The Joke That Is The Free Bus Travel Zone

[seagull_in_malaysia]

Sounds like the club should just scrap the "free" travel zone and reduce our ridiculously expensive match tickets slightly.

 

[studio150]

It doesn't, actually, as the answer is that there aren't any, yet the guide would suggest that there are. It's a bit like saying all ScotRail services within the zone are included.

Is the wrong answer, there are many services within the illustrated zone, which many people use. As has been explained time and time again to you, but for which you just close your mind to.

Indeed, I did know the answer when I posed the question this morning as I'd looked into it. I was expecting you to respond as you did without actually answering the question. You have done nothing to help apart from refer to a document that is unclear. There is no fun in complaining, but if the club is going to put out a document saying that something is available and then respond to a question by saying "you're in the free zone" then it's best that the information actually means something. There's no point in publicising a "free zone" when nothing in it is free.

So at last you admit you are just a time waster, what is the point of posting a question that you know the answer to, unless of course you just like complaining.

Not a bad effort, though. The Transport Manager beat you by 9 minutes.


The outcome is that he has said that he will look to review the information being put out and perhaps do away with the green map. .

I would suspect that he has just got feed up with your complaining and decided to just fob you off with an answer that will make you go away.

I'd like to thank all of those who extended the thread by going on about how I was moaning and complaining. The bottom line is that the club were putting out information that was misleading and basically incorrect and they are now going to address that.

It is not misleading, it is just you that fail to understand, although you have stated that you do understand the guide. If you understand the guide it is not misleading. You can not have it both ways.

I have been accused of a lack of comprehension and told to read the travel guide. Well perhaps those so quick to jump down my throat for questioning something that was incorrect can now accept that they were wrong to just keep telling me the guide held all the information I needed. It was wrong. Accept it.

It is not wrong everyone apart from you can understand it. Just accept it

 

[Acker79]

It doesn't, actually, as the answer is that there aren't any, yet the guide would suggest that there are.

What services does the guide say operate in that area?

 

[sully]

Is the wrong answer, there are many services within the illustrated zone, which many people use. As has been explained time and time again to you, but for which you just close your mind to.

How many are in the area I identified, which is about 50% of the area shown?

So at last you admit you are just a time waster, what is the point of posting a question that you know the answer to, unless of course you just like complaining.

It was to prove that you couldn't be bothered to actually check your facts before posting. Which proved to be correct. I have had to write far too much on this thread because you keep ignoring the glaring fact that the club produce a document that suggests something is available that actually isn't. You think that's perfectly fine. I don't.

I would suspect that he has just got feed up with your complaining and decided to just fob you off with an answer that will make you go away.


It is not misleading, it is just you that fail to understand, although you have stated that you do understand the guide. If you understand the guide it is not misleading. You can not have it both ways.


It is not wrong everyone apart from you can understand it. Just accept it

So you think it's perfectly acceptable to produce a map that indicates a huge area of "free bus travel" when, in fact, there isn't any in half of that area. You call that document correct, clear and easy to understand.

To make it clear to you, I understand that the document says there's a free bus travel zone. I also know that there is no free bus travel available in much of the area shown. I'm not talking about odd roads and small areas, as I have been accused of, it's the vast majority of the northern half of the area shown.

I shan't be responding to you any more.

 

[studio150]

I shan't be responding to you any more.

Thank heavens for small mercies.

Now why aren't senior bus tickets valid before 9am - Discuss

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Thank heavens for small mercies.

Now why aren't senior bus tickets valid before 9am - Discuss

9.30 in my case.

 

[sully]

What services does the guide say operate in that area?

It calls it a "free bus matchday travel area". Would you expect that to mean the answer to your question is zero?

 

[Acker79]

It calls it a "free bus matchday travel area". Would you expect that to mean the answer to your question is zero?

If the map was all that there was to it, I would understand thinking it meant any bus that served that area would be included. But the text supplied with the map (before the map in the pdf on the official website) specifies the buses that are included (Brighton & Hove buses with a couple of exceptions, and the worthing coastline 700).

I was wondering if I missed some other text elsewhere that wrongly indicated other buses were involved that are actually no longer covered, or there was some thing else I might have missed. I take it from your response there is not?

 

[John Bumlick]

I have had to write far too much on this thread because....

