[Football] Matchday travel subsidy?

[1066familyman]

Apologies for not paying attention.

I half listened to the fans forum and heard a question about travel, suggesting the subsidy had been removed. I don't recall seeing any info on its removal with our season ticket renewals.

So is the travel subsidy the same as last season please?

 

[Weststander]

With a very long warning, from this season they’re no longer subsidising Seagulls Travel (a commercial company unconnected to the club business) and supporters club coaches.

 

[Djmiles]

I thought one of the conditions of getting planning permission for The Amex was having the travel subsidy. Could be wrong.

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

Apologies for not paying attention.

I half listened to the fans forum and heard a question about travel, suggesting the subsidy had been removed. I don't recall seeing any info on its removal with our season ticket renewals.

So is the travel subsidy the same as last season please?

Removed from Seagulls Travel. The trains and buses and park and ride remain the same.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

The question you’re referring to was the removal of subsidy for Seagulls Travel, a separate and non-Albion business which runs coaches from various parts of the county.

I didn’t understand Barber’s point about it being a double subsidy. I also thought he was rather blunt with the person who asked he question.

 

[1066familyman]

With a very long warning, from this season they’re no longer subsidising Seagulls Travel (a commercial company unconnected to the club business) and supporters club coaches.

Yeah, heard PB saying something like... take up the price increases with Seagulls travel as they're a private company, not run by us.

So in summary... we can still travel for free by train from Eastbourne as part of our ticket?
Sorry, I've nodded off at the back of the class I'm afraid.

 

[1066familyman]

Removed from Seagulls Travel. The trains and buses and park and ride remain the same.

Thank you

Thread closed

 

[Acker79]

So in summary... we can still travel for free by train from Eastbourne as part of our ticket?

Yes.

 

[Gazwag]

The question you’re referring to was the removal of subsidy for Seagulls Travel, a separate and non-Albion business which runs coaches from various parts of the county.

I didn’t understand Barber’s point about it being a double subsidy. I also thought he was rather blunt with the person who asked he question.

I can't understand the double subsidy thing either. If you go from Polegate, for example, it was either free train travel or a subsidised coach fare, its one or the other, not both

 

[timbha]

I can't understand the double subsidy thing either. If you go from Polegate, for example, it was either free train travel or a subsidised coach fare, its one or the other, not both

Does it mean the Albion were paying double? Ie once to rail/bus coy regardless of whether you used it and once to ST

 

[Gazwag]

Does it mean the Albion were paying double? Ie once to rail/bus coy regardless of whether you used it and once to ST

But you could say you can get the normal bus from Polegate for nothing and you can get the train from Polegate for nothing so the club and paying both the bus company and southern rail irrespective of whether a fan travels that way so the club are paying double, by adding in a seagulls travel bus and the park and ride then the Albion are paying 4 times.

 

[Weststander]

I can't understand the double subsidy thing either. If you go from Polegate, for example, it was either free train travel or a subsidised coach fare, its one or the other, not both

I think PB means:
1. The club are fully subsidising everyone once in the travel zone, which is open to people living outside who make their way to just inside who then hop on a train, park n ride or public bus.
2. Then people living outside the zone who chose to ignore the subsidised option of (1), were getting a further club subsidy on Seagulls Travel on their full journey .... including the element within the zone, where they’d opted to ignore the first subsidy routes in (1).

(2) costing the club the best part of £1m.

Someone please correct me if TB/PB mean something else.

 

[timbha]

But you could say you can get the normal bus from Polegate for nothing and you can get the train from Polegate for nothing so the club and paying both the bus company and southern rail irrespective of whether a fan travels that way so the club are paying double, by adding in a seagulls travel bus and the park and ride then the Albion are paying 4 times.

Suspect the rail and bus coys get a fixed amount

 

[Gazwag]

I think PB means:
1. The club are fully subsidising everyone once in the travel zone, which is open to people living outside who make their way to just inside who then hop on a train, park n ride or public bus.
2. Then people living outside the zone who chose to ignore the subsidised option of (1), were getting a further club subsidy on Seagulls Travel on their full journey .... including the element within the zone, where they’d opted to ignore the first subsidy routes in (1).

(2) costing the club the best part of £1m.

Someone please correct me if TB/PB mean something else.

