12-14-2019, 10:31 AM
(12-13-2019, 10:26 PM)ac3r Wrote: Yes, the 7 used to have the letter differentiation. The routes did follow more or less the same route, with some slight differences. When they got to where the Highway 7/8 interchange is, they split up due to Highway 8 dividing the two southwest part of the city for the most part. The B would go left, going down Weber Street. The A went right, going down Kingsway, one of the numbered streets, then I think down Connaught to Wilson. Both then arrived at the mall. It's not too different from the current 7, so I think it makes sense to have the current two different 7 routes easier be more distinct. The sign says it already, but it's a lot quicker to just look at a number and letter and know which bus it is rather than read an entire sign or listen to audio cues, which require the bus to come to a complete stop and open its doors before you realize you wanted the other 7.
I believe that is the old route designation. If I recall correctly, the A actually took one of two streets, either Connaught or Wilson, identified only by “via” on the sign. Later one of them was changed to F. I have an idea that might have happened when they got their bus location tracking system, which I hypothesize may require that each route designation correspond to a single route.