular 228A and 228C but no 228 for a few years in the late 1980s. From memory, one reverted to 228 and the other became 328 when they started using 300+ numbers for 'central bus' routes.

 

[RELL6L]

Imberbus 23A!

 

[SCH117X]

Not any longer as they have been merged into a route 2 but Transdev Harrogate had a 2A and 2B with no no 2. The 2 indicated the route out of the town centre with A and B the surburb varients. Was a system Yellow Buses used. The main Knaresborough services 1A 1B and 1C follow the same format with the letter indicating the route beyond Knaresborough bus station but short workings are numbered 1 - quite often a shortened working to regain the timetable.

 

[Roger1973]

Going further back, London Transport ended up with quite a lot of suffix routes where the un-suffixed number no longer ran - I believe this was due to the 1920s route numbering system where the number without suffix was for the fullest extent of the route, even if that only operated (for example) on Summer Sundays, and a lot of those had been withdrawn during the 1939-45 war.

53A and 146A (for example) became 53 and 146 in a post-war tidying up exercise, the old 53 and 146 having been withdrawn.

 

[nathanclass323]

Potentially doesn’t really count as they are part of the ‘threes’ and ‘sixes’ brands respectively, but trentbarton have 3A, 3B and 3C plus 6E, 6N and 6X.

 

[JD2168]

Stagecoach Yorkshire have a few:
22a/22c Barnsley - Gilroyd - Barnsley circulars
22x - Barnsley Wombwell Wath Manvers Rotherham

 

[ls2270]

Going further back, London Transport ended up with quite a lot of suffix routes where the un-suffixed number no longer ran - I believe this was due to the 1920s route numbering system where the number without suffix was for the fullest extent of the route, even if that only operated (for example) on Summer Sundays, and a lot of those had been withdrawn during the 1939-45 war.

53A and 146A (for example) became 53 and 146 in a post-war tidying up exercise, the old 53 and 146 having been withdrawn.

I seem to remember in the late 1980s there was a 90B (I think from Kew Gardens to Northolt) but no 90 or 90A? That became the current 90 and 490 routes.

 

[Stan Drews]

I would imagine there will be a few A/C versions as that has become a quite common way of denoting Anti-clockwise and Clockwise on circular services.
One example more in line with the OP, is the McGill’s Buses (SPT) service 1A which no longer has the 1 running alongside - just one early AM variation which is the 1B. This was all due to the short lived commercial service 9 that Johnstone Area Community Transport ran which covered must of the 1 route, and started earlier this year before they went tits up in early June.

 

[Omnidekkalover]

Arriva Derby with their 1A/1B/1C services

 

[Roger1973]

London route 2 became 322 in autumn 1992, the 2B continued for a few months until it was re-numbered 2.

 

[KHCT]

East Yorkshire and Coastliner jointly operate the 31X between York and Kirkbymoorside. Neither company has a route 31.
First South Yorkshire have the 52A in Sheffield and 385A in Doncaster.
North Yorkshire Council run a 74A Skipton - Buckden and a 78A Skipton - Airedale Hospital. They also run 2 different 74A routes in different towns plus a 74B and C, but no 74!

 

[Hophead]

Today is the second day of operation for Brighton & Hove's new cross-town 3X. There isn't a route 3 and, indeed, there hasn't been one for many years.

 

[stadler]

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

Amberley & Slindon Community Bus have the 1A and 1B and 1C and 1D and 1E (but no 1 route).

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

Big Lemon have the 2V (but no 2 route).

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

Bus Vannin have the 17K (but no 17 route).

Bus Vannin have the 18K (but no 18 route).

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).

Denbighshire County Council have the 76H (but no 76 route).

Falcon Buses have the 39A and 39B and 39C (but no 39 route).

Go Ahead Brighton & Hove have the 3X (but no 3 route).

Go Ahead Brighton & Hove have the 11X (but no 11 route).

Go Ahead Brighton & Hove have the 13X (but no 13 route).

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

Highland Council have the 21C and 21F (but no 21 or 21A or 21B or 21D or 21E routes).

Newbury & District have the 1A and 1C and 1D and 1E (but no 1 or 1B routes).

North Yorkshire Council have the 31A and 31B (but no 31 route).

North Yorkshire Council have the 72A (but no 72 route).

North Yorkshire Council have the 74A (but no 74 route).

North Yorkshire Council have the 74A and 74B and 74C (but no 74 route).

North Yorkshire Council have the 78A (but no 78 route).

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

Oxfordshire County Council have the 46A (but no 46 route).

Our Bus Bartons have the 4A (but no 4 route).

Reading Buses have the 19A and 19B and 19C (but no 19 route).

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

Scottish Borders Council have the 75A and 75B (but no 75 route).

Scottish Borders Council have the 90A and 90B (but no 90 route).

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

Star Travel have the 2E (but no 2 or 2A or 2B or 2C or 2D routes).

Star Travel have the 4E (but no 4 or 4A or 4B or 4C or 4D routes).

White Bus Services have the 85A and 85B (but no 85 routes).

