Coach Travel to Workington

Dave the Glassboy wrote:

UlsterJim wrote:Firstly I have no idea how much the coach costs, but on the basis that I was told the coach for Truro in January was going to cost £800 odd then Id guess a similar price, if not higher for this.  Secondly I don't set the prices either.

Workington's actually a shorter journey than Truro (by about 35-40 miles) so I'd have thought would be a similar cost.

I would suggest its a lot further if you dont go on the M6!   

Concession price reduced from £18 to £15. Not on the website yet, but confirmed on the club's official Twitter.

brockmoor wrote:

Dave the Glassboy wrote:

UlsterJim wrote:Firstly I have no idea how much the coach costs, but on the basis that I was told the coach for Truro in January was going to cost £800 odd then Id guess a similar price, if not higher for this.  Secondly I don't set the prices either.

Workington's actually a shorter journey than Truro (by about 35-40 miles) so I'd have thought would be a similar cost.

I would suggest its a lot further if you dont go on the M6!   

Is that comparing it with not going to Truro on the M5?  

Shame club couldn't have pushed it to half price,but good to see some reduction has been made and that club have taken into consideration the concerns of some,let's hope this encourages a few more to make the trip.

TRM wrote:Concession price reduced from £18 to £15. Not on the website yet, but confirmed on the club's official Twitter.

Yes, I think that is correct. The great minds of Andy P,Ulster Jim and myself debated the issue last night over several pints!

The coach hire for Workington is £820, excluding VAT. This means that a full coach of 49 will average out at roughly £17 per head to cover costs, hence the importance of filling the coach to justify reducing the price for concessions. Get booking folks!

brockmoor wrote:

Dave the Glassboy wrote:

UlsterJim wrote:Firstly I have no idea how much the coach costs, but on the basis that I was told the coach for Truro in January was going to cost £800 odd then Id guess a similar price, if not higher for this.  Secondly I don't set the prices either.

Workington's actually a shorter journey than Truro (by about 35-40 miles) so I'd have thought would be a similar cost.

I would suggest its a lot further if you dont go on the M6!   

If you're not going on the M6 you probably need to set out tonight!

Am I the only person who doesn't believe the concession reduction goes far enough??!!
I'm sure some wise owl will pick me up if I'm wrong but if we take more fans to the game don't we get a percentage of the gate profit?
If that is the case then surely the extra we make on the gate would go towards any loss on the cost of the coach?
Also I still presume that even with reduced concessions the club aren't going to be making a loss?....If that is the case then the club were prepared to try and make extra money with the original pricing....I for one think that stinks....A supporters coach should be there for one purpose only and that's to get us to games...It isn't there to squeeze extra pounds out of us...
I've got broad shoulders so let the backlash begin!!!!!!

It's a tricky one really. While I agree it does seem a bit iffy if the club were trying to take advantage by trying to get a profit off, I suppose we are a business thought. However, we have enough money to take a loss on getting fans to the game. The trouble though the club has got it is say they reduce it even further, that will have a major ripple effect onto other games. Because then say £10 to St Albans seems a rip off, because it was *only* £15 to Workie, I agree with the principal that the club should have done more to encourage fans. However, I do sympathize to an extent.

No sympathy if they were trying to make money out of the situation!!!
A ripple effect wouldn't be caused