How to Read a Bus Destination Sign - Route Number and Destination, Every Time
Read the sign as a pair: route number plus destination
Until you are used to riding buses, it is unnerving not to be able to judge on the spot whether the bus coming towards you is going where you want to go. The short answer is that reading a bus destination sign comes down to checking two things as a pair: the route number and the destination. Hold on to those two points and you will be able to pick out your bus calmly, even at a boarding point where all sorts of buses turn up.
The route number is the code that acts as the name of the line, and the destination is the name of the last stop the bus reaches, in other words its terminus. Judge by only one of the two and you may end up on a bus that has the same destination but takes a different way there. Let us look at how to read each of them in turn.
The front sign: reading the route number and the terminus
High up on the front of the bus is a destination display, and it generally shows the route number and the destination side by side. Toei Bus route numbers are basically a kanji character combined with a number, as in 王 40 (Ō-40) or 草 63 (Kusa-63), and the kanji usually derives from one of the main terminals the route serves: the 王 (ō) of Ōji, the 草 (kusa) of Asakusa. The same number with a different leading kanji is a different route altogether, so check the character as well as the digits.
The destination field shows the name of the terminus stop. The point to watch here is that if your destination lies short of the terminus, its name will not appear on the sign. Suppose you want to get off three stops before the end of the line: what the front sign shows is strictly the name of the terminus, so "my destination is not up there, therefore I cannot take this bus" does not necessarily follow. To be certain whether a route passes your destination, the reliable move is to check the route map or timetable posted at the boarding point. How to read a timetable is explained in detail in how to read a bus timetable.
There is a pitfall in the opposite direction as well. Even within one route number, some trips mixed into the day run only part of the way and stop short of the terminus, depending on the hour. Board reassured because the route number matches, and you may find yourself hearing "this trip ends here" before you reach your destination. Once you have seen the route number, always read on in the same breath to the name of the destination stop. That habit is the shortest path to never boarding the wrong bus.
Side and rear signs: confirming the way it goes from the via points
There is a destination sign not only on the front but also on the side where the boarding door is. Because the side sign is wider, it carries more information, and its characteristic feature is that it often adds the names of major stops or streets along the way in the form "via ...".
Buses heading for the same terminus can leave from the same boarding point on routes that take different ways there. When your destination lies along the way rather than at the terminus, do not judge from the front alone; checking the via information on the side will set your mind at rest. The route number and destination are shown on the rear of the vehicle too, which is useful when you want to work out which route the bus that has just pulled away in front of you belonged to.
Signs to watch out for, from Out of Service to Express
In place of a destination, a sign may appear indicating that the vehicle is not carrying passengers, or that it is running as a special service. Learning the common ones will save you from waiting for a bus you cannot board, or from boarding one you never meant to.
| Example of a sign | Meaning and points to note |
|---|---|
| 回送 (out of service) | A vehicle moving without passengers on board, which you cannot ride. For details, see out of service in the glossary. |
| A destination short of the terminus, such as 〇〇止まり (as far as 〇〇 only) | A trip that ends its run at a stop partway along the route. If your destination lies beyond that point, this bus will not take you there. |
| A destination containing the name of a depot or an operating office | This is a depot-run trip heading into or out of the depot, and part of its path may differ from the usual route. |
| 急行 (express) | Some stops are not served. Always check before boarding whether it stops at your destination. For details, see express bus. |
| 深夜バス (late-night bus) | A trip operated during the late-night hours. Fares may be handled differently from ordinary trips, so check the operator's information. For details, see late-night bus. |
Telling buses apart when several routes use one boarding point
At bus terminals in front of large stations, it is far from unusual for several routes to use a single boarding point. In places like these, a two-stage approach reduces the chance of missing something: when a bus approaches, first check the route number and destination on the front, then, once you are standing at the boarding door, confirm it again on the side sign.
The pole and the information board at the boarding point are reassuring allies too. They list the numbers and main destinations of the routes that serve that point, so if you recite "mine is route △△ bound for 〇〇" in your head while you wait, checking becomes far quicker when the bus arrives. At a boarding point where routes with similar destinations sit side by side, compare the differences in the ways they go on the posted route map and you are fully covered.
If you are still unsure, there is nothing wrong with asking the driver "does this bus go to ...?" as you board. A single question is more certain than scrambling aboard just as the bus is about to leave, and it gets you to your destination sooner as a result. For how to find the boarding point itself, and why a stop with one name can be split across several boarding points, see how to find the right bus boarding point.
From roller blinds to LEDs: how destination signs have changed
Destination signs were once dominated by a mechanism known as the 方向幕 (hōkōmaku), a roller blind. A long strip of cloth printed with destinations was wound on by a device inside the vehicle to switch what was displayed, and there are plenty of enthusiasts who feel nostalgic for the particular charm of the blind type. Replacement by illuminated LED displays then spread, making it possible to vary character size and the way the display changes with far more flexibility.
LED signs allow presentations the blind type could never manage, such as alternating between the route number and the destination, or showing the via points as scrolling text. Waiting a little for the display to change sometimes reveals more detailed information, so take a look while you wait for your bus.
One breath of checking before you board prevents mistakes
To finish, here is a summary of the procedure for checking a destination sign.
- When a bus approaches, check the route number and destination on the front
- In front of the boarding door, look once more at the via information on the side
- Make sure it is not one of the signs to watch out for, such as 回送 (out of service) or a destination short of the terminus
- If you are unsure, ask the driver a quick question as you board
Once this sequence has become a habit, you can head off almost all wrong boardings, even at a boarding point you are using for the first time. Read it together with how to find the right bus boarding point for locating the boarding point, and how to read a bus timetable for looking up departure times, and travel by bus becomes all the more reassuring.