Paul Barber speaks out on bus price increase etc

[fosters headband]

Not for those of us who have to drive in and pay to park at The Uni it isn't.

People are living in a dream world if they thought the club could afford to pay for special bus services from outlying places. Back in the 'old days' at the Goldstone, you got to the ground yourself. Yes, there were Football Special buses but you still had to pay the going rate for the journey. If you use public transport to get to and from The Amex please expect to pay something or everything for that service. The system in place is so simple-show your ST to get on a bus or train. Go back to paying for travel and the added time of everybody handing over cash on buses and buying train tickets will be chaotic and add so much time to journeys.

If you pay to park at the Uni or Bridge car parks, the travel portion of a season ticket was refunded-rightly so. If people are now paying (or will be expected to pay for special buses), again rightly so, then surely the transport subsidy portion of a ST cost can be claimed back?

I hope that this year's arrangements remain the same as last year for those of us paying to park.

I 100% agree with that, let every one pay for there own journeys and no transport levy. Not get hammered by travel costs for where you live.

 

[Bwian]

There will still be an S bus, we will just have to pay an additional levy for it.

And so you should. I don't get petrol money subsidies from the club to drive in from Guildford. If you are getting a service that is outside the normal public transport option you should expect to pay for it.

 

[Ernest]

Why pick on the bus users ? Surely the P & R bus users should pay too ? They get free parking plus a bus for their £50 which doesn't cover the cost so time that it was applied to those as well

 

[dejavuatbtn]

"Seagulls Travel" eh? So the club are looking to monopolise travel to and from the ground. Does this mean the reintroduction of the Seagulls Special with a service along the coast and up to Falmer, as well as a bus service? This should enable them to keep putting up travel costs and make even more money out of the fans. After all, we ain't going to get any more parking.
Basically they seem to have had a brainstorming session where anything that isn't cost effective but got us to where we are, like Junior Seagulls, Community Scheme, selling tickets, travel schemes, people etc are either dropped or overpriced. They should drop "community" from the stadium as they seem to have dropped "community" from the club.

 

[Sergei's Celebration]

Paul Barber is transparent when it suits him, and opaque when it also suits him.

If he expects fans to pay extra for travel, then it is surely right and proper that the figures for transport costs are disclosed.

I appreciate that he does not want to reveal too much information to competitors, and that is why the Albion tend to be cagey in relation to transfer fees, but this issue is separate, and given the circumstances and the amount of resentment it has generated a complete reveal is necessary.

But isnt that just business El Pres? Most firms love to appear open and 'customer facing' but actually do keep sensitive information outside the public domain to ensure protection of the business. I disagree that just because a level of resentment is reached means they should be fully open with us. I am annoyed by this saga; yes. Do i need to know the balance sheet behind it; no.

 

[Bwian]

How many more times, you try dragging a couple of kids around Brighton, say late at night after an evening game.

For the night games you can always buy a one off parking ticket at The Uni or Bridge Car Parks and drive. That way you're not dragging kids around Brighton late at night.

 

[fosters headband]

And so you should. I don't get petrol money subsidies from the club to drive in from Guildford. If you are getting a service that is outside the normal public transport option you should expect to pay for it.

Again you could go to Haywards Heath station and reduce your costs enormously, but it is your choice to park close to the ground.

 

[Diego Napier]

The good news is that Barber doesn't seem to hang around in any job for very long.

This. Normally 2 or 3 years[/QUOTE]

Ooh, boo, hiss! Don't we all love a pantomime villain?

Barber works with the club's bottom line.
Tony Bloom's brought Barber in to sort out the club's losses.
The bottom line is that the club is not being run successfully.
If Barber doesn't return us to profitability then Tony Bloom will bring in another who will.

Are all you boo boys out there with shallow thought processes or over wrought emotions getting ready to clamour against Barber's successor?

 

[The Merry Prankster]

"Seagulls Travel" eh? So the club are looking to monopolise travel to and from the ground. Does this mean the reintroduction of the Seagulls Special with a service along the coast and up to Falmer, as well as a bus service? This should enable them to keep putting up travel costs and make even more money out of the fans. After all, we ain't going to get any more parking.
Basically they seem to have had a brainstorming session where anything that isn't cost effective but got us to where we are, like Junior Seagulls, Community Scheme, selling tickets, travel schemes, people etc are either dropped or overpriced. They should drop "community" from the stadium as they seem to have dropped "community" from the club.

For "make even more money from the fans" you should substitute "lose slightly less money".

 

[Bwian]

Again you could go to Haywards Heath station and reduce your costs enormously, but it is your choice to park close to the ground.