Maybe you could ask the guy holding a gun to your head and making you post on nsc if he wouldn't mind taking a day or two off?

 

[John Bumlick]

i post the following without comment:

Why, oh why, do the club show a "free travel zone" that includes a huge area in which you cannot use any bus service?

I'm fed up with having to clarify this on a regular basis because the information on the travel guide on the club's website shows a huge area with my home location right inside it. However, none of the busses from my location are part of the transport plan agreement.

The travel guide helpfully states that there is free travel on "all Brighton and Hove Busses". The problem is that Brighton and Hove busses don't operate any busses in the area around where I live (despite the services being listed on the Brighton & Hove Busses website). However, when I send an enquiry, the first response is always "Please see the travel guide online which details that Hurstpierpoint is within the free Matchday bus travel zone". However, when pressed, the proper response becomes "Our transport manager has confirmed that unfortunately the Metro buses and Sussex Buses are NOT included in the free travel".

It's time they drew the map HONESTLY and didn't promise something that isn't delivered. Is this the case elsewhere within the free travel zone, or is Hurst unique?

Really?

The lack of a train station is immaterial. We are served by busses, which is what I commented on. Hurstpierpoint is shown as within the free travel zone. That is the response I get when I ask what free travel I can use.

I just want them to make it clear that when Brighton & Hove bus routes (as advertised on their website) are operated by a third party, these services are not covered by the free travel and therefore the map on their travel guide is wrong. I just want them to make it correct so that I don't have to keep asking the question and getting the wrong answer.

For your information, the Metro bus service (allegedly) WAS included last season. There has been no announcement that it now isn't, so how was I to know?

As above. Try understanding the point.

As I said, last season the MetroBus service WAS included. This season, it has been removed, but I only found out because a bus driver told me. When I asked the club to clarify, they just told me I lived in the free zone.

Let me guess, you didn't read the original post thoroughly and just decided to post a crap response anyway.

And your guess was also wrong.

At least they don't pretend that Manchester is covered by the free travel zone!

You might be surprised how far from the station you can be and still live in Hurst! I'm virtually in Albourne, so it would take too long to walk it as a matter of course. A taxi is about the same cost as the bus anyway.

I would like to use the bus because it is convenient and I would then be able to spend more money on beer at the stadium......

As I keep saying, my point is that if I didn't ask the question and just looked on the club and B&H busses websites, I could easily be under the impression that the busses were covered (which is what happened the first time I tried to use a Sussex Bus service without realising it was a service not run by B&H busses). The fact is that there is no available bus service within the area, so why show it on a map giving the impression that it is? If there were no busses at all that run through the village, it wouldn't matter, as it wouldn't be giving a false impression.

I'm just trying to understand if this is an issue across the "free" zone, or if Hurst is just unfortunate in having it's bus services run by different companies, whereas other places have the option of still using a B&H bus option.

Why is it relevant how much it costs to get to a free service? The club keep telling me I'm covered by the free bus travel zone, when clearly I'm not. THAT is the point that I keep suggesting that people have missed.

Again, the club do not pretend you can get free travel from Horley.

I'll try again, just for you.

When I queried if I could get a bus service from Hurstpierpoint, the club sent me an email saying "Hurstpierpoint is within the free Matchday bus travel zone". At best, that's just unhelpful.

I am not moaning that I can't get a bus per se.

I am pointing out that the map showing the free bus travel zone, which is issued by the club, is misleading and that they back that up with unhelpful advice when questioned on it.

Is that clear enough? It was in my first post.

Please elaborate.

Says the bloke who picked up a spelling "mistake" that wasn't even incorrect!

Actually, the interactive map on there doesn't show much away from the coast apart from the bit up to Tunbridge Wells and up to Steyning. Does this mean that the majority of that "free bus matchday travel area" isn't served by any buses at all that can be used?

You saw the bit where I said last season Metrobus was covered and this season it isn't, then?

Yeah. The travel arrangements are still the same as the first season, aren't they?

Once again for you. Metrobus was included last season and isn't this season. How was I supposed to know when the club just say "you're in the travel zone".

Another question for those who may know.

There are routes listed on the Brighton & Hove website that are "operated" by other companies. Are these like a subcontract setup?