Yes I see that I suppose, the issue is that ST are a profit making organisation who weren't necessarily a cheap option before the big increase this season. It means the are elderly and disabled supporters who are priced out of getting to the Amex for evening games now as they cannot travel on the normal buses (there cant be many post match for evening games) or trains with the massive queues are evening matches.

 

[Weststander]

Yes I see that I suppose, the issue is that ST are a profit making organisation who weren't necessarily a cheap option before the big increase this season. It means the are elderly and disabled supporters who are priced out of getting to the Amex for evening games now as they cannot travel on the normal buses (there cant be many post match for evening games) or trains with the massive queues are evening matches.

Good point.
By what % have ST raised their prices for those outside the travel zone?

 

[Gazwag]

Good point.
By what % have ST raised their prices for those outside the travel zone?

Its £16.45pp from Polegate Station to the Amex this season and I think it was about £14 last season so about 14%. In the championship it was about £11.50 or so

 

[Wardy's twin]

Its £16.45pp from Polegate Station to the Amex this season and I think it was about £14 last season so about 14%. In the championship it was about £11.50 or so

don't understand why traffic costs and charges increased just because of promotion....

 

[Easy 10]

I'm still pretty sure BHA are the only club in the league who subsidise fans travel to and from the stadium. Flashing a ST card or ticket to to a bus driver and getting on for nothing still gives me a thrill (yes yes I know its built into the price of the ticket, but it still a nice perk).

 

[clapham_gull]

I think PB means:
1. The club are fully subsidising everyone once in the travel zone, which is open to people living outside who make their way to just inside who then hop on a train, park n ride or public bus.
2. Then people living outside the zone who chose to ignore the subsidised option of (1), were getting a further club subsidy on Seagulls Travel on their full journey .... including the element within the zone, where they’d opted to ignore the first subsidy routes in (1).

(2) costing the club the best part of £1m.

Someone please correct me if TB/PB mean something else.

Alternatively, the many unsung heroes who mobilised themselves to create travel groups to 1) Fill the stadium 2) Alleviate congestion at Falmer Stadium 3) Help meet the planning restrictions 4) Take on the responsibility and undertake hours of work unpaid...

....have been kicked in the knackers.

The club were bending over backwards (as we left Withdean) to encourage people to set up these groups. Visiting the towns / villages for support.

Now they are set up they are deemed to be a drain on resources and "reminded" they get parking free at the Stadium.

Shit PR from the club.

 

[Bozza]

I think PB means:
1. The club are fully subsidising everyone once in the travel zone, which is open to people living outside who make their way to just inside who then hop on a train, park n ride or public bus.
2. Then people living outside the zone who chose to ignore the subsidised option of (1), were getting a further club subsidy on Seagulls Travel on their full journey .... including the element within the zone, where they’d opted to ignore the first subsidy routes in (1).

(2) costing the club the best part of £1m.

Someone please correct me if TB/PB mean something else.

I wasn't at, and haven't heard, the Fans' Forum but I'm struggling to understand the "double subsidy" thing, even with your explanation.

If someone is travelling with Seagull Travel then they are not "using" the subsidy on train travel, public bus nor park 'n' ride. If, say, 2,000 people travel by private-operated bus to games (and the number must be pretty steady game-by-game), then the subsidy for 2,000 fans should NOT be provided to Southern Rail, Brighton Buses et al.

From my experience of the various transport methods to get to the Amex, Seagull Travel are probably the only one who could provide accurate data as to the number of fans that have used their services for any given game.

Seagull Travel may be privately-owned and, as such, looking to turn a profit, but they seem to made a significant effort to provide a comprehensive network of routes serving much of Sussex and a little bit beyond. In the early Amex seasons, when I lived in Somerset, I would marvel at the small groups of fans standing in far-flung parts of West Sussex and Hampshire waiting for their Seagull Travel bus as I drove back for an evening fixture.

It seems that the increase in their price necessitated by the removal of the subsidy has reduced demand - something any GCSE economics student could tell you would happen. I just hope that if Seagull Travel have to restructure routes etc to work around this shift, it doesn't leave some fans stranded and unable to get to games any longer.

I would sometimes used Seagull Travel for the games I'd take my 9-y-o to as it made getting home significantly more painless, particularly in cold/wet weather when the queues for the train would be a massive pain in the arse. Having just checked ST, this will now cost me over £30 for one-off games. I simply can't see me paying this, which may well mean he comes to fewer games from now on.