Superstitious bus operators

[Deerfold]

I used to catch the 666 (amongst other services) to school when it ran once an hour as one of the three Bradford - Skipton routes.

I now live on the route of the 66 Keighley - Skiption that largely replaced all 3 routes north of Keighley, whilst between Bradford and Keighley all the 663-669 routes have been replaced by the frequent 662.

 

[northwichcat]

I used to catch the 666 (amongst other services) to school when it ran once an hour as one of the three Bradford - Skipton routes.

I now live on the route of the 66 Keighley - Skiption that largely replaced all 3 routes north of Keighley, whilst between Bradford and Keighley all the 663-669 routes have been replaced by the frequent 662.

I think 666 is a number Christians are traditionally suspicious of so you're probably more like to see it in a city where Christians are a minority.

 

[bb21]

I don't think Christianity is anywhere near being the minority group in Bradford, if that were what you meant?

Your Community

...

The largest religious group in Bradford is Christian (45.9% of the population). Nearly one quarter of the population (24.7%) are Muslim. Just over one fifth of the district’s population (20.7%) stated that they had no religion.

...

 

[30907]

Having lived in one of the communities that relied on the 666, I think the Christians were amused rather than suspicious.

The numbering was presumably introduced by WYPTE (in sequence with other Bradford routes) in the 70's and changed when the route was split to fit either Keighley and District's or North Yorkshire's scheme.

 

[northwichcat]

I don't think Christianity is anywhere near being the minority group in Bradford, if that were what you meant?

I didn't say minority group, just minority which the first dictionary of is "a number, part, or amount forming less than half of the whole" and you've just confirmed less than half of the population of Bradford is Christian or in other words the majority of the residents of Bradford aren't Christian.

 

[Deerfold]

I didn't say minority group, just minority which the first dictionary of is "a number, part, or amount forming less than half of the whole" and you've just confirmed less than half of the population of Bradford is Christian or in other words the majority of the residents of Bradford aren't Christian.

I suspect as the percentage of the UK population identifying as Christian has fallen by 12% just between 2001 and 2011 that when I was catching it in the 80s Christians were probably not in a minority in Bradford.
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Having lived in one of the communities that relied on the 666, I think the Christians were amused rather than suspicious.

The numbering was presumably introduced by WYPTE (in sequence with other Bradford routes) in the 70's and changed when the route was split to fit either Keighley and District's or North Yorkshire's scheme.

The renumbering would have been in the early 80s (80-82).
I recall the service past my primary school in Barkisland being renumbered from 55 to the short-lived 555.

 

[fairysdad]

I think 666 is a number Christians are traditionally suspicious of so you're probably more like to see it in a city where Christians are a minority.

I remember watching an episode of QI years ago when they commented that the actual 'Number of the Beast' should be '616'.

They then went on to tell the tale of a bus route numbered 666 which seemed to suffer a lot of maladies, so the superstitious bus owners decided to renumber it to make it less susceptible to its 666-ness. The number they changed it to? Yep, that's right: 616.

 

[Teflon Lettuce]

I remember watching an episode of QI years ago when they commented that the actual 'Number of the Beast' should be '616'.

They then went on to tell the tale of a bus route numbered 666 which seemed to suffer a lot of maladies, so the superstitious bus owners decided to renumber it to make it less susceptible to its 666-ness. The number they changed it to? Yep, that's right: 616.

Well the Bible (which is the ultimate authority on this subject) says the number is 666. This comes from the fact that 7 is the perfect number... the reason for 666 is that it stands for the devil, the anti-Christ and the false prophet... ie the ant-Trinity (the holy trinity having the number 777).

strange then how the Green line flightline 777 was such a flop!

 

[fowler9]

Some aircraft don't have a row 13. easyJet do, and it is the best row on their A320s, being the extra legroom exit row. Definitely lucky if you got it by chance on a full flight rather than paying for it.

My Ryanair flight to Riga didn't have a row 13.

 

[Busaholic]

The 666 trolleybus route used to run between Edgware and Hammersmith. London Transport were so superstitious that when the trolleys came off they took no chances and smashed them all up at Colindale.

 

[SCH117X]

Nottingham had no quibbles over 666 for a unique Northern Counties bodies Atlantean
https://www.flickr.com/photos/bm71/3518020715/

 

[carlberry]

Well the Bible (which is the ultimate authority on this subject) says the number is 666. This comes from the fact that 7 is the perfect number... the reason for 666 is that it stands for the devil, the anti-Christ and the false prophet... ie the ant-Trinity (the holy trinity having the number 777).

strange then how the Green line flightline 777 was such a flop!

The problem is 'the bible' isnt a specific work but the interpretation of previous works over many years, mostly before printing was invented. And it says both:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Number_of_the_Beast

 

[backontrack]

TfL have recently been trying to get rid of their 13 route, which has a mere century of operation behind it, but have been, at least temporarily, repulsed.

So have First York...

 

[NorthernSpirit]

I think 666 is a number Christians are traditionally suspicious of so you're probably more like to see it in a city where Christians are a minority.

Suitable number for a service in Northampton then.

 

[backontrack]

I know that the number 666 is synonymous with the idea of hell, so might fit better down the road at Milton Keynes...

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I know that the number 666 is synonymous with the idea of hell, so might fit better down the road at Milton Keynes...

You could stand in Northampton and see vehicles heading to all sorts of hellish places (e.g. Rushden, Kettering, Corby, Wellingborough, Bedford)!

 

[backontrack]

That's true!

 

[DunsBus]

It's almost good that it worked out that way round, otherwise we probably wouldn't have either of them preserved.


I don't actually like driving 667 because my legs are too long so I don't really fit - I'd take 322 over it any day.

As well as providing a donor front for 667, 666 also yielded its engine, gearbox and rear axle which were used in other Olympians in the fleet. There was precious little of 666 left by the time it was finally towed away for scrap!