Pertinent and noteworthy ten gallon
Quality feedback; appreciated.
While I whole heartedly agree with your article the sad reality is in football Bolton Wanderers football club fans are possibly better looked after than at quite a few clubs. The only thing you can do is vote with your feet but why should you sacrifice something you enjoy?
Only get the bus now and again, but £3 for me to get from Bury to Horwich and back is the biggest bargain ever. Never had a problem with the bus not turning up, does get a bit crowded after the match plus have to go through Breightmet but small sacrifices for me.
How much were the buses when the Reebok opened in 1998? You couldn't get a return then and pretty sure it was a quid each way. A pound rise in 15 year isn't that bad to be fair.
What irks me is not that three quid is a massive amount of money, it's doubling the price at the same time the service has declined in standards, it's the "we had no choice" line which is a blatant lie, and it's the disregard for the fact that getting a bus all that way is a consequence of the club's decision - which the majority of fans opposed - to take Bolton Wanderers away from Bolton.
The move is justified on the grounds of fuel costs, but I would ask is it a coincidence that it has happened after relegation? It's just a dishonest thing to do, they have ignored all the complaints about the quality of the service this season and responded with a price hike. It's just bad relations.
i am lucky enough to get a lift to most matches though sometimes i have to catch the bus home so its quite essential to me at times.for double your money though can we have a bit of heat on the buses?was pretty cold coming out of the ground on saturday.was even colder on the bus and was starved through when i got home.
LH, I think your comments are fair and relevant.
Only One F asked what the bus prices were when the Reebok was opened. I don't know the answer to that but what I can tell you is that I bought a season ticket for the car park and it cost 100GBP then. Not an inexpensive experience.
The silly thing was, I only used it for night matches as the missus dropped me off and picked me up on Saturdays. As you might guess, I didn't renew it for a second year.
I read the article on the club website whilst, funnily enough looking for the bus times for Saturday. They cite 4 people on the early bus from Bury interchange. That would probably be because they don't advertise what time the earlier bus comes any more.
As for the service. The company are getting replaced for next season so probably won't care a jot.
I drive to the reebok nowadays anyway - keeps my pint intake to one or none and I generally get home before the busses.
Incidentally if they aren't subsidising the busses anymore will they subsidise something within the stadium or surrounds to up the matchday experience?
All due respect Largehat, and i always advocate for someone to fight there corners etc.
However, i entirely disagree with your sentiments, the cost is still subsidised etc and as someone pointed out, a £1 payrise over 15 years is nowhere near inflation. Ticket prices have remained relatively flat in the last 10 or so years and i think Bolton fans in general have had a very good deal, and to pick out such a financially tiny amount change in cost to going to the match, i believe is nitpicking.
I think the club should be applauded for the good work it has done over the last 15 years, not picked on because folk have to pay an extra £1.50 to get on the bus.
I've caught the bus occasionally but much prefer getting the train. Sitting on a bus for well over an hour as it crawls along, versus a 10 minute (normal) bus ride into town, a couple of pints and a 5 minute train ride. It helps that I can use my travel pass which I can't use on the matchday buses.
My main problem with the bus though is the return journey, especially after a defeat. There's always somebody spouting nonsense about what we should've done that you have to listen to from the car park right up to (in my case) Blackburn Road. My particular highlight last season was one lad who was explaining to what looked like his grandad - and those of us that hadn't taken the easy way out and pierced our eardrums - how Kevin Davies had changed the way he tackled. Something to do with going in at the side of the player and not actually trying to win the ball.
I do agree though that a 100% price increase (however small the actual amount) is a bit of a rip off.
Don't forget a lot of posters on here have decent jobs and can afford the extra 1.50 but how about the people who are finding it hard to even buy a ticket for the game? Another 1.50 won't be easy to find.
Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I don't think LH is designing the article to be anti BWFC and its policies... I think we can like a company/political party, but still find some aspects of it 'unpleasing'...
The general moan seems to be the drop in number of buses as much as the price...
The caveat being, that price hike in 15 years is acceptable in my book....
"Another 1.50 won't be easy to find"
Give over SWIE, most on here will bus it and be in Scott's spending a few quid on beers per match!!!!!!
as a comparison man u charge £2 from ot to manchester.the welly bus charges or did charge a fiver return from farnworth to the reebok.in the 1st year at the reebok it was a pound then there was a discount of 50p given for a return somewhere down the line.if we were still in the prem i dont doubt the club would not have to put the matchday bus price up another thing we can thank owen coyle for.
"if we were still in the prem i dont doubt the club would not have to put the matchday bus price up another thing we can thank owen coyle for."
I'm not getting that train of thought Benny!!! Supply + Deman!!!!
