(08 Feb 2017, 9:35 pm)James101 wrote I'm sure everyone realises renumbering to the X46 is purely to make the route sound more attractive to passengers. The 'X' is as much a part of the brand as the 'MAX' logo or livery. Arriva aren't the first corporation to do so and won't be the last. Is there any difference between Lidl baked beans and Waitrose baked beans? Probably not, but many people will presume Waitrose is better because of the brand they have built.

The X46 still pretty much follows the route a car driver would take between Crook and Durham, so is still 'direct' as such. The 306/308 MAXing is a bit close to deviating from the brand concept technically, but clearly it's been decided MAX will stand up better against Cobalt Clipper than Frequenta. Once again, it's about what MAX suggests to the passenger, more than what the reality of the product is. Joe Bloggs stood in Haymarket wanting to get to the coast is going to subconsciously conclude that the X38 is faster than the 309. If Arriva win the passenger, they win the battle - however much we pick apart their efforts.

Something that hasn't been mentioned, was that the 46 was known as the X46 (it may have been the X45 or something else at one point) in days gone by. But I am fairly sure that it was only fairly recently that the prefix was actually dropped on the Crook - Durham/Newcastle route.