Travel Subsidy - dead man walking?

[Arkwright]

A flat rate per match day attendee?

I'm sure for the sake of convenience that this works, however more and more are car sharing or getting to the ground under their own steam. Several probably already have their own travel passes (student / OAP). it would be interesting to see an exact calculation.

 

[Gwylan]

But there is parking near the ground.

No. There's no free parking near the ground, not since the season before last. There is a limited amount of parking but that's not included in the price of the match tickets (which is what this thread is about)

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

How much does the club actually subsidise/lose though. The club has income coming in from the various car parks so I'd expect them to break even or there about. And the club has income from the travel component of the ticket price, so I'd expect them to broker a bulk-deal where this breaks even as well. A fiver on a ticket brings in 2.3m assuming a 20k crowd.

 

[Albion my Albion]

Green members?
Isn't there a topical lotion for that?

Martian, or whatever planet is their origin, creatures should not be subject to discrimination! What does this thread have to do with zombies? Dead man walking?

 

[Hotchilidog]

How much does the club actually subsidise/lose though. The club has income coming in from the various car parks so I'd expect them to break even or there about. And the club has income from the travel component of the ticket price, so I'd expect them to broker a bulk-deal where this breaks even as well. A fiver on a ticket brings in 2.3m assuming a 20k crowd.

It costs the about £1m a season. In addition to travel from Haywards £6.80 per person, the subsidy extends to eastbourne £9.80 return and Worthing £7.40 not to mention the travel from brighton about £3 return on the train, as well as B&H Buses £4.40 for ma day saver and the park and ride.

It is quite an extraordinary undertaking from the club and would be missed if it went.

 

[BensGrandad]

My brother in law and me use our OAP bus passes to get to and from the ground so if it was scrapped it wouldnt affect us other than getting home for night games. I am surprised that the bus companies do not have a means of checking how many use their BHA travel pass. Mind you the same happens with OAP passes there is no record or ticket issued stating it was free.

 

[halbpro]

My brother in law and me use our OAP bus passes to get to and from the ground so if it was scrapped it wouldnt affect us other than getting home for night games. I am surprised that the bus companies do not have a means of checking how many use their BHA travel pass. Mind you the same happens with OAP passes there is no record or ticket issued stating it was free.

Buses do. There press a "Football Pass" button when you come on, or they should at least. The button is certainly there if you look at the ticket machine.

 

[BensGrandad]

Buses do. There press a "Football Pass" button when you come on, or they should at least. The button is certainly there if you look at the ticket machine.

I didn't realize that as I have never seen anybody push anything on the ticket machine they just wave you on. The OAP pass probably registers when it is cleared on the pad but doesn't determine whether I am travelling 1 stop or to Brighton from HH.

 

[halbpro]

I didnt rtealise that as I have never seen anybody push anything on the ticket machine they just wave you on. The OAP pass probably registers when it is cleared on the pad.

OAP pass certainly registers, because it's all automated as you say. There is a button there for football though (it even has a little picture of a football), and I've seen the drivers press it, but it may depend on how bothered they can be I guess? If you're not catching a packed service (like a connecting service) I can imagine the odds of the button being pressed are much higher.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

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).

That's how I always read it also i.e. the club pays out big chunks of money to travel partners. In the case of the trains it means the barriers stay open, there's trains every ten minutes even for bank holiday matches and there's no need for 'revenue protection' because the club has paid up-front. The whole thing would grind to a halt otherwise. On the other hand, not unfair to make locally based fans pay their own public transport costs IMHO same as they would have to do if they were going to attend just about any other form of leisure activity. The travel subsidy is a leftover from the Withdean era when the club had to jump through any amount of painful hoops in order to obtain planning permission for the new stadium. No sane reason why that should continue draining the club's resources forevermore.

 

[Brovion]

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

True. And just to prove I'm not one for sitting on fences when we were at Withdean and I used to walk I was opposed to the subsidy (or at least I thought those like myself who didn't use the vouchers should be able to exchange them for hot dogs). Now we're at the Amex and I use the 25 bus I think it's brilliant!

 

[Brovion]

The travel subsidy certainly makes it easier. As someone else has mentioned for the trains they just open the barriers and let people on; for the buses they just wave you through. If you had to buy your own tickets the travel companies would obviously have to enforce ticket checks to protect their revenue. You can imagine how that will slow everything down.

"So what?"' I know some will say, ''"Football's all about queuing and for my beloved Albion I'll put up with any indignity and pay any price". Well fair enough - but you make up only about *licks finger* a 5000 or so hardcore. Many others don't think like that, and when you're looking for reasons not to attend or not to renew your ST it's the little 'micro aggressions' like the transport experience that can tip the balance,

 

[Justice]

Its not exactly a cheap season ticket though is it? one of the most expensive in the league.

 

[BensGrandad]

Its not exactly a cheap season ticket though is it? one of the most expensive in the league.

I think the person meant cheap as in cheaper than buying tickets per match rather than matched against other teams.

 

[beorhthelm]

i see it more as a collective travel payment. if anything the travel companies are making a subsidy as they are substantially down on the deal if they did collect all the revenue from journeys made.

 

[Gwylan]

i see it more as a collective travel payment. if anything the travel companies are making a subsidy as they are substantially down on the deal if they did collect all the revenue from journeys made.

Yes, I've thought that too. If, say, 12,000 use public transport and we hand £1m (which people seem to think is the correct figure) to the bus and train companies at, say, £6 a time (the bus fare is £4.70 in Brighton alone, trains are more expensive). That's £72,000 a game, about £1.66m - so the transport companies are losing out.

It's interesting that there's a general belief that the train companies wouldn't be able to collect tickets on the day but I'm sure that cup matches don't include the free travel. And the World Cup matches this autumn (maximum attendances) certainly didn't include them - yet the train companies seemed to cope adequately

 

[sparkie]

Yes, I've thought that too. If, say, 12,000 use public transport and we hand £1m (which people seem to think is the correct figure) to the bus and train companies at, say, £6 a time (the bus fare is £4.70 in Brighton alone, trains are more expensive). That's £72,000 a game, about £1.66m - so the transport companies are losing out.

It's interesting that there's a general belief that the train companies wouldn't be able to collect tickets on the day but I'm sure that cup matches don't include the free travel. And the World Cup matches this autumn (maximum attendances) certainly didn't include them - yet the train companies seemed to cope adequately

1 million is the subsidy from the club. There is also a levy within the ticket price to add in.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

1 million is the subsidy from the club. There is also a levy within the ticket price to add in.

So what you're saying is the club pay 1 million to the transport operators? How much does the club recoup in levies from tickets?

 

[Bozza]

So what you're saying is the club pay 1 million to the transport operators? How much does the club recoup in levies from tickets?

I believe the club are out of pocket to the tune of c£1m per season, i.e.

Fan transport levy + Car park takings - cost of provision of transport elements = -£1m

 

[reigate]

So what you're saying is the club pay 1 million to the transport operators? How much does the club recoup in levies from tickets?

They added a £50 levy to season tickets after the 1st season at the Amex