(01 Feb 2021, 1:03 pm)Adtrainsam wrote I hope GNE would have some common sense not to do that. There would be a lot of confused passengers hoping to get on a 20 or 21 but getting the express version instead. Combined with the route number being on the offside would mean that the "X" is even harder to see. Both X20 and 20 use Streetlites most of the time, quite a few that are in corporate livery on both routes. Similar example on the X21/ 21, both of them (supposed) to be using Streetdecks or B5TLs (Average passenger can't tell the difference). The looks on peoples faces as they speed past Birtley would be quite something!! 

I'm pretty sure GNE wanted to promote the "express" side of the route to stand out so reducing the X wouldn't really help anyway.

They'll likely change it at some point, saying it's a better idea or something. For example, when they first experimented with the LH RN they said that it was fine on the Yutongs as you could see the massive green led strip and identify it as the 53/54. Fast forward 2 months and now all vehicles have it where possible, and for example, on corp livery vehicles you can't distinguish what route it is apart from the destination. At this point they're just making changes for the fun of it. I cant see a viable reason to make the letters smaller other than the possibility of conflicting digits such as 8 and B being mistaken.