Complaint 28 bus to Lewes tonight from Amex

[drew]

I was also on that bus and technically the driver was correct in that too many people got on and it was overloaded but it was his attitude and the manner in which he acted that upset everybody IMHO.

I cannot understand why B & H BUSES cant have a double decker waiting at the bus stop when the match finishes and when full it leaves and then goes as far as Lewes Bus station and the turn around and go straight back to the Amex and onto one of the P & R routes this would relieve the initial rush and the normal service would then cope.

So you are suggesting that a bus is diverted from the P&R for the convenience of those that want a bus to Lewes. This seems to have been the first complaint about a bus to Lewes which seems to have been the fault of passengers who got on when the bus was full rather than the driver. Those of us that use the P&R have had to get used to delays, especially those of us in the WSU who stay for the final whistle and invariably end up waiting for the '2nd round' of buses. Last night was a very wet wait. Oh, and before anyone plays the kiddy card, I had my 9yr old daughter with us.

 

[Return of the Rev]

Children at football,now there's the real problem

 

[Goldstone1976]

Children at football,now there's the real problem

Curmudgeonly posters on t'interweb message boards; now there's the real problem? C'mon Scrooge, lighten up.

Out of interest, how old were you when you attended your first football game? Hope it was over 18, otherwise you're being a touch hypocritical....

 

[HawkTheSeagull]

Driver was within his right to stop more people getting on as otherwise it's against the law.

Though it does seem the attitude of the driver was poor, can make a complaint about that though, rather than not being able to get on.

The only reason I can see why he didn't leave was that people were refusing to get off and let it leave - no other reason why.

 

[Vegas Seagull]

Maybe the driver should have stood by the door, counted to the correct number & then shut it?

 

[Muzzy]

Maybe the driver should have stood by the door, counted to the correct number & then shut it?

Think the drivers have to stay in the cab behind protective screens these days but I might be wrong.
Stewards at the bus stop counting people on would help though

 

[Springal]

3 Police Cars and a dog van when we drove past. All for that? Sounds ridiculous..

 

[nwgull]

3 Police Cars and a dog van when we drove past. All for that? Sounds ridiculous..

Was anyone screaming?

 

[kevo]

Should have caught the train best midweek get away EVER, home in Bexhill earlier than I was for the Sheff Wed game

Oddly this was true. First time I have ever left at the final whistle and walked straight on to the platform and got on a train to Brighton with no problem.

Why were the trains so much better last night (when we all expected them to be worse) ??

 

[HawkTheSeagull]

Why were the trains so much better last night (when we all expected them to be worse) ??

Wouldnt agree they were better since i was home 45 minutes later

All trains were pretty much 8 coaches long, except 1 or 2 - so more people could get on - simple as that.

 

[chunky44]

Children at football,now there's the real problem

Well done - it was marketed as Fright Night, Halloween for the kids with prizes for dressing up etc. Seems the only person who didn't enter into the spirit was the Dracula behind the wheel of the bus...btw if we are to encourage our younger supporters a little more common sense needs to be applied - the driver had a cob on before 1 person got on the bus.

Perhaps some goal-line technology and extra officials on the buses?

On a football note, Watford as per last season played some lovely football...in spite of Forestrieri's histrionics he could certainly do a job in the Prem.

 

[Deleted member 22389]

I know the 28 is nothing to do with the club, but seriously this could be the make or break for people renewing their season tickets next season.
I don't know the costs, but why can't the club hire 10 to 15 empty buses, have them ready and waiting at the end of the match to get everyone away from the ground and back to the park and ride sites, they could clear so many people. Get the police back at the traffic lights and get the traffic moving.

 

[kevo]

Wouldnt agree they were better since i was home 45 minutes later

All trains were pretty much 8 coaches long, except 1 or 2 - so more people could get on - simple as that.

Hopefully a sign of things to come then - aren't we promised more long trains when they extend the platforms?

