Re: Away coach

by OliverH Tue Aug 30, 2016 11:14 pm

You might be able to reconcile the two using a certain form of auction - sorry it's a bit esoteric but could perhaps be made simple and usable. Let me think. I'm right in thinking though that you tend to set a maximum price and then work downwards?

by comrade powell Tue Aug 30, 2016 11:17 pm

I'll send you Bas's trusty spreadsheet!

by OliverH Tue Aug 30, 2016 11:19 pm

Haha thanks! Well no promises but it sounds like an interesting puzzle.

by comrade powell Wed Aug 31, 2016 11:28 am

daz wrote: My other question has not been addressed yet. THE EXTRA 4 POUNDS.

Apologies, I was waiting for my question to be addressed...
You would expect our largest support to be present at Poole, Maidenhead and Weston. If the last 2 were advertised at greatly reduced rates, can you assure us that you and those who share your opinion would travel on the coach?

Re the extra £4 charged to non members, would it make you happier if we turned the adverts round?

eg Poole trip...

The prices are as follows for adults/concessions/children accompanied by an adult….

£31/£29/£17

(£4 off for members)

by Beau Nash Wed Aug 31, 2016 11:29 am

Just to be clear, I would love to travel to away games on the coach IF it were priced competitively BUT it isn't for whatever reason.

As an example...if the Poole trip had been say £10 AND we could have stayed for 40 minutes after the game to have a pint then great, a nice day out, but with the current conditions I doubt I ever will go on the coach.

It is a great pity as GO has put together a talented squad who play attractive football, they deserve MORE support both home and away.

It is also sad that the club has increased admission prices, I appreciate they have been frozen for a long time, but in these times of austerity there are many supporters who can't afford a home game so will never go to an away one.

It would be interesting to see what a poll thingy might reveal with questions:

(Tick all that apply)

1. Why do you not / would you not go to away games on the coach?
(a) cost
(b) convenience (such as not on the coach route)
(c) leaves too early after the game
(d) difficulty in booking (no mobile phone to call Bas)
(e) write in your own reason (such as attending another game, so get football fix)

2. Why do you not go to home games?
(a) cost
(b) convenience (eg living away from Bath area)
(c) other demands (eg family commitments)
(d) attractiveness of opposition
(e) write in your own reason

Has anything been done to try and find out?

The weekly Bath City FC newsletter, Facebook, Twitter, BCIR, and here could all explore BUT ask that everyone who completes it does it ONCE only on ONE platform.

by OliverH Wed Aug 31, 2016 11:32 am

From Martin's post above, sounds like the SC has already done this for away fans

1000BC will do something similar for home fans this season - getting other ducks in a row first - but yes, it's a good idea

by comrade powell Wed Aug 31, 2016 12:28 pm

Beau Nash wrote:Just to be clear, I would love to travel to away games on the coach IF it were priced competitively BUT it isn't for whatever reason.

As an example...if the Poole trip had been say £10 AND we could have stayed for 40 minutes after the game to have a pint then great, a nice day out, but with the current conditions I doubt I ever will go on the coach.
A fair point about staying longer afterwards. I don't know if the regulars have been asked their views on this recently, but it was an issue in my time as organiser. My feeling then was that it's not a problem in weather like Monday's - not much fun for those who don't want to hang around for 40 minutes in a crowded clubhouse in the middle of winter.

It is a great pity as GO has put together a talented squad who play attractive football, they deserve MORE support both home and away. As Daz pointed out, there was a good following at Poole, more than at most away fixtures but we are generally well supported away, considering the distances in this league. Some go by coach, others drive or use the train, mainly I guess because they prefer the independence and flexibility.

It is also sad that the club has increased admission prices, I appreciate they have been frozen for a long time, but in these times of austerity there are many supporters who can't afford a home game so will never go to an away one.

It would be interesting to see what a poll thingy might reveal with questions:
I did mention in a previous post that previous coach regulars were asked last season and I'll repeat their responses below. It would be interesting to read the views of others.

(Tick all that apply)

1. Why do you not / would you not go to away games on the coach?
(a) cost yes - both car sharing and group travel on trains were seen as cheaper options
(b) convenience (such as not on the coach route) Not mentioned. The SC makes a great effort to organise pick up and drop down stops for those who travel.
(c) leaves too early after the game Not mentioned
(d) difficulty in booking (no mobile phone to call Bas) Bas can be contacted by phone - his number is always quoted in the adverts on here, in the programme, Chronicle. Surely you have noticed him at home matches - he will always take bookings.
(e) write in your own reason (such as attending another game, so get football fix)

2. Why do you not go to home games?
(a) cost
(b) convenience (eg living away from Bath area)
(c) other demands (eg family commitments)
(d) attractiveness of opposition
(e) write in your own reason

Has anything been done to try and find out?