I only ask because Compass Bus also run services round here. Some of them are on the B&H website and some of them are not.

If my theory is correct about subcontracted routes, surely these are still B&H routes so should be covered, regardless of who is "operating" them.

I might be off down a blind alley here so I'd be grateful if someone who knows can explain how it works.

Thank you for your patronising contribution. It may not be interesting to you, but I just want to get to the bottom of an issue that keeps tripping me up because the club keep giving misleading / incorrect information and changing things without letting anyone know. It may seem trivial and like nit-picking to you, but I guess that's because it doesn't affect you.

If that makes me dim, I can live with it.

In the past they've just said that Sussex Bus just aren't interested. I guess they can't make them.

Great. So you don't know how bus routes are allocated either. I realise everyone else in the world is an expert on bus transport. Thanks for your contribution.

It would have been easier for you to answer the question clearly, as it hasn't been covered before. Even a simple "no, they just put all bus routes that actually go into Brighton on the B&H website" (if indeed that's the case), would have been perfectly sufficient, thanks.

Thanks. So they are covered by the day tickets and suchlike? I thought that must be why they were there. Initially, I didn't notice the "operated by" notes and just assumed everything on there was covered!

I have asked the club.

They gave me wrong information that was only corrected when I pointed out there weren't any services covered.

The point of the thread was to find out if we were just unlucky in Hurst or if the problem was more universal. I guess the title was probably a bit OTT, but came from being fed up with the club's response.

If one of the sages who was responding as if I was an idiot earlier is to be believed and the map on the B&H website is the definitive source of information, then it seems the club's map is very misleading and needs to be changed, as there's very few buses operated by B&H in the centre of that zone.

I'm sure it does, but I might as well drive to Patcham in the time it would take.



I agree, but it would add other complications with the park and ride sites.

One last time. The club gave incorrect information when asked to clarify. They didn't realise themselves that there were no services in the area.

The time I didn't notice the operated by bit was when I first looked up Brighton & Hove bus services 2 years ago, not recently. The recent enquiry was due to the change in what was covered that has never been explained in the travel guide (even when Metrobus was part of the arrangement, they were not named as such).

If others contributed a sensible response that actually helped to clarify the position, as Lord Bracknell has just done, it would have helped.

I should have known that half term was a bad time to ask a question.

I have already told you (and others) that I have corresponded with the club and I understand what the travel guide says. The response from the club suggested it's not clear to them either, so perhaps you could write the Janet and John version for them as it is so simple.

The point of putting it on here was to try to find out if the gap in service is unique to my area and I have found that services in Lewes are also not covered. I just think that the presentation of the available services by the club could be clearer as it promises much and appears to not live up to it.

Indeed. Worked a treat for Saturday games last season. Shame it's no longer available.

It was never feasible for evening games, though, as they don't run back late enough.

So, Einstein, as the travel guide is so simple, can you please explain to me from your Janet and John version what services are included on the matchday ticket that operate in or through the area bounded by West Grinstead, Haywards Heath, Cooksbridge, Plumpton, Hassocks and Henfield (i.e. about half of the area indicated as the free zone). If I'm such a simpleton, I'm sure there'll be loads you can point me to.

Lets see who answers first. You or the Transport Manager.

No I don't and I don't have long blond hair either (on the assumption that that Sully still has his locks).

It doesn't, actually, as the answer is that there aren't any, yet the guide would suggest that there are. It's a bit like saying all ScotRail services within the zone are included.



Indeed, I did know the answer when I posed the question this morning as I'd looked into it. I was expecting you to respond as you did without actually answering the question. You have done nothing to help apart from refer to a document that is unclear. There is no fun in complaining, but if the club is going to put out a document saying that something is available and then respond to a question by saying "you're in the free zone" then it's best that the information actually means something. There's no point in publicising a "free zone" when nothing in it is free.



Not a bad effort, though. The Transport Manager beat you by 9 minutes.


The outcome is that he has said that he will look to review the information being put out and perhaps do away with the green map.


I'd like to thank all of those who extended the thread by going on about how I was moaning and complaining. The bottom line is that the club were putting out information that was misleading and basically incorrect and they are now going to address that.