 

[Hophead]

Brighton and Hove do, in fact, have a 13 service - it follows the same route as the 13X but calls at all stops. You weren't able to find it because it runs on only one day a year - that being Boxing Day!

 

[stadler]

Brighton and Hove do, in fact, have a 13 service - it follows the same route as the 13X but calls at all stops. You weren't able to find it because it runs on only one day a year - that being Boxing Day!

Oh i forgot about that one. That is a very good point. One of those rare one day a year bus routes.

I actually made a thread about the route ages ago:

Bus routes that only run on one day a year.

These three bus routes all only run on one day a year: • 13 - Brighton to Eastbourne - Go Ahead Brighton & Hove - Boxing Day only • 22B - Brighton to Woodingdean - Go Ahead Brighton & Hove - Boxing Day only • 50 - Hailsham to Eastbourne - Cuckmere Buses - New Years Day only All three of...

www.railforums.co.uk

So i suppose there is indeed a 13 if you allow a one day a year bus route. It has consistently operated every Boxing Day for at least the past fifteen years. So i suppose it is a permanent route.

 

[RDP]

Stagecoach South East service 3A (Canterbury-Faversham) is actually a schooldays variant of service X3 (Canterbury-Maidstone). They do have a service 3 and a second 3A but they are local routes in Eastbourne. One they had until recently was service 10X (Ashford-Maidstone) but that has now been renumbered 510 while services 10 and 10A go in the opposite direction (Ashford-Folkestone).

 

[stadler]

Stagecoach South East service 3A (Canterbury-Faversham) is actually a schooldays variant of service X3 (Canterbury-Maidstone). They do have a service 3 and a second 3A but they are local routes in Eastbourne. One they had until recently was service 10X (Ashford-Maidstone) but that has now been renumbered 510 while services 10 and 10A go in the opposite direction (Ashford-Folkestone).

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.

 

[Dai Corner]

Stagecoach have an 86X but no 86. Cardiff Bus do have an 86 but it's a completely different route, except that they both serve the University Hospital of Wales.

 

[Flange Squeal]

Carousel Buses have a 7A but no 7, however it might not really count as it’s a competitive route to Thames Valley Buses’ similar route 7.

Stagecoach South 65 runs Guildford - Farnham - Bentley - Alton, and they also have a 65X college service running from Weybourne to Alton College. The two routes don’t physically meet at any point, even though they both run to Alton and Weybourne isn’t far from Farnham town centre, and they go very different ways between the two.

 

[Parebunks]

Newbury & District have the 1A and 1C and 1D and 1E (but no 1 or 1B routes).
Oxfordshire County Council have the 46A (but no 46 route).

These both have the corresponding number run by a different operator - 1 by Reading Buses which owns N&D, and the 46A is a temporary solution to cover Oxford Bus's 46 whilst part of the route has a weight restriction.

 

[py_megapixel]

First South Yorkshire have the 52A in Sheffield

There is actually a corresponding route 52, run by Stagecoach, which runs the largely the same way with a slightly different route through Woodhouse. IIRC at one point both routes were numbered 52, leading to at least one street in Woodhouse where 52s towards either end of the route could leave from either side of the road... which thankfully someone eventually put a stop to, as it's utter madness.

Incidentally, sources seem to differ on whether Heavygate Avenue is in Crookes or Walkley. The official timetable says Walkley, as does bustimes.org, but the buses say Crookes on the front. Most sources of live information say Crookes, but some say Walkley. The information systems inside the buses are silent on the matter as for some reason they haven't been programmed for a 52 terminating there.

All of which is to say, the sheer incompetence of the bus companies of Sheffield when it comes to passenger information will never cease to amaze me!

 

[Strathtay 260]

As a few people have already mentioned, commonly in circular bus routes the suffix letters 'A' and 'C' stand for anticlockwise and clockwise. For example, Moffat & Williamson’s 78A, 78C and 79A, 79C running from Dundee to Monikie.

 

[cav1975]

Medway council, through their contracted operator Nu-Venture, has recently introduced new routes 3A and 3C where the A and C denote anti-clockwise or clockwise rotation around part of the route. There is no route 3 in the area.

 

[Hyebone]

Stagecoach Yorkshire in Chesterfield operate the once-a-weekday 56A from Chesterfield centre to Holmewood industrial park at 05:40. The 55 and 56 used to be operated by Stagecoach all the way to Alfreton; however, the 56 route was abandoned and some sections were absorbed into the 55 route taken on by Hulleys of Baslow.

Stagecoach continue to operate the 56A, which is actually a really good cash cow. It's regularly fully loaded with a lot of passengers receiving change vouchers on the Monday morning to use on subsequent trips throughout the week

 

[TheSel]

Odd one, this, which has its roots in the Drivers' Hours regulations which mean that through services are actually registered and shown in the timetables in seperate sections.

Arriva Wales.

Rhyl - Holywell. Three variants, 11C, 11F and 11M. No 11 on this section.

In practice almost all then turn into (or stem from) either an 11 or an 11A between Holywell and Chester.