Trivia: Major towns and cities with gaps in single-digit route numbers

[CBlue]

It seems to be back now. Maybe it was just missing due to covid. It is Kings Hedges to Fulbourn. It could be used as a station to centre link but so can many others.

Not sure where you're looking but service 1 has been running all throughout the covid pandemic.

 

[nw1]

It seems to be back now. Maybe it was just missing due to covid. It is Kings Hedges to Fulbourn. It could be used as a station to centre link but so can many others.

Ok. I do seem to remember in 1993 the 1 was a dedicated, perhaps even branded, city centre to station shuttle.

 

[Stan Drews]

Ok. I do seem to remember in 1993 the 1 was a dedicated, perhaps even branded, city centre to station shuttle.

You are correct, as can be seen here

CAMBUS 169 L669MFL CAMBRIDGE 160996

Explore David Beardmore's 162538 photos on Flickr!

flic.kr

I think since the citi network was introduced in 2001? the 1 (or Citi1) became the main cross city route from Arbury - Cherry Hinton that incorporated the city centre - station section.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Milton Keynes currently has no 7 or 9. It didn't have a 3 for a long time but the last swaparound reintroduced it (on a different route from before).

 

[ashkeba]

Not sure where you're looking but service 1 has been running all throughout the covid pandemic.

I'm not sure where I was looking either! Maybe it listed it as Citi1, which is not 1. I forget what it currently says on the buses.

 

[The exile]

There is no 6 or 9 in Edinburgh as far as I can recall. Lothian Buses used to run a number 6 however I think due to it being so short, passenger numbers were low enough it wasn't financially viable.

Going back a long way, the 1 and the 6 were clockwise and anti-clockwise versions of each other ( or vice versa). Back in the day there was a 9 as well

 

[Strathclyder]

If not already mentioned, Glasgow has a full house from 1 to 9 courtesy of First Glasgow. Some of these numbers had been in use prior to the SimpliCITY network changes being implemented in May 2013 (some on completely different routes), which unified them into a group of core services serving the city centre (with one noted exception in the latter regard):

• 1 - Glasgow St. Enoch <-> Balloch: part of 'The One' group of routes; formerly the 204. This particular renumbering predated the SimpliCITY rollout by about 6 months.
• 2 - Faifley <-> Baillieston: formerly extended to Airdrie & Maxim Park/Eurocentral at various times; only the core section remains today. Formerly the 62.
• 3 - Drumchapel <-> Govan: it's effectively the northern half of the 'pre-SimpliCITY' 9 coupled to the southern half of the former 23.
• 4 - Broomhill <-> Newton Mearns: formerly ran to/from Knightswood north of the city centre prior to October 2016; formerly the 44.
• 5 - St. Enoch Centre <-> Castlemilk: one of the few city centre routes to retain it's pre-SimpliCITY number & routing.
• 6 - Clydebank <-> East Kilbride (Calderwood): this one formerly extended out to Mountblow west of Clydebank prior to October 2015, when a new variant of The One (the 1D) took over that section. Formerly the 66.
• 7 - Summerston <-> Rutherglen: in effect the northern half of the old 54 - which was all that remained of that route prior to the changeover, it having been split a few years prior - coupled to the southern half of the old 12.
• 8 - Parkhead <-> QEU Hospital: the aforementioned route that doesn't serve the city centre. Rather, it serves/links up a number of area surrounding it (running via Provanmill, Springburn, Maryhill & Partick). Prior to October 2016, the 8 terminated at Carmyle in the east and formerly terminated at Partick Interchange in the west prior to being extended south of the river to the QEU Hospital complex; it presently interworks with the 16 at the latter.
• 9 - Glasgow Buchanan Bus Station <-> Paisley Town Centre: the last surviving remnant of the old 9.