The weekly Bath City FC newsletter, Facebook, Twitter, BCIR, and here could all explore BUT ask that everyone who completes it does it ONCE only on ONE platform.

by comrade powell Wed Aug 31, 2016 12:48 pm

Rather than going through the hassle of setting up a poll, perhaps forum members who don't use the coach could simply respond to Beau Nash's questions. I'm happy to collate reponses and take them to the SC committee for consideration.

Why do you not / would you not go to away games on the coach?

(a) cost
(b) convenience (such as not on the coach route)
(c) leaves too early after the game
(d) difficulty in booking (no mobile phone to call Bas)
(e) write in your own reason (such as attending another game, so get football fix)

by stillmanjunior Wed Aug 31, 2016 1:10 pm

Beau Nash wrote:Just to be clear, I would love to travel to away games on the coach IF it were priced competitively BUT it isn't for whatever reason.

The reasons have been listed beforehand, haven't they? I'm hardly on a Premier League player's wage at the moment being a mature student, but try and not make swipes at the club for their pricing when it has already been thoroughly explained.

I haven't travelled on the coach for over a year now. My reasons:
1. I have to admit I found it tiresome traipsing back on after a defeat and listening to a lot of people banging on about it for hours on end. I used to spend almost the entire journey back from some Godforsaken places with headphones on. In a car if we do analyse the game we tend to share similar views, if you're travelling with 25 or so of course some will disagree. By then it's a long day and I'm not in the mood to debate.
2. The aforementioned journey home would be interrupted by a stop at a characterless service station regularly. That's fine, I appreciate the driver needs a break, but sometimes I just wanted to get home. I was also living in Odd Down so when we'd come through the city centre I'd only be a few minutes from home, however we would then have to drop everyone at Twerton (obviously) and carry on with the journey. Instead of being home in minutes it could take an extra half hour. That's not the fault of the organisers, that was just my circumstances.
3. Working with the radio nowadays means we stay on extra to interview Gary and a player or two. We couldn't do that with a 5.10 departure (which I had no issue with).
4. Some grounds are nowhere near pubs/amenities. If we arrived at somewhere like Bishop's Stortford at 1.45, which I'd estimate is a 20-30 minute walk from the decent pub down the road, you'd have little chance of getting there and back, especially if you wanted to stay for a reasonable time. By travelling in the car last season we, at last, managed to go into Chelmsford for a bit, enjoy a lovely lunch near Concord, at Torquay the other week I spent the afternoon in Babbacombe and just Monday I had time to go around shops/pub at Poole, which had we arrived at the ground I wouldn't have had as much time to.
5. Cost. To cover the cost of the coach the prices have to be what they are, and I'm not disputing them. If there was a way they could be cheaper I know the SC would bring them down. They're not intending to rip supporters off. I just can't afford to pay the fares on a regular basis, and because of my own personal opinions listed above it doesn't feel like value for money, for me.

For the Poole trip I advertised it on the tannoy minus prices. I might do that from now on, as people can enquire with Bas anyway.

I have the utmost respect for those who have, and continue to organise away travel. Without it many supporters wouldn't be able to witness some cracking moments in the last number of years. I hope that somehow numbers boost again but I think the only way it would is either a promotion or (urgh) relegation. New trips will encourage more to come back, not three trips to Essex in April...

by 2weirdtown Wed Aug 31, 2016 2:21 pm

The last sentence of Junior's post is the closing argument for me. The destinations simply don't attract those who otherwise might go to, say Gloucester or Worcester.
In other words, nearer. Not much anyone can do about that at present.
Perhaps we could join the League of Wales.

by daz Wed Aug 31, 2016 2:55 pm

comrade powell wrote:
daz wrote: My other question has not been addressed yet. THE EXTRA 4 POUNDS.

Apologies, I was waiting for my question to be addressed...
You would expect our largest support to be present at Poole, Maidenhead and Weston. If the last 2 were advertised at greatly reduced rates, can you assure us that you and those who share your opinion would travel on the coach?

Re the extra £4 charged to non members, would it make you happier if we turned the adverts round?

eg Poole trip...

The prices are as follows for adults/concessions/children accompanied by an adult….

£31/£29/£17

(£4 off for members)

martin... on a average away trip how many would travel on the coach and how many of those travelling could be non SC members. I suppose I'm saying how many EXTRA £4 would you collect ON AVERAGE

by comrade powell Wed Aug 31, 2016 3:09 pm

The average for the past 3 seasons has been around 22. I'd have to check with Bas about non members, but I'm assuming it's very low simply because newbies on the coach tend to join the SC. This season an adult membership of £12 would be covered after making 3 trips.

by daz Wed Aug 31, 2016 4:20 pm

Or are non members NOT travelling because of the pointless charge. Is it possible to drop the charge just to see IF it would help

by comrade powell Wed Aug 31, 2016 4:37 pm

To answer your first question, I don't know - you claim this is the reason for you and your friends but I've never heard it mentioned by other non members. Maybe this is because they accept that it's quite usual for members of organisations to pay less for a service than non members. However, it does nark me that as a Frome resident I have to pay to get into the Parade Gardens, Roman Baths etc but those who live in Banes can get in free with a Discovery Card. Am I being discriminated against? Are Banes being greedy?