However, i entirely disagree with your sentiments, the cost is still subsidised etc and as someone pointed out, a £1 payrise over 15 years is nowhere near inflation.
----
My counter points to this would be:
* Is the cost still subsidised? At 3 quid multiplied by however many human bodies you can cram on to one of those buses, do you see much room for subsidy there? First offer unlimited travel on their buses for 4.50 and make a profit.
* It's isn't 1 pound over 15 years. It's 1 pound (or 1.50 for a return) overnight. How can doubling the price of anything overnight be justified? Do you not think the club has a commitment to provide cheap transport after uprooting 6 miles out of the town?
* How can doubling the price of something that has actually got worse and become unreliable be justified?
* The club says it "has no choice" - a lie. Of course it has a choice.
* The club has justified the move by introducing unaccurate figures for comparison (the 4.80 return which nobody ever buys in practice), referring to one specific service that was not utilised because it did not appear on the timetables and completely ignored the overcrowding/people being left behind on the other services, and in reference to fuel costs. Like Benny says, if they had said "we're in the Championship now and we want to cut our running costs" it would have been more honest than hiding behind fuel prices and the other garbage mentioned in the statement.
LH do you pay Gas, TV, Electric, Council Tax, Petrol, Pensions etc etc
The world is on its backside.. I'm not sure BWFC can be blamed for covering costs... And sadly quality of service lessens due to other cost cutting... It's the way of this country right now pal??
LH do you pay Gas, TV, Electric, Council Tax, Petrol, Pensions etc etc
-------
I go back to the service worsening and the price doubling - if that happened with any of the above I wouldn't be very happy at all, especially if I was given a bogus rationale.
Remember, the club enforced the 6 mile journey out of Bolton on us. The BBC didn't make you buy a TV, British Gas don't make you use them for gas and electricity.
"The BBC didn't make you buy a TV, British Gas don't make you use them for gas and electricity."
I thought we were having a serious conversation!!
BWFC don't make you support them?!
They don't force me to pay £6 a pop to park on the car park either.. Consumer choice more towards getting a bus than a necessity like keeping warm..
I am having a serious conversation. Assuming (from my perspective anyway) that the 6 mile move to Horwich was 6 miles in entirely the wrong direction, and against the wishes of the majority of the fans, the club has a stated commitment to ease this inconvenience by providing a cheap and reliable way to get to the Reebok. This season it has reneged on that commitment IMO. I'm not going to become a Bury fan overnight - they're playing on blind loyalty.
They're not. You've got other options on how to travel to the match. It's hardly a monopoly..
True is, every other option is more expensive...
I'm not saying anyone should be happy paying more for lesser service... But in truth it's £3 for a return to most places our fans travel from.... Is that such a big deal?
The BWFC spokeswomen says petrol has increased & demand for the service has fallen... What other business could actually run it without an increase..?
Airlines have passed on a variety of taxes onto us.... So do buses...
As you say, every other service is more expensive, but the club have painted the next cheapest alternative to be more expensive than it is.
I don't see what the price of public transport has to do with it. First Buses/First North Western are private companies, they didn't take the decision to move 6 miles away from Bolton.
The BBC spokesman is right that petrol has gone up, I ask you why has the price of the buses not gone up in fifteen years and only now we are in the Championship? That is the explanation for the fair increase.
Again, I think it's a sad day when we're justifying BWFC stitching the fans up in relation to the dodgy cartel tactics of utility companies and airlines.
As I have said, I can't 'shop elsewhere' with BWFC like I can with any of the above.
I'm not sure we can pin BWFC on things said 15 years ago...
They offered this and that no doubt in good faith.
Today's Britain & £120m of Soft/Hard/Semi debt means all the departments of BWFC need to save money..
Bottom line is pay or don't... And yes they are using your passion for the club... But they do withSeason Ticket prices too, and the prices here have been bloody good for the last few years..?.!?
Swings roundabouts and warm beer - All at the Reebok!!
The issue with your "bottom line is pay or don't" is that anything can be justified with that.
And also, paying doesn't even guarantee you will get home from the game. The buses have left people stranded all over Bolton and in the Reebok car parks this season. They're taking the mickey.
i cant see that there are that many less people using the buses.the no 7 or 4 is still as packed out now just as it was last yr in the prem.every time i jump on the bus at the reebok i pay a pound and i do not get a ticket yet revenue is down.you know what i am saying?
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Match day buses
Page 1 of 3
posted on 4/11/12
Pertinent and noteworthy ten gallon
posted on 4/11/12
Quality feedback; appreciated.
posted on 4/11/12
While I whole heartedly agree with your article the sad reality is in football Bolton Wanderers football club fans are possibly better looked after than at quite a few clubs. The only thing you can do is vote with your feet but why should you sacrifice something you enjoy?
posted on 4/11/12
Only get the bus now and again, but £3 for me to get from Bury to Horwich and back is the biggest bargain ever. Never had a problem with the bus not turning up, does get a bit crowded after the match plus have to go through Breightmet but small sacrifices for me.