 

[Diego Napier]

Curmudgeonly posters on t'interweb message boards; now there's the real problem? C'mon Scrooge, lighten up.

Out of interest, how old were you when you attended your first football game? Hope it was over 18, otherwise you're being a touch hypocritical....

If you didn't know otherwise, from most of his posts you'd think that he'd be well under 18 himself.....

 

[Deleted member 22389]

So you are suggesting that a bus is diverted from the P&R for the convenience of those that want a bus to Lewes. This seems to have been the first complaint about a bus to Lewes which seems to have been the fault of passengers who got on when the bus was full rather than the driver. Those of us that use the P&R have had to get used to delays, especially those of us in the WSU who stay for the final whistle and invariably end up waiting for the '2nd round' of buses. Last night was a very wet wait. Oh, and before anyone plays the kiddy card, I had my 9yr old daughter with us.

If I was a billionaire I would buy the club 20 double decker buses. They would be waiting outside The Amex for the final whistle. There would no waiting around. Feel sorry for you people who have to stand out in the rain like that waiting for the P&R. Last thing you need, and what with Winter coming up, some nights are going to be bloody awful.

 

[chunky44]

I know the 28 is nothing to do with the club, but seriously this could be the make or break for people renewing their season tickets next season.
I don't know the costs, but why can't the club hire 10 to 15 empty buses, have them ready and waiting at the end of the match to get everyone away from the ground and back to the park and ride sites, they could clear so many people. Get the police back at the traffic lights and get the traffic moving.

Crikey, some sense at last - I figured if I kept on this post long enough I might get some sense from someone...

 

[Deleted member 22389]

It costs about £470.00 to hire a bus for 3 hours, 15 buses would cost the club £7050 per match, which I am sure they could do a deal on.
Is there not a way they could get local companies to sponsor a bus, reducing the overall cost for the club.

http://www.buses.co.uk/trips/wedding_hire.aspx

I know travelling home is never going to be perfect, but it could always be better.

 

[chunky44]

It costs about £470.00 to hire a bus for 3 hours, 15 buses would cost the club £7050 per match, which I am sure they could do a deal on.
Is there not a way they could get local companies to sponsor a bus, reducing the overall cost for the club.

http://www.buses.co.uk/trips/wedding_hire.aspx


I know travelling home is never going to be perfect, but it could always be better.

Nice one - have forwarded thread to the club, eventually managed to work it through with some sensible suggestions for the future benefit of all. Now that's what I call teamwork!

 

[Official Old Man]

Buses.
Firstly the 28/29 to Lewes and onwards. Why would the bus company lay on more buses, they earn no cash from the passengers only a set fee from the club. Now I'm not sure how this money is decided between P&R, Buses, Trains & Coaches but it would be a ratio of supporters using buses. So lets say 25% which would be (guessing) 7000 fans at £3 per fan = £21000 per match to Brighton Buses. I presume the contract does not stipulate they must put on more buses, only utilize existing.
Then you say use a P&R bus for a one time trip to Lewes. Hell no, as now you are taking away from me and last night I got drenched waiting for the second lot of Mithras buses. We don't have enough as it is.
And regarding your incident. How close to the front were you? And if stood next to the driver (which sounds likely) were you the 101st to 103rd to get on and you were the overloads.
Finally my big gripe. I hate the Lewes Road bus lane but on match days can we not allow buses to go up the ramp when leaving the A27 and use the left lane whilst cars must use the right lane. This will speed things up and make turnarounds much faster.

 

[Peter Grummit]

There is a real problem with the 28s for evening games, because they are only every half an hour. If you can't get on that bus it's a long wait. Fortunately, we changed our mind at the last minute and caught the train back to Lewes, because I feared things would be worse last night, as more people got the bus because of the earlier train problems, it was wet and the delay meant the 952 wasn't an option.

For Saturday games, there are no spare buses available, but for evening games it ought to be possible for B+H to put a relief on at 10pm. They do respond to customer requests, so as many of us as possible should email them. mailto:info@buses.co.uk

PG