West Midlands route number suggestions.

[sconehead85]

With the virtual abandonment of the 3xx/4xx/5xx numbers and a local numbering scheme of sorts in Coventry (which has always been the case) and the "three Ws" the lower numbers are duplicated and triplicated.

What I suggest is a sort of compromise scheme which keeps the "local" element but not the duplication, except for Coventry.

When West Midlands PTE was formed in  1970, the fleet numbering systems had to use the last letter of the "three Ws".  This ROUTE numbering scheme will have to use letter prefixes for various areas.  Heres how it pans out.

1-99       Birmingham regular services.  Most services starting in Brum to be numbered in this series, except for X prefix and 900 series numbers. 

1-99       Coventry - all regular services to be numbered in this series

100-199  Birmingham - less frequent services to be numbered in this range.  Some run outside
               Brum, for example Solihull services would be numbered in the 150-159 range.


500-899  To be allocated to schools and other occasional services, with lower numbered routes
              of this category moving into this block.

900-999  Limited stop.

A prefix-  Walsall regular services

B prefix-  West Bromwich/Sandwell services

C prefix-  Wolverhampton city services.

D prefix    Dudley area services

X prefix-  Limited stop services.


I will answer any questions other than "what's the point?" or "if it ai'nt broke"

sconehead85

[Gareth]

Maybe use the old WMPTE fleetnumber suffixes?

1
1L
1N
1H
1Y
Etc

Dudley area could maybe use 1D for 'midland reD' or a throw back to the old D prefix

[MW]

Or maybe, just maybe,

0-199 - Birmingham

200-299 - Sandwell & Dudley

300-399 - Walsall

400-499 - West Bromwich

500-599 - Wolverhampton

600-699 - Minibus & Centro funded services

700-899 - School & Works services

900-999 - Express & Limited Stop services

And then came 2009 and Centro waded in.

[sconehead85]

Michael- I sympathise entirely with your way of thinking, but unfortunately I dont see the clock being turned back now.

BTW I have drawn up a complete list but it would take me forever to type it out but my scheme eliminates letter suffixes with the three-digit numbers, and 11A/11C would become 11 and 10, however 8A/C has to remain.  110 to Tamworth would become 70,   94 would become 15 and 97/97A/997/997A would be 12/13/912/913.  120 would become 20. However 144 would stay thus.

Gareth- I think PREFIX letters are preferable to suffix, L could mean Limited Stop and N a night service, and W a works., so thats why I have , if you forgive the lower case letters opted for wAlsAll, west Bromwich, and with Wolverhampton being a city I give it C.  We think alike with the D though.

Thanks for the constructive comments!

sconehead85

[Steveminor]

I'm with Michael, there was nothing wrong with the old system & I thought it was pretty well worked out & a system other cities could look up to with envy.
You knew where you were with it, if you wanted a bus in Wolverhampton you looked for a 5XX and so on.
I guess we all knew which way it was going when the Solihull S prefix was introduced.

[Badger]

I don't like the change. Well, I do, to be honest, but it's that multiple routes have the same number that bothers me more than the change in numbers, and that it hasn't been done all the way - the 529 is still the 529 (even though it began as the 29!).

I would go further if we have to keep what they've changed to, and change the 76 to service "7", the 88 to service "8", and the 878 to service "9", because I probably have OCD...

We still have: 529, 530, 531, 535, 545, 558, 560, 584, 585, 586, 587 - I guess they kept 5's on tendered services or something like that, other than the 529.

[NXWM Spectra]

I don't like the change. Well, I do, to be honest, but it's that multiple routes have the same number that bothers me more than the change in numbers, and that it hasn't been done all the way - the 529 is still the 529 (even though it began as the 29!).

I would go further if we have to keep what they've changed to, and change the 76 to service "7", the 88 to service "8", and the 878 to service "9", because I probably have OCD...

We still have: 529, 530, 531, 535, 545, 558, 560, 584, 585, 586, 587 - I guess they kept 5's on tendered services or something like that, other than the 529.

531 and 584-587 could be tendered, but I think all of the Banga routes, 558 and 560 are operated commercially.

I think Banga got away without changing anything in the review.

My question with the old system and the proposed prefix system, what would the number be for a route between Walsall and Wolverhampton, or between Dudley and Birmingham?

[SMK]

My question with the old system and the proposed prefix system, what would the number be for a route between Walsall and Wolverhampton, or between Dudley and Birmingham?

If I was working on it I'd give it a Birmingham number/prefix if the route went to Birmingham.
For those outside Birmingham that have termini in 2 different local authority areas, I'd give them the area number/prefix depending on which area it covers the greatest distance of.
I.e. if it goes between Wolves and Walsall but serves 3 miles of road in Wolves compared to 2 in Walsall the it'd get a Wolves number/prefix.

[sconehead85]

Ive decided to admit Dudley to my scheme suggestion with the D prefix but Birmingham and Coventry to be numbers and suffix letters only.

sconehead85