How much were the buses when the Reebok opened in 1998? You couldn't get a return then and pretty sure it was a quid each way. A pound rise in 15 year isn't that bad to be fair.
posted on 4/11/12
What irks me is not that three quid is a massive amount of money, it's doubling the price at the same time the service has declined in standards, it's the "we had no choice" line which is a blatant lie, and it's the disregard for the fact that getting a bus all that way is a consequence of the club's decision - which the majority of fans opposed - to take Bolton Wanderers away from Bolton.
The move is justified on the grounds of fuel costs, but I would ask is it a coincidence that it has happened after relegation? It's just a dishonest thing to do, they have ignored all the complaints about the quality of the service this season and responded with a price hike. It's just bad relations.
posted on 5/11/12
i am lucky enough to get a lift to most matches though sometimes i have to catch the bus home so its quite essential to me at times.for double your money though can we have a bit of heat on the buses?was pretty cold coming out of the ground on saturday.was even colder on the bus and was starved through when i got home.
posted on 5/11/12
LH, I think your comments are fair and relevant.
Only One F asked what the bus prices were when the Reebok was opened. I don't know the answer to that but what I can tell you is that I bought a season ticket for the car park and it cost 100GBP then. Not an inexpensive experience.
The silly thing was, I only used it for night matches as the missus dropped me off and picked me up on Saturdays. As you might guess, I didn't renew it for a second year.
posted on 5/11/12
I read the article on the club website whilst, funnily enough looking for the bus times for Saturday. They cite 4 people on the early bus from Bury interchange. That would probably be because they don't advertise what time the earlier bus comes any more.
As for the service. The company are getting replaced for next season so probably won't care a jot.
I drive to the reebok nowadays anyway - keeps my pint intake to one or none and I generally get home before the busses.
Incidentally if they aren't subsidising the busses anymore will they subsidise something within the stadium or surrounds to up the matchday experience?
posted on 5/11/12
All due respect Largehat, and i always advocate for someone to fight there corners etc.
However, i entirely disagree with your sentiments, the cost is still subsidised etc and as someone pointed out, a £1 payrise over 15 years is nowhere near inflation. Ticket prices have remained relatively flat in the last 10 or so years and i think Bolton fans in general have had a very good deal, and to pick out such a financially tiny amount change in cost to going to the match, i believe is nitpicking.
I think the club should be applauded for the good work it has done over the last 15 years, not picked on because folk have to pay an extra £1.50 to get on the bus.
posted on 5/11/12
I've caught the bus occasionally but much prefer getting the train. Sitting on a bus for well over an hour as it crawls along, versus a 10 minute (normal) bus ride into town, a couple of pints and a 5 minute train ride. It helps that I can use my travel pass which I can't use on the matchday buses.
My main problem with the bus though is the return journey, especially after a defeat. There's always somebody spouting nonsense about what we should've done that you have to listen to from the car park right up to (in my case) Blackburn Road. My particular highlight last season was one lad who was explaining to what looked like his grandad - and those of us that hadn't taken the easy way out and pierced our eardrums - how Kevin Davies had changed the way he tackled. Something to do with going in at the side of the player and not actually trying to win the ball.
I do agree though that a 100% price increase (however small the actual amount) is a bit of a rip off.
posted on 5/11/12
Don't forget a lot of posters on here have decent jobs and can afford the extra 1.50 but how about the people who are finding it hard to even buy a ticket for the game? Another 1.50 won't be easy to find.
posted on 5/11/12
Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I don't think LH is designing the article to be anti BWFC and its policies... I think we can like a company/political party, but still find some aspects of it 'unpleasing'...
The general moan seems to be the drop in number of buses as much as the price...
The caveat being, that price hike in 15 years is acceptable in my book....
posted on 5/11/12
"Another 1.50 won't be easy to find"
Give over SWIE, most on here will bus it and be in Scott's spending a few quid on beers per match!!!!!!
posted on 5/11/12
as a comparison man u charge £2 from ot to manchester.the welly bus charges or did charge a fiver return from farnworth to the reebok.in the 1st year at the reebok it was a pound then there was a discount of 50p given for a return somewhere down the line.if we were still in the prem i dont doubt the club would not have to put the matchday bus price up another thing we can thank owen coyle for.
posted on 5/11/12
"if we were still in the prem i dont doubt the club would not have to put the matchday bus price up another thing we can thank owen coyle for."