I have been accused of a lack of comprehension and told to read the travel guide. Well perhaps those so quick to jump down my throat for questioning something that was incorrect can now accept that they were wrong to just keep telling me the guide held all the information I needed. It was wrong. Accept it.

How many are in the area I identified, which is about 50% of the area shown?



It was to prove that you couldn't be bothered to actually check your facts before posting. Which proved to be correct. I have had to write far too much on this thread because you keep ignoring the glaring fact that the club produce a document that suggests something is available that actually isn't. You think that's perfectly fine. I don't.



So you think it's perfectly acceptable to produce a map that indicates a huge area of "free bus travel" when, in fact, there isn't any in half of that area. You call that document correct, clear and easy to understand.

To make it clear to you, I understand that the document says there's a free bus travel zone. I also know that there is no free bus travel available in much of the area shown. I'm not talking about odd roads and small areas, as I have been accused of, it's the vast majority of the northern half of the area shown.

I shan't be responding to you any more.

It calls it a "free bus matchday travel area". Would you expect that to mean the answer to your question is zero?

 

[SIMMO SAYS]

i post the following without comment:

Is the above post a world record
Ernest nicking my Albion Winter Coat must come close.

 

[amexer]

I also live in Albourne end of Hurstpierpoint. When I moved here, as far as I was concerned I had choice of free travel from Hassocks, Drive to a park and ride or pay for Seagull travel service. I chose the latter which gives me guaranteed seat from centre of Hurst and leaves 30mins after game. I could go on that I should have free travel. However I considered the door to door service was worth paying extra for.

 

[SIMMO SAYS]

A very small point.
On Saturday the no25 bus driver looked several times at my season ticket as I got on at midday.
I live ten minutes from my door to Dicks Bar door.
WTF!

 

[sully]

If the map was all that there was to it, I would understand thinking it meant any bus that served that area would be included. But the text supplied with the map (before the map in the pdf on the official website) specifies the buses that are included (Brighton & Hove buses with a couple of exceptions, and the worthing coastline 700).

I was wondering if I missed some other text elsewhere that wrongly indicated other buses were involved that are actually no longer covered, or there was some thing else I might have missed. I take it from your response there is not?

It does actually say: "A full bus schedule can be found by CLICKING HERE" and the link is to the Brighton & Hove Bus Co website - which also lists all the buses you can't use.....


It seems that most people are saying the map is irrelevant, so if it was the one below, would that be acceptable? Coupled with the text, it's just as accurate!

 

[Acker79]

It does actually say: "A full bus schedule can be found by CLICKING HERE" and the link is to the Brighton & Hove Bus Co website - which also lists all the buses you can't use.....

The pdf tells you the buses you can use, that list of available buses doesn't become invalid because the link (to an external site that serves non-football customers, too) they give you to look up times of those valid buses also contains times of other buses you can't use.

 

[sully]

The pdf tells you the buses you can use, that list of available buses doesn't become invalid because the link (to an external site that serves non-football customers, too) they give you to look up times of those valid buses also contains times of other buses you can't use.

My point was that it's not immediately obvious that the site includes buses that are not considered to be "Brighton & Hove" buses, as it's clearly branded as Brighton & Hove Bus Company's website. Just because a route is operated by someone else doesn't mean it's not their route. I operate a service for a client of my employer. That service is still my client's not my employer's.

I only put that because you asked if there was any other wording on the travel guide - which there is.

 

[John Bumlick]

It does actually say: "A full bus schedule can be found by CLICKING HERE" and the link is to the Brighton & Hove Bus Co website - which also lists all the buses you can't use.....


It seems that most people are saying the map is irrelevant, so if it was the one below, would that be acceptable? Coupled with the text, it's just as accurate!

View attachment 69476

ok, at this point i am totally convinced that this whole thread is just an elaborate wind up... well played.

 

[sully]

ok, at this point i am totally convinced that this whole thread is just an elaborate wind up... well played.

So you think the inaccurate map is fine, then?

 

[Hampster Gull]

Wah wah wah this free stuff provided by the club doesn't benefit me as much as I would like so the whole thing is a joke.?.

Free stuff? Its paid for in the seat price

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

So you think the inaccurate map is fine, then?

I do like a person who will doggedly go to extreme and ridiculous lengths to prove a point. Sully, I salute you!

PS I'm not taking the piss, I'm being sincere. Respect.