Why change the service numbers?

[Ally]

I for one am all for route branding, I've heard people say before "Ooh I didn't know that bus goes there" and the like, it also, when they are on the right routes that is, helps you identify at long distance when your bus is actually coming along. I find it particularly helpful where I am, I can see a good mile up the road and spot buses heading down, with 90% of the fleet being Enviro 200s, having no branding makes it hard to tell what route it is actually on, I know to ignore green buses (48) and watch for red ones (55/56/57). Branding also makes buses feel less like they are run by corporate robots, seeing a fleet full of Enviro 200s looking exactly the same makes it seem like they aren't making an effort, just money. It makes the service seem more inviting, especially with images on, the figures must support that for companies to still bother, if it had no effect, why would they go to all that expense?

The downside to it is that half the public are unable to read destinations or route branding despite having perfect sight and average IQ, they just see the bus and view nothing else as relevant, then flag it down "Does this go to *such and such*?" etc.
When D957 NDA was in it's multi-coloured panel mess from part way through preservation, it was driving along Lichfield Road with "0000 Sorry! Not in Service" on the blind and some idiot still tried to flag it down!
I've had somebody get on my 48 before, a bus that is plastered in bright green branding for the route, with 3 seperate LED signs illuminating the route number and yet still, they had to ask "Is this the 48?". Fair enough I know there's people who can't read or see too well but that person definitely fell into neither of those categories.

Not long back, and I'd put money on me not being the only person here to have had similar, I was on the 310 Nat Ex coach heading to Birmingham, I was on a road into Nottingham (Sherwood I think the area is called) and somebody at a normal bus stop tried to flag the coach down...