I'm not getting that train of thought Benny!!! Supply + Deman!!!!
posted on 5/11/12
However, i entirely disagree with your sentiments, the cost is still subsidised etc and as someone pointed out, a £1 payrise over 15 years is nowhere near inflation.
----
My counter points to this would be:
* Is the cost still subsidised? At 3 quid multiplied by however many human bodies you can cram on to one of those buses, do you see much room for subsidy there? First offer unlimited travel on their buses for 4.50 and make a profit.
* It's isn't 1 pound over 15 years. It's 1 pound (or 1.50 for a return) overnight. How can doubling the price of anything overnight be justified? Do you not think the club has a commitment to provide cheap transport after uprooting 6 miles out of the town?
* How can doubling the price of something that has actually got worse and become unreliable be justified?
* The club says it "has no choice" - a lie. Of course it has a choice.
* The club has justified the move by introducing unaccurate figures for comparison (the 4.80 return which nobody ever buys in practice), referring to one specific service that was not utilised because it did not appear on the timetables and completely ignored the overcrowding/people being left behind on the other services, and in reference to fuel costs. Like Benny says, if they had said "we're in the Championship now and we want to cut our running costs" it would have been more honest than hiding behind fuel prices and the other garbage mentioned in the statement.
posted on 5/11/12
LH do you pay Gas, TV, Electric, Council Tax, Petrol, Pensions etc etc
The world is on its backside.. I'm not sure BWFC can be blamed for covering costs... And sadly quality of service lessens due to other cost cutting... It's the way of this country right now pal??
posted on 5/11/12
LH do you pay Gas, TV, Electric, Council Tax, Petrol, Pensions etc etc
-------
I go back to the service worsening and the price doubling - if that happened with any of the above I wouldn't be very happy at all, especially if I was given a bogus rationale.
Remember, the club enforced the 6 mile journey out of Bolton on us. The BBC didn't make you buy a TV, British Gas don't make you use them for gas and electricity.
posted on 5/11/12
"The BBC didn't make you buy a TV, British Gas don't make you use them for gas and electricity."
I thought we were having a serious conversation!!
BWFC don't make you support them?!
They don't force me to pay £6 a pop to park on the car park either.. Consumer choice more towards getting a bus than a necessity like keeping warm..
posted on 5/11/12
I am having a serious conversation. Assuming (from my perspective anyway) that the 6 mile move to Horwich was 6 miles in entirely the wrong direction, and against the wishes of the majority of the fans, the club has a stated commitment to ease this inconvenience by providing a cheap and reliable way to get to the Reebok. This season it has reneged on that commitment IMO. I'm not going to become a Bury fan overnight - they're playing on blind loyalty.
posted on 5/11/12
They're not. You've got other options on how to travel to the match. It's hardly a monopoly..
True is, every other option is more expensive...
I'm not saying anyone should be happy paying more for lesser service... But in truth it's £3 for a return to most places our fans travel from.... Is that such a big deal?
The BWFC spokeswomen says petrol has increased & demand for the service has fallen... What other business could actually run it without an increase..?
Airlines have passed on a variety of taxes onto us.... So do buses...
posted on 5/11/12
As you say, every other service is more expensive, but the club have painted the next cheapest alternative to be more expensive than it is.
I don't see what the price of public transport has to do with it. First Buses/First North Western are private companies, they didn't take the decision to move 6 miles away from Bolton.
The BBC spokesman is right that petrol has gone up, I ask you why has the price of the buses not gone up in fifteen years and only now we are in the Championship? That is the explanation for the fair increase.
Again, I think it's a sad day when we're justifying BWFC stitching the fans up in relation to the dodgy cartel tactics of utility companies and airlines.
As I have said, I can't 'shop elsewhere' with BWFC like I can with any of the above.
posted on 5/11/12
I'm not sure we can pin BWFC on things said 15 years ago...
They offered this and that no doubt in good faith.
Today's Britain & £120m of Soft/Hard/Semi debt means all the departments of BWFC need to save money..
Bottom line is pay or don't... And yes they are using your passion for the club... But they do withSeason Ticket prices too, and the prices here have been bloody good for the last few years..?.!?
Swings roundabouts and warm beer - All at the Reebok!!
posted on 5/11/12
The issue with your "bottom line is pay or don't" is that anything can be justified with that.
And also, paying doesn't even guarantee you will get home from the game. The buses have left people stranded all over Bolton and in the Reebok car parks this season. They're taking the mickey.
posted on 5/11/12
i cant see that there are that many less people using the buses.the no 7 or 4 is still as packed out now just as it was last yr in the prem.every time i jump on the bus at the reebok i pay a pound and i do not get a ticket yet revenue is down.you know what i am saying?
Page 1 of 3