Ok , this is a hopeless anoraky question but something I suddenly wondered
last night... How come most bus routes have a simple number (eg 13, 221) but
some have a letter in them , eg W6. Why do some routes have letters too? Its
not like they've used up all the numbers in the universe so do these letters
denote something special (ok , I know what the N in the night bus routes mean ,
I'm talking about daytime routes)?

B2003

Ok , this is a hopeless anoraky question but something I suddenly
wondered
last night... How come most bus routes have a simple number (eg 13,
221) but
some have a letter in them , eg W6. Why do some routes have letters
too? Its
not like they've used up all the numbers in the universe so do these
letters
denote something special (ok , I know what the N in the night bus
routes mean ,
I'm talking about daytime routes)?

I defer to those who know what they are talking about, but I believe
that the routes with letters are those that were introduced with flat
fares at a time when that wasn't the norm. For example the Wally 8
was a flat fare replacement for the 128. So presumably for most of
the routes it is just a historical thing and as there has been no need
to change the route numbers they have been left well alone.

On Wed, 12 Nov 2003 10:17:03 -0000, "Graham J" wrote:


I defer to those who know what they are talking about, but I believe
that the routes with letters are those that were introduced with flat
fares at a time when that wasn't the norm.

There are several letter-prefixed routes in my area which were
introduced on normal fare routes.

(Boltar)typed


Ok , this is a hopeless anoraky question but something I suddenly wondered
last night... How come most bus routes have a simple number (eg 13, 221) but
some have a letter in them , eg W6. Why do some routes have letters too? Its
not like they've used up all the numbers in the universe so do these letters
denote something special (ok , I know what the N in the night bus
routes mean ,
I'm talking about daytime routes

I *think* it has something to do with where these buses run.
U* buses mostly run around the Uxbridge area
H* buses mostly cover Harrow (except H1, H2 & H3, which go round
Hampstead Garden Suburb)
E* buses have an Ealing connection
PR* run around Park Royal

I don't know if Wood Green or Walthamstow gave their W to the W* buses though.
A* buses are airport buses.

--
Helen D. Vecht:
Edgware.

"Graham J" wrote in message
...

For example the W8
was a flat fare replacement for the 128.
So presumably for most of the routes it is just
a historical thing and as there has been no need
to change the route numbers they have been left well alone.

Although it is slightly odd that they have been left alone, because routes
with a letter suffix (as opposed to prefix) have been systematically
renumbered. Perhaps the suffix ones were mostly 4 characters long... Maybe
the suffix routes with 3-characters have remained unaltered.

Incidentally, I think that the W10, P13 and several of the U routes in
Uxbridge have had the same fare structure as every other bus in London since
introduction.

--
John Rowland - Spamtrapped
Transport Plans for the London Area, updated 2001
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acro...69/tpftla.html
A man's vehicle is a symbol of his manhood.
That's why my vehicle's the Piccadilly Line -
It's the size of a county and it comes every two and a half minutes

"John Rowland" typed


"Graham J" wrote in message
...

For example the W8
was a flat fare replacement for the 128.
So presumably for most of the routes it is just
a historical thing and as there has been no need
to change the route numbers they have been left well alone.

Although it is slightly odd that they have been left alone, because routes
with a letter suffix (as opposed to prefix) have been systematically
renumbered. Perhaps the suffix ones were mostly 4 characters long... Maybe
the suffix routes with 3-characters have remained unaltered.

2B is not 2B!
There again they don't have l-o-n-g routes like that anymore. Can't even
get from Golders Green to Barnet in one hop now.

Incidentally, I think that the W10, P13 and several of the U routes in
Uxbridge have had the same fare structure as every other bus in London since
introduction.

--
Helen D. Vecht:
Edgware.

In article , Helen Deborah Vecht wrote:

H* buses mostly cover Harrow (except H1, H2 & H3, which go round
Hampstead Garden Suburb)

Really? The H26 which runs Feltham Station - Hatton Cross must really
be lost, then...

The H22 too, come to think of it.

Niklas
--
"IMO, the primary historical significance of Unix is that it marks the time in
computer history where CPUs became so cheap that it was possible to build an
operating system without adult supervision."
-- Russ Holsclaw in a.f.c

"Helen Deborah Vecht" wrote in message
...
(Boltar)typed

I *think* it has something to do with where these buses run.
U* buses mostly run around the Uxbridge area
H* buses mostly cover Harrow (except H1, H2 & H3, which go round
Hampstead Garden Suburb)
E* buses have an Ealing connection
PR* run around Park Royal

I don't know if Wood Green or Walthamstow gave their W to the W* buses
though.
A* buses are airport buses.

And T for associated with Croydon Tramlink I believe (eg T33)

(Niklas Karlsson)typed


In article , Helen Deborah Vecht wrote:

H* buses mostly cover Harrow (except H1, H2 & H3, which go round
Hampstead Garden Suburb)

Really? The H26 which runs Feltham Station - Hatton Cross must really
be lost, then...

The H22 too, come to think of it.

Niklas

Mebbe that H stands for Hounslow or sumpfink...

--
Helen D. Vecht:
Edgware.

Incidentally, I think that the W10, P13 and several of the U routes
in
Uxbridge have had the same fare structure as every other bus in
London since
introduction.

Yes I was going to add to my original response that the W6 that was
mentioned by the OP is one I've only been aware of in recent years and
I wasn't sure if it had any history before it served Edmonton Green.

Although I believe my first response was correct as far as it went it
cannot be the whole story. I suspect that letter prefixed route
numbers were also used for the first 'midibus' routes.

This may trigger an example of a letter prefixed route that was
neither introduced as a flat fare route or as a midibus but it will do
until someone who actually knows the facts can contribute!