(All hyperlinked images are my own)

 

[adrock1976]

If not already mentioned, Glasgow has a full house from 1 to 9 courtesy of First Glasgow. Some of these numbers had been in use prior to the SimpliCITY network changes being implemented in May 2013 (some on completely different routes), which unified them into a group of core services serving the city centre (with one noted exception in the latter regard):

• 1 - Glasgow St. Enoch <-> Balloch: part of 'The One' group of routes; formerly the 204. This particular renumbering predated the SimpliCITY rollout by about 6 months.
• 2 - Faifley <-> Baillieston: formerly extended to Airdrie & Maxim Park/Eurocentral at various times; only the core section remains today. Formerly the 62.
• 3 - Drumchapel <-> Govan: it's effectively the northern half of the 'pre-SimpliCITY' 9 coupled to the southern half of the former 23.
• 4 - Broomhill <-> Newton Mearns: formerly ran to/from Knightswood north of the city centre prior to October 2016; formerly the 44.
• 5 - St. Enoch Centre <-> Castlemilk: one of the few city centre routes to retain it's pre-SimpliCITY number & routing.
• 6 - Clydebank <-> East Kilbride (Calderwood): this one formerly extended out to Mountblow west of Clydebank prior to October 2015, when a new variant of The One (the 1D) took over that section. Formerly the 66.
• 7 - Summerston <-> Rutherglen: in effect the northern half of the old 54 - which was all that remained of that route prior to the changeover, it having been split a few years prior - coupled to the southern half of the old 12.
• 8 - Parkhead <-> QEU Hospital: the aforementioned route that doesn't serve the city centre. Rather, it serves/links up a number of area surrounding it (running via Provanmill, Springburn, Maryhill & Partick). Prior to October 2016, the 8 terminated at Carmyle in the east and formerly terminated at Partick Interchange in the west prior to being extended south of the river to the QEU Hospital complex; it presently interworks with the 16 at the latter.
• 9 - Glasgow Buchanan Bus Station <-> Paisley Town Centre: the last surviving reminent of the old 9.

(All hyperlinked images are my own)

Pre Overground days, I do not recall there ever being a full complement of 1 to 9 in use by First Glasgow. How I recall it back in 1998 is as follows:

1 - George Square/Queen St Station - somewhere east of the city

2 - Cadogan Street - Easterhouse via (maybe Glasgow Cross) Royal Infirmary, Royston Road, Provanmill

3 - Vacant I think (although there may have been a 3 to Barrhead via Pollokshaws Road operated by Clydeside, later Arriva, now McGills)

4 - City Centre - Robroyston via Baird Street, Springburn, maybe Wallacewell Road and Standburn Road or via Quarrywood Road and Robroyston Road (cannot remember exactly which way it went. This also interworked with the 10 that ran via Hamiltonhill and Firhill, now the present day M3)

5 - St Enoch - Castlemilk, with some journeys continuing to East Kilbride via Carmunnock Bypass as the 5C

6 - Clydebank (or somewhere west of Partick) - Cardowan via (unsure of route to Queen Street Station) Queen Street Station, Duke Street, and Cumbernauld Road. Some journeys continued to Glenboig via Muirhead and Gartcosh as the 6A.

7 - St Enoch - Rutherglen which was the former 12A that ran via the top end of Kings Park (unsure if just before the Overground concept was introduced)

8 - Auchinairn Woodhill - Carmyle via Northgate Road, Lamont Road, Old Balornock, Springburn, Keppochhill Road, Bardowie Street, Possilpark Garage, Ashfield, Lambhill, Cadder, Sandbank Street, Maryhill, Byres Road, St Vincent Street, Queen Street Station, Duke Street, Parkhead Forge and Cross, Shettleston, Amulree Street, and across London Road to Carmyle

9/9A - Drumchapel - South Nitshill (9) or Pollok Centre (9A) via Gt Western Rd, Lincoln Avenue, Dumbarton Road, St Vincent Street, Central Station, Bridge Street Underground, Paisley Road West, Corkerhill Road, then the 9 direct to Pollok Centre via Braidcraft Road and Peat Road to South Nitshill, or the 9A to Pollok Centre via Lyoncross Road, and Brockburn Road.

 

[miklcct]

It is a common practice for major towns and cities to have a series of routes starting with 1, and hence it is likely all single digit numbers will be used. Some places however do not follow the full sequence, either due to routes being withdrawn or companies reserving the number for elsewhere.

