herecomesaregular
We're in the pipe, 5 by 5
it would indeed be good value to save a mill or so, piss off quite a few thousand fans, to then invest it in a couple of elvis manu's?
I'm not sure the local authorities (particularly Green members) would wish to be seen discouraging use of public transport.
Because the extra cheap day return fare extensions from Brighton or Lewes wouldn't cover the costs to the railway company of providing the trains without the extra money the club pays ?Why? People would still need the trains whether the subsidy was there or not.
You had to buy travel vouchers for the first season ... I say 'had to', nobody did, hence them forcing you to.
Speak for yourself. We did.
Always been part of it.
Perhaps it is me, but - aren't people on this thread misinterpreting what Paul Barber is saying?
As I understand it, the club pays a large sum of money to various travel partners (rail, bus, coach) to facilitate matchday travel (let's call it the travel surcharge, just for convenience). Surely there is no prospect that the club will just stop paying this travel surcharge? What Paul Barber is talking about is the travel SUBSIDY, ie the portion of the travel surcharge that the club does not recover from season ticket holders and matchday ticket buyers (and, therefore, has to come from the club, effectively reducing the playing budget).
So, when he talks about not being able to guarantee the subsidy forever, he is saying that potentially in the future the amount that season ticket holders and matchday ticket buyers have to fork over may need to increase, so that the supporters are footing a greater portion of the travel surcharge bill than they currently are.
Or have I got it completely wrong?
I thought they'd never end
You might want to have a read of that thread Bozza posted, we did away with the travel vouchers because the amount of freeloaders was costing the club a lot of money.
I'd have thought the reverse was true and the current system is the less green option. There's no parking near the stadium so people couldn't come by car anyway. But it does mean that people who walk or cycle are effectively subsidising the rest.
If I were a Green councillor, I'd be looking for ways to encourage more cyclists and pedestrians, not fewer
I did. I know. What's your point?
How on earth does making more people walk or cycle work for those of us who are not from Brighton? I don't know the percentage of fans who aren't from the fair city, however Brighton has always been a Sussex wide club. And even for those fans who are more local, Falmer is not all that near for most. For many of us it's the car or train as a necessity, not an option.
I know it's equally balanced. If there was parking near the ground, I'd agree. But the point I was making is that people are already being encouraged to use public transport so maybe there should be some further options
They could reduce the area of the travel subsidy to the city of Brighton and Hove, so all those travelling from further afield need to pay to get to Brighton but can get free public transport for the final leg to the ground.
How are the figures calculated to pay the transport companies. Coaches I presume are easy, No. of coaches x cost.
However with trains and local buses how do you put a cost on it, all we do is wave a card or ticket and jump on. Could the club / transport companies build in an oyster card type of thing to match day card / ticket to get an exact figure. I presume when we had the travel tickets the club only paid for tickets handed in / collected.
When I lived in Hampshire I never benefited from the travel subsidy as I shared a car and parked in the university. This has changed since moving to Surrey and now make full use of the subsidy only paying to and from Haywards Heath.