What on A B C E e M T?
Bus Services is not only numbered in Numbers, but Alphabets. Alphabets that’s seems random, just like flipping a coin, but what is it all about?
How are Bus Services numbered?
Bus services typiacally consist of 1 to 3 digits, consisting all digits from 0 to 9. Usually bus numbering corresponds to the type of service or location the bus originates from.
Alphabets and Alphabets
What about the suffix behind the bus services, is there a similar reasoning? Well, sorta.
The disparity in naming goes back to when bus operators could introduce and brand their services, which resulted in same same but different naming.
One instance would be the letter ‘E’ and ‘e’. For SMRT Intra-Town services (eg. 911), services ending immediately once reaching the bus interchange are given the ‘E’ suffix behind the bus service number. SBS Transit would add a ‘T’ behind the bus service number.
Soon after, SMRT started to introduce Express bus services, one notable example being 963E, with an uppercase ‘E’. This makes it confusing to people who are unfamiliar with the bus service as ‘E’ could mean Express and End.
To worsen things, SMRT’s ‘End’ and ‘Express’ services are not clearly displayed on the Electronic Display System.
In contrast, other operators label and indicate clearly, reducing the confusion as express services incur an approximate 50cent extra charge over normal fares.
Summary
While it is not possible to renumber all bus service suffixes to keep the meaning standardised, conscious effort could be done to distinguish Express services from regular services. Some replacing uppercase ‘E’ express services to lowercase ‘e’ to ensure clarity and consistency.
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