For a town or city to count, it must have a population of at least 50,000 and be missing one route number in the sequence of 1-9, excluding prefixed or suffixed routes. For example:

• Portsmouth has no service numbered 4, 5, 6 or 9. These numbers were reserved by First for routes out of neighbouring Gosport.
• Poole does not have a route 2 or 7. It does have an m2 and a 7A, 7B & 7C, but these do not count due to the prefix/suffix rule.
• Bournemouth had practically no non-suffixed single digit routes until the network change of 2018, which saw many of the former b-suffixed routes drop the letter. Even so, a 7, 8 and 9 are still missing from the town.
• Southampton was missing a route 5 until October when Mini Link started up their service to Ringwood. This now looks set to be reversed again as the company enters difficulties due to Covid.

How many other large towns and cities are there missing at least one route number from 1 to 9?

For the case in Bournemouth, it had a 7 and 8 after the network restoration in 2018, but 7 has been subsumed into the current 12 and 8 has been withdrawn due to low patronage.

 

[lyndhurst25]

Keighley has K1 to K19, but is missing K4 and K18. I’m not sure if there ever was a K4 or whether it was deliberately missed out to avoid confusion with the M4 Keighley to Burnley service.

 

[Dai Corner]

Keighley has K1 to K19, but is missing K4 and K18. I’m not sure if there ever was a K4 or whether it was deliberately missed out to avoid confusion with the M4 Keighley to Burnley service.

Surely Keighley to Burnley should be the M65 not the M4?

 

[Stan Drews]

Keighley has K1 to K19, but is missing K4 and K18. I’m not sure if there ever was a K4 or whether it was deliberately missed out to avoid confusion with the M4 Keighley to Burnley service.

The K4 was a variation of the K5, serving Parkwood flats. They were previously the 704/5.
There hasn’t been a K18.

 

[Statto]

Surely Keighley to Burnley should be the M65 not the M4?

The M4 Burnley to Keighley is numbered as such, as to fit in with the Burnley & Pendle, branded Mainline, series of numbers M1 to M5, which themselves used to be numbered 21 to 29

 

[AlastairFraser]

Surely Keighley to Burnley should be the M65 not the M4?

Sadly, the bus doesn't touch the M65, which is a shame as I'm sure there's not massive demands for Nelson to Cowling/Cross Hills/Keighley travel and it would speed up journey times considerably if it used the M65. One can always dream...

 

[Teapot42]

For a town of it's size - and the being the biggest settlement in Derbyshire - Chesterfield doesn't have all that many bus services. As a result, it only has three single-digit services, the 1, 2 and 5. The 1 is a fairly recent renumbering, although the number 1 has been used many times in the past. It has a '1a' variant, the 2 has 2a and 2b variants, and previously had a 2c until the pandemic ended most (all?) Chesterfield College services.

We are also fairly short on two-digit services. From memory there are then the 15, 16, 25, 39, 43, 44 and 48, then the 50s are fairly well served with the 50, 51, 54, 55 and 56, then 63, the one-a-day 66 (a positioning move for the Buxton to Sheffield 65), then 74, 77, 78, 80, 84 and 90. Several of these have A and/or B variants.

Beyond that we only have a single three-digit service, the 170, plus a couple of express buses, the X17 and X70. There is a seasonal X71 and may be another if the Hulleys X98 returns. Lastly, two named services, the Comet and the Pronto.

 

[nw1]

For a town of it's size - and the being the biggest settlement in Derbyshire - Chesterfield doesn't have all that many bus services.

As an aside, is it bigger than Derby? I will admit I don't know Derbyshire outside the Peak District at all well, but that's something I never realised!

 

[Teapot42]

As an aside, is it bigger than Derby? I will admit I don't know Derbyshire outside the Peak District at all well, but that's something I never realised!

No, but Derby hasn't been in Derbyshire for many years. If you are talking 'traditional' counties then yes, Derby is biggest, but in current terms it is a Unitary Authority.