You're right, I could. However, that option adds an hour to my journey home so I CHOOSE to PAY for the convenience of parking. I have options, as do you. Usually the convenience option has a price attached to it. Either pay for convenience or don't-the choice is yours. In your case you have 3, possibly 4 ways to get to The Amex. 2 will cost you-life is like that.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Why pick on the bus users ? Surely the P & R bus users should pay too ? They get free parking plus a bus for their £50 which doesn't cover the cost so time that it was applied to those as well

Quite. As I have said before "all in it together" single levy is fine with me. But if you want to start separating out different elements of transport for some fans then its only fair it's done across the board. Which leads me to the (sad) conclusion that we might as well scrap the transport levy. It's sad because it works so well here in Germany. If you want special buses then check out what Mainz do. If you want free trains/buses/trams Hertha BSC are the daddy. And all included in the cost of the CHEAP match ticket. It just doesn't seem to work in the UK for some reason. Everyone moans and/or the system is chaotically administered.

 

[Stat Brother]

On a basic fat postie level, it's hard to see how we lose £8m per year.

They built it.
We came.
We saw.
We ate.
We drank.

TB/PB knew the costs.
TB/PB knew the travel implications.
TB/PB knew FFP.

Why are we still losing £8m?

If the subsidies weren't sustainable why implement them, or at least be honest about their lifespan timescale.

 

[fosters headband]

You're right, I could. However, that option adds an hour to my journey home so I CHOOSE to PAY for the convenience of parking. I have options, as do you. Usually the convenience option has a price attached to it. Either pay for convenience or don't-the choice is yours. In your case you have 3, possibly 4 ways to get to The Amex. 2 will cost you-life is like that.

And they are?

 

[Stuart Munday]

Im sure the transport levy will be gone in the next 2 years, although I bet season ticket prices will not be reduced but will probably remain the same unless we get to the Premier League.

The club will have to be careful we are only one bad season away from seeing a bit drop in tickets being sold and although I think we will do well this season its not impossible for us to finish in the bottom half. To lose 8 million when we did not spend the most on players and the beer/pie/shirt sales must have been some of the highest per fan in the country for the first couple of seasons (how many other clubs have several thousand fans staying behind after games eating and drinking) is alarming.

Personally im giving the home friendlies and Newport game a miss this season to try and save some cash and not getting a replica shirt either and looking at ticket sales it looks like alot of people are doing the same where as last season I would have gone. Season ticket prices are quite high but with the travel still make them good value but if they go much higher im going to be priced out and im sure alot of others will.

Its a difficult task for the club and one which I would not want to do but I fear the bubble could soon burst.

 

[Stat Brother]

And they are?

Park and ride
Train
Uni parking
Bus
Bike
Walk

 

[Acker79]

When the travel subsidy increased last season, wasn't the car park fee reduced accordingly? If so, isn't it possible that if the club removed the £50 travel subsidy from season tickets for those using these special buses, they would then need to charge them £75 to cover the costs I.e. that the subsidy for the special coaches is a £75 increase in travel subsidy for them, not a £75 total? I seem to remember at school on special trips you'd have to pay £x for the event (e.g. Ticket to chessington) +£y for contribution to the coach, usually a few quid back in the nineties. With inflation and fuel increases, surely it would work out at more than a few quid per person now?

 

[Bwian]

For "make even more money from the fans" you should substitute "lose slightly less money".

Absolutely this.

Paul Barber is not a villain trying to fleece us fans-he has been given the unenviable job of reducing the excessive costs at the club.

We'd all love to be paying less for each game but it isn't going to happen. We are no longer 'Poor Old Brighton' on life support after the financial chaos that allowed Stanley, Archer and co in. Barber' job is to ensure shit like that never happens again and I don't envy him-anything that adds a cost will annoy fans, as we are seeing now.

 

[Acker79]

And they are?

Train
Car
Bus
Bike
Walk

 

[Bwian]

Park and ride
Train
Uni parking
Bus
Bike
Walk

Drive to the edge of the exclusion zone, park, then use the bus.

Combination of car and walk

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Absolutely this.

Paul Barber is not a villain trying to fleece us fans-he has been given the unenviable job of reducing the excessive costs at the club.

We'd all love to be paying less for each game but it isn't going to happen. We are no longer 'Poor Old Brighton' on life support after the financial chaos that allowed Stanley, Archer and co in. Barber' job is to ensure shit like that never happens again and I don't envy him-anything that adds a cost will annoy fans, as we are seeing now.

I don't think many people object to the principle but in this case it's how it's been done - i.e. AFTER people have renewed season tickets and with only three weeks to the season. It almost feels like entrapment.