RE The Large Ones Post on Ask The Club............

[Yorkie]

I have read your posts.
My point is, what can the club do about the bus service? They haven't got the money to charter buses for the occasional evening game.

I have said several times, have you contacted the bus company?

 

[Kenhead]

Buzzer, how about getting the P&R bus to Mithrus house and catching a bus at the lecturn useing your ticket stub. I know its abit of a pain in the arse but there are tons of buses that run along the lewes road so your 2 boys shouldn't be in the cold for long.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Isn't it time that we lobby the bus company itself, rather than pressurize the club, as they seem to be so reluctant to actually do anything about it?

No. That's 100% the wrong approach. It's the club's responsibility to square things with the bus company.

Take Plumpton Sunday Race Meeting as an example. They lay on a series of buses from Brighton station straight to the racecourse. They do the return service. They publish the times in both directions. It's Brighton & Hove Bus Company who provide the service. If that bus service wasn't there, nobody from Brighton (or London) would go. I mean, have you SEEN the Sunday train service to Plumpton?

This one's fairly and squarely down to the club. They provide the supporters from all over Sussex with useable train ticket vouchers. But seems they can't organise a useable bus service back into town.

This is not an unsurmountable problem. The solution (half a dozen double deckers parked by the Sportsman after the game) is pitifully simple. Just needs the club to follow the example of local Sunday racing. Just sad that it's the fans that have to point out the bleedin' obvious - and not for the first time either :

 

[Yorkie]

No. That's 100% the wrong approach. It's the club's responsibility to square things with the bus company.

Take Plumpton Sunday Race Meeting as an example. They lay on a series of buses from Brighton station straight to the racecourse. They do the return service. They publish the times in both directions. It's Brighton & Hove Bus Company who provide the service.

How much profit do they make? How much does it cost and can the club afford it?

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

How much profit do they make? How much does it cost and can the club afford it?

The Brighton station to Plumpton racecourse bus service is, I assume, non-profit making for the racecourse. as indeed it probably would be for the Albion. It's a service to the punters. It's to encourage people to attend the event. I know for a fact that if that bus service didn't exist, then I would never ever have attended a race meeting at Plumpton, or indeed Glorious Goodwood, which is on top of the downs and a good five mile uphill slog from Chichester. Return fares for each of these racecourses was about htree quid or something last time I used them.

The club HAS to be able to lay on something similar, cetainly for the winter months. Else a fair number of people just won't go. Simple as.

 

[DJ Leon]

How much profit do they make? How much does it cost and can the club afford it?

Don't know. Can the club afford getting average attendences of 5,000? If not, then they better figure out some ways of getting fans back. This appears to be one way. If that means spending money then so be it. It's a long game the club have to play.

 

[Yorkie]

The Brighton station to Plumpton racecourse bus service is, I assume, non-profit making for the racecourse. as indeed it probably would be for the Albion. It's a service to the punters. It's to encourage people to attend the event. I know for a fact that if that bus service didn't exist, then I would never ever have attended a race meeting at Plumpton, or indeed Glorious Goodwood, which is on top of the downs and a good five mile uphill slog from Chichester. Return fares for each of these racecourses was about htree quid or something last time I used them.

The club HAS to be able to lay on something similar, cetainly for the winter months. Else a fair number of people just won't go. Simple as.

The fares are already paid for with the travel voucher. No-one is going to pay another fare.
So you are saying the club must charter more buses just for an evening game?
Where do they get that sort of money? How many do they need?

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

The fares are already paid for with the travel voucher. No-one is going to pay another fare.
So you are saying the club must charter more buses just for an evening game?
Where do they get that sort of money? How many do they need?

No good having a travel voucher if there's no travel for 24 minutes and it's sub-zero December. I'm sure there are many fans base in Brighton who would happily opt out of the travel voucher thing in exchange for paying for ticketrs for laid on buses to and from the game. And, yes, I do know that it would doubtless contrvene sub-paragraph of the terms and conditions of thealbiobn playing at Withdean. But SOMETHING needs doing, before the Albion faithful mind more agreeable ways of spending time with their kids.

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

Well if we had McGhee in charge THIS would not be an issue. Its OBVIOULY wilkins fault.

As for the trains from Preston Park

2115
2142
2145
2209
2215
2242

By my reckoning you will miss the 42 and 45 (unless they are running late) this still means about 20min/half hr wait at train station.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Well if we had McGhee in charge THIS would not be an issue. Its OBVIOULY wilkins fault.

Reckon if Doug Loft got out of costume sharpish, he could double up as a bus driver after the game

 

[Deleted User X18H]

Strewth, Yorkie. I'm merely asking for something I've paid for. There shouldn't be hurdles. Why is trying to see the Albion such a bloody struggle?

I have paid for 23 travel vouchers but i never use them.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

I have paid for 23 travel vouchers but i never use them.

Quite. I use about three a year, and then only through sheer drunken laziness if I happen to hit the 5A bus stop just right when tumbling out of the Brewery Tap. Much rather opt out of that option and pay for the stuff I need. Suspect most Brighton-based fans would opt out of the voucher thing in exchange for much-improved pay-per-use buses.

 

[Buzzer]

Right. Email sent to the bus company:

Dear Sirs

Please can you tell me what bus services will be provided after the game next Friday at Withdean. Specifically, will there be extra buses laid on directly after the game and if so, how many?

Yours faithfully

Let's see where this get's us, eh?

By the way - I just had to pop down the road to get some milk for tomorrow. There is absolutely NO BLOODY WAY I'm walking for 20, 30 , 40 minutes in that next week. Brass monkeys and no mistake.

 

[Robot Chicken]

How many B&H double decker buses did the club charter while we were at Gillingham that second season? The cost was free to season ticket holders. If they did it then why can't they do it now?

 

[British Bulldog]

A bus ride that I've paid for.

No you hav'nt! The travel voucher for the bus is free we just have very expensive tickets according to club rules!

 

[Barrel of Fun]

Buzzer. I will happily share a cab with you as Roger French and his buses are not to be trusted. He is an ego-maniacal ****. It would be a pleasure to share a form of transportation with you and your future Albion stars.

I know that should't be the case, but needs be must.

 

[Lady Bracknell]

It really is people's OWN BUSINESS how they wish to get back from a match. For sure they shouldn't need to justify why they'd prefer to catch a bus! In my case, I get particularly IRRITATED if I have to be defined by my inability to walk miles and miles since that isn't the point at issue. That point being an inexcusable lack of buses.

(I quite understand why TLO wants to catch a bus though. I've been trying to ambush him for weeks now)

 

[Barrel of Fun]

TLO actually threw some obcenities in my direction. But, I do think that the Bus Company should provide adequate services. They are more than happy to reap the benefits of a staggered attendance of withdean, but do not seem overly keen to serve the public on the return leg.

 

[British Bulldog]

But, I do think that the Bus Company should provide adequate services. They are more than happy to reap the benefits of a staggered attendance of withdean, but do not seem overly keen to serve the public on the return leg.

Welcome to the world of public transport BoF