There are a few topics about who is responsible for allocating bus service numbers, and the answer seems to be it is uncontrolled and there is very little logic to it. In this topic I am asking a slightly different question, which is what is the purpose of the number in the first place?
I suppose, on a legal/government basis, they could be for ease of reference between civil servants, councillors and the like. However, they are also displayed on the outside of most buses, next to the destination. This suggests to me they are also intended to be useful for passengers in some respect or other. While the legals seem to refer to 'service numbers', they are often known as 'route numbers'. The latter term makes sense from a passenger perspective, as assuming the number uniquely* identifies a route this means a passenger who knows the routes in the area can know where a bus is going from just the information on the destination display (route number and final destination). Thus, the passenger would not have to look at a timetable to know if the bus they can see in front of them goes where they want to get.
* By this I mean locally unique, so that no town is served by different routes with the same number.
I've started this topic primarily because there seems to be absolutely no logic behind Ceredigion council's numbering of services, in the south-west of the county at least and possibly elsewhere. The concept of route numbers does not apply here at all, there are more routes than numbers and yet there are a handful of workings which have a different number from other workings on the same route.
I suppose, on a legal/government basis, they could be for ease of reference between civil servants, councillors and the like. However, they are also displayed on the outside of most buses, next to the destination. This suggests to me they are also intended to be useful for passengers in some respect or other. While the legals seem to refer to 'service numbers', they are often known as 'route numbers'. The latter term makes sense from a passenger perspective, as assuming the number uniquely* identifies a route this means a passenger who knows the routes in the area can know where a bus is going from just the information on the destination display (route number and final destination). Thus, the passenger would not have to look at a timetable to know if the bus they can see in front of them goes where they want to get.
* By this I mean locally unique, so that no town is served by different routes with the same number.
I've started this topic primarily because there seems to be absolutely no logic behind Ceredigion council's numbering of services, in the south-west of the county at least and possibly elsewhere. The concept of route numbers does not apply here at all, there are more routes than numbers and yet there are a handful of workings which have a different number from other workings on the same route.