Coaches to Rochdale and Kidderminster

[Mikel Bee]

There have been custom pick up points at motorway service stations along the route for previous coaches. Feel free to ask the BFCSA in future and they will do their best to accommodate.

[becbee]

Appreciate all the committees efforts in trying to get
this off the ground.
Not sure if this has been mentioned;
Would it be possible for our matches that set off northward, M1 to have a pick up/drop off point near Watford or Luton junctions. ?
It would attract many of our fans that live just north of M25 /Home Counties? ie ex Barnet pats.
With the ULEZ charge to consider as well, this might have put many off?

I thought one objection was having 2 stops - Barnet and The Hive. A 3rd stop could suit those living around Watford or Luton but would just increase journey time for everybody else.

Journey time to Kidderminster - 2 hrs 27 mins direct from The Hive, 2 hrs 31 mins direct from Barnet Everyman.
Factor in 2 diversions en route and stoppage time at pick up points, it seems likely you'd be adding, say an hour to the journey time. And you'd probably still get fans who didn't like where the 3rd pick up point was.

Maybe OK for those who otherwise wouldn't be able to get to the match but pretty much last option for those with alternative methods of transport.

I’m not sure it would be that much Bec. Junc 5 is literally off, round a roundabout and back on!
Quite a few home county supporters myself included would have taken that option.

Sounds fine when you put it like that. My query was whether it might seem a final straw when fans were already annoyed about the Barnet / Hive 2 stops.
Obviously could be an issue if any late arrivals but hopefully that wouldn't happen.

[jerroll]

Does the Percy Pus still run when the BFCSA tries a coach? Those 15 or so would surely help tip the numbers above what’s needed for a coach?

yes it does but most of those who use it don't fancy the door to door service stopping at a motorway services station!plus the van didn't cost nothing to buy so needs to generate income!

Unfortunately I think this may be the thing that makes SA coaches infeasible going forward, unless it's a major fixture (like Gateshead last season). The lack of a coach for so long has understandably changed people's travel habits, so there surely aren't enough coach-travelling fans to have two services running in parallel.

The problem is Steve used to hire the mini bus then Wheels decided to close their business down and offered the van to Steve. He took on the commitment of buying, taxing and insuring the minibus which isn't cheap! its unfair to expect him to not run to a game where he is likely to make reasonable money for - the alternative would be for him to sell the van to cover his expenditure but then the service he provides when no alternative are available would be lost to those who regularly use it.

[b4life]

Steve's mini bus is most definitely the issue. It's great that he took the initiative. Surely we should be able to fill both.

[Ajtheone04]

What really needs to happen is a survey of all the fans who go to Rochdale. Need to find out how they got there and why they didn't see the coach as viable.

[pletch99]

Steve's mini bus is most definitely the issue. It's great that he took the initiative. Surely we should be able to fill both.

I'd say the evidence is that we can't fill both!

The basic problem is that we need a single vehicle that is bigger than a minibus, but smaller than a full size coach which can do a pick up in two locations without adding to the journey time to and from either location. It's a Unicorn.

I'm pleased the SA has made the effort and sad that the demand wasn't there.

It's really unfortunate that the club isn't more supportive - I would hope for an article on the website, social media posts and tannoy announcements at home games BEFORE the point where the SA has to cancel as a bare minimum. It would hardly require much effort on behalf of the club, but I didn't see any of that happening and it's a real shame.

However, given the numbers reported, it seems unlikely that it would make the difference. It looks to me as though special occasions aside, the demand isn't even close to the level needed to make coaches viable.

Could the SA do something to promote car sharing - i.e. put people who are driving with space in their car in touch with people who want to go who live nearby or on route?

[tolbinc]

I considered the coach as an option but decided to drive.

Will have space in the car if anyone does want to car share and is based south London/south of London.

[amberforever]

Appreciate all the committees efforts in trying to get
this off the ground.
Not sure if this has been mentioned;
Would it be possible for our matches that set off northward, M1 to have a pick up/drop off point near Watford or Luton junctions. ?
It would attract many of our fans that live just north of M25 /Home Counties? ie ex Barnet pats.
With the ULEZ charge to consider as well, this might have put many off?

I thought one objection was having 2 stops - Barnet and The Hive. A 3rd stop could suit those living around Watford or Luton but would just increase journey time for everybody else.

