What are service numbers for?

[bussnapperwm]

Quite, although here (as with parallel route 14), the suffixes are used to differentiate between routings in Staple and Ash, rather than ultimate destinations. I think you have identified there that we'd be up to 13F... not very customer friendly! (Heaven forbid were they to decide the 13/14 were all one corridor!) The 15 group is similar, where 15's serve St Mary's Bay, 15As do not but serve St Mary's Bay, and 15Bs serve River (a bit they took over from the 60 when developer funding ran out). By the time you get through the route variations there we'll have something looking like Teflon Lettuce's underground scheme!

15 via Sandown, 15X Sandown to Dover too...

 

[David Goddard]

Reading Buses have all routes numbered, as per their registration, but each route, or group of routes, is allocated a colour to which like branded buses are normally allocated.

Some of the routes have "A" suffixed journeys to denote deviations (in the case of the 2) or short journeys (in the case of the 15, 21 and 33).
A new(ish) addition last year was the revamp of service 19, which resulted in a core twenty minute service out to the University, then following either 19a (Woodley/Earley circular anticlockwise), 19c (Woodley/Earley circular clockwise) or 19b (via Beech Lane to ASDA).
We have an evening service (82) out to Riseley, which on Sundays is numbered 82K because it diverts through Kennet Island
The "Greenwave" branded services carry a collection of route numbers and suffixes, depending on which areas they serve (Madejski Stadium/Kennett Island/Green Park/Int'l Business Park) or a combination of these. This results in service numbers 50-53 either straight or with suffixes a,b,c or e.