I will raise the issues from this thread at the next SC meeting.

by stillmanjunior Wed Aug 31, 2016 6:26 pm

The charging extra for non-Supporters Club members has been in force for as long as I can remember. I've never had an issue with it to be honest. If an adult pays £12 that means that after three away games you've 'broken even' so to speak.

Or made a profit if you win the 50-50 on board.

by kermit Wed Aug 31, 2016 7:27 pm

stillmanjunior wrote: If we arrived at somewhere like Bishop's Stortford at 1.45, which I'd estimate is a 20-30 minute walk from the decent pub down the road, you'd have little chance of getting there and back, especially if you wanted to stay for a reasonable time.

Well.....several of our 'senior citizens' managed it in 10 minutes!

by comrade powell Wed Aug 31, 2016 8:18 pm

kermit wrote:
stillmanjunior wrote: If we arrived at somewhere like Bishop's Stortford at 1.45, which I'd estimate is a 20-30 minute walk from the decent pub down the road, you'd have little chance of getting there and back, especially if you wanted to stay for a reasonable time.
Well.....several of our 'senior citizens' managed it in 10 minutes!

Depends if you use the cemetery route.... Wink

by Ashley Wed Aug 31, 2016 9:32 pm

No pub in the league is more than a 5 minute stroll.

by Twerton Parker Wed Aug 31, 2016 11:11 pm

Just getting back to the cost issue that started this thread off, why, if the average number of passengers is 22 is a 49 seater coach being booked? Surely getting a smaller coach will be somewhat cheaper meaning that the saving passed on? Most coach companies have a variety of sizes available so it ought to be quite easy to upgrade to a larger vehicle if the demand for places increases.

by Peter Newman Thu Sep 01, 2016 8:55 am

Reading this thread I think the answer is obvious. Anybody who believes there is a better way of organising the travel should offer to run one of the next trips ( say Hemel ). If the coach costs £600 and seats 50 then they charge £13 per head and are allowed to keep the excess £50 for themselves.
If the coach is not fully sold then the Supporters Club will make up first £50 of any loss made. Anything above £50 of loss is the organiser's responsibility.
If anybody wants to organise the Hemel trip put me down for a seat please.

by comrade powell Thu Sep 01, 2016 1:08 pm

Twerton Parker wrote:Just getting back to the cost issue that started this thread off, why, if the average number of passengers is 22 is a 49 seater coach being booked? Surely getting a smaller coach will be somewhat cheaper meaning that the saving passed on? Most coach companies have a variety of sizes available so it ought to be quite easy to upgrade to a larger vehicle if the demand for places increases.

Good question! The company used by the SC, Berkeley's, does have a 35 seater but there is no reduction in cost. We received quotes from other companies during the summer and one of the companies with something similar offered reductions of less than 10% of its charge for 49 seaters. While this may seem attractive, where Berkeleys really score is that we are only charged around 40% of the big coach rate for its 16 seaters. While Poole in August is an attractive trip, trips to the likes of Ebbsfleet and Eastbourne last winter are not and the rate we get from Berkeleys for these small coaches is one of several factors which lead to us sticking with them.

by comrade powell Thu Sep 01, 2016 1:10 pm

Peter Newman wrote:Reading this thread I think the answer is obvious. Anybody who believes there is a better way of organising the travel should offer to run one of the next trips ( say Hemel ). If the coach costs £600 and seats 50 then they charge £13 per head and are allowed to keep the excess £50 for themselves.
If the coach is not fully sold then the Supporters Club will make up first £50 of any loss made. Anything above £50 of loss is the organiser's responsibility.
If anybody wants to organise the Hemel trip put me down for a seat please.

Excellent suggestion! I'm sure Bas would like to just go along for the ride to Hemel, so what about it Beau and Daz?

by Steve Whites Missus Thu Sep 01, 2016 8:47 pm

OliverH wrote:This is probably too "tech-y" but you could look at micro-crowdfunding sites/apps like Tilt:

That'll prohibit the 22 regulars Rolling Eyes

by Luton Roman Thu Sep 01, 2016 9:36 pm

Was interesting. Now boring. Please sort and move on.

by LB Thu Sep 01, 2016 11:50 pm

Have to agree with Peter Newman - must be rather soul destroying for Bas (and those that that have done the job before) to be criticised like this.

Also agree with Luton Roman. Just a final thought though, and I think it has been said elsewhere, why doesn't Daz just pay his £12 to become a member and he will have broken even after 3 trips.

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