Route numbers in Sunshine Islands are a code. Read the digits before you look at the road name. The full working list, with termini and who runs them, is the route catalog.
Two digits: you are not crossing a zone
There are no single-digit routes. The first digit is the zone, with one important exception in Zone 1.
| Series | Meaning | Examples still used |
|---|---|---|
| 1x | Zone 1 services that do not use Dove Island | None in regular service |
| 2x | Zone 1 services that run via Dove Island | 21 Dove and Hospital circular, 25 Long Island to Container's Island |
| 4x | Zone 4 locals | 41A via Norton, 42 and 42A via Rocky Road, 46 via Eastmallow, 47 to Norton, 49A via North Island Estate |
| 6x | Zone 6 | No inner-zone service while Horizon Island is closed |
| 7x | Zone 7, and Zone 8 is still signed this way | 73, 74A, 75, 76, 77 |
| 8x | Inside Zone 8 | None yet. Zone 8 duties still carry Zone 7 numbers |
Zones 2, 3 and 5 are open water. No inner-zone route uses 2, 3 or 5 as a zone digit. The 2 in 21 and 25 means "via Dove Island", not Zone 2. Older beginner notes that say "drive 41" mean today's 41A.
Three digits: you are changing zones
The usual form is ABx. A is the smaller zone number, B is the zone at the other end, and the same number is used in both directions.
| Number | Reading | Crossing |
|---|---|---|
| 140 | Zone 1 to Zone 4 | Western Harbour Tunnel |
| 370 | Zone 1 to Zone 7 | Central-Western Bridge |
| 475 | Zone 4 to Zone 7 | East Door and Rainbow, then toward Norton |
| 472 | Zone 4 to Zone 7 | A more direct Norton to Senpai link than 475 |
| 246X | Zone 2-series is not the zone | The X marks an express. 246X is the Eastmallow and Timelapse Mall peak duty |
Routes that finish in Zone 1 break the simple ABx rule, because Zone 1 can be reached three ways. 1Bx uses the Western Harbour Tunnel. 2Bx uses the tunnel one way and the Central-Western Bridge the other. 3Bx stays on the bridge. That is why 140, 171 and 370 can share a corridor and still be different duties.
The last two digits often echo a local route when most stands sit in Zone 4 or Zone 7. 475 and 47 feel related for that reason. They are not the same road.
Letters
| Prefix | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| N | Overnight, not a 24-hour local | N171, N472 |
| R | Event, holiday or stadium extra | R370, 171R |
| S | Sightseeing. This meaning is dated from 1 January 2025 | S1, S2 |
| U | University shuttle | U47 |
| Y | Typhoon diversion when signal No. 8 is up, or when Desire Bridge closes | Y370 |
| C | Cityscape Bus staff shuttle. The C is hidden on the destination display | C01 |
| F | Forever Transit staff shuttle | F701 |
| M | Training or metro-replacement display, typed as a code rather than shown as a public route | M2, M3 |
| Suffix | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| X | Express | 246X, 476X |
| P | Peak only | 141P, 75P, 140P |
| R | Extra after an event | 171R |
| Y | Typhoon replacement of the base route | 25Y |
| A / B | Branch | 41A, 49A, 370A, 370B |
| S | Depends on context: rush, late or a festival | 76S, 376S |
Non-franchised work does not always follow the code. U47 is the clear case.
Counts disagree because they count different things
Older official copy has described 21 routes across the operators. Community route tables list well over 50 numbers once peak, night, branch and event variants are included. Both can be true. A daytime trunk and its P, A and N variants are one product to a timetable and several spawn entries to a driver. Use the route catalog for the variant, and the official timetable when you need the printed hours. The in-game list wins if they disagree.
Codes you can type into the tablet
These are not printed on the public timetable. They come from community testing of the driver tablet.
| Code | Result |
|---|---|
| M2 | Training display |
| M3 or MTS | Staff shuttle on Forever Transit and REBC buses |
| PH | Private hire sign for an unscheduled run |
| PH1 | Private hire routing with GPS and announcements, only while that private hire is the Daily Challenge |
| Q02, Q03, Q04 | Cityscape training, crew bus and special-service displays |
A code the company does not expose shows the company logo instead. Sunshine Islands Bus, Forever Transit, Forever Transit Central Connect and REBC displays can be signed for any Islands route by typing a code, because foreign routes are missing from their tablet lists. Cityscape and Horizon only expose their own franchise routes. A suspended code can leave Version 1 routing on the GPS while announcements and passenger stops stop working.
What to drive, in order
- One zone only. 41A, 42, 46, 47 and 75 are the usual first set.
- A short harbour crossing such as 140, after the door timing is boring.
- N, R, Y and S duties last. They assume you already know which bridge is closed.
Special patterns, costs and dates are in special and event services.