Journey time to Kidderminster - 2 hrs 27 mins direct from The Hive, 2 hrs 31 mins direct from Barnet Everyman.
Factor in 2 diversions en route and stoppage time at pick up points, it seems likely you'd be adding, say an hour to the journey time. And you'd probably still get fans who didn't like where the 3rd pick up point was.

Maybe OK for those who otherwise wouldn't be able to get to the match but pretty much last option for those with alternative methods of transport.

I’m not sure it would be that much Bec. Junc 5 is literally off, round a roundabout and back on!
Quite a few home county supporters myself included would have taken that option.

Sounds fine when you put it like that. My query was whether it might seem a final straw when fans were already annoyed about the Barnet / Hive 2 stops.
Obviously could be an issue if any late arrivals but hopefully that wouldn't happen.

Seems strange that people would find a stop enroute to pick up an annoyance if that meant that figures would be met?
It’s not as if the coach would be going out of its way!

[letchbee94]

How many names was on list for Rochdale?? I heard it was 7.
IF that was true (Might have been told fake info?) then even with those of us on mini bus that would have still left the club short on the 40 they wanted to run a coach meaning we all would have needed to find an altenitive route at short notice.

[Bee_Forever]

If we were talking about us being 4-5 short then questions around stops would be valid as the 35 booked would I am sure be happy to stop if it meant a coach would run.

What we have is a coach costing around 1,400 with 7 passengers. Unless each passenger pays 200 it is not economic to run. This is what killed the coach last time.

As for reasons and changing it I think early booking and publication helps but it is going to be a battle as the SA as Away support has got in to a habit of not having a coach.

Speaking personally I like having a day out with the football which dates back to when we were awful and the only enjoyment gained was finding a rustic pub or pretty town on the way to games.

Where economically viable I do the train where not I will go by percy bus or not go. I can't see my choices changing as sitting on a 10 hour coach journey to Gateshead with motorway services stops will never appeal to me. I'd rather sit in a tin can with a stop off in Durham.

Percy took over the coaches when the SA could not and he has run this to 95% of games. When the Club tried to run coaches he stopped to give them a chance to succeed but they were an abject failure. It infuriates me when people suggest that he not run a minibus, which he funds himself and plans a year ahead. It is both inconsiderate for him and also for his customers are forced to use the door to door service. This is not the supporters association position and seems to be something which only supporters who don't use the minibus see fit to suggest. If the SA option is to work it should be as well as not instead of the minibus.

I truly wish the SA luck with this and I hope that a couple more positive results, more notice and the fact it is closer will mean we get a filled coach for Kidderminster.

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[thebeekeeper]

There's a catch-22 element at play here. If I was heading to Rochdale, I may well have been keen to use the coach. But I'd have had doubts about whether it would actually run, if the numbers don't materialise (well-founded doubts, as it turns out). Then you're in a position where train ticket prices have shot up, so there's no alternative way of getting there for a reasonable amount (if you don't drive).

So really it makes sense to just take the train (booking early) and avoiding that risk.... but of course everyone doing that results in the coach service not running!

I'm really not sure what the answer is, beyond simply not running a service. Maybe the Percy bus is sufficient for the current amount of demand.

[11bee717]

Train strikes called for the 30th

[b4life]

We only had 10 people book for the Kidderminster coach, so we cancelled it and refunded everyone today unfortunately.

[Roy57]

When clubs we have played at the Hive I have seen quite a few with supporters coaches parked beside the team coach, don't really get how do many clubs can run coaches but we cannot due to severe lack of intrest, with the cost of train fares and cost of fuel, being driven, no stress, talking to friends of new friends but still we cannot run coaches to long journeys such as tomorrow. Would not be over surprised if the Kiddiminster one is cancelled due to lack of numbers needed. Such a shame.

[jerroll]

When clubs we have played at the Hive I have seen quite a few with supporters coaches parked beside the team coach, don't really get how do many clubs can run coaches but we cannot due to severe lack of intrest, with the cost of train fares and cost of fuel, being driven, no stress, talking to friends of new friends but still we cannot run coaches to long journeys such as tomorrow. Would not be over surprised if the Kiddiminster one is cancelled due to lack of numbers needed. Such a shame.

Most people i know who travel to away games prefer to make a day of it, not going straight to the ground with a stop off at a motorway service station - this has been the case during the years without coaches being run especially when football has been largely dire. when club ran coaches before i would use for a tuesday game but a saturday I would always go by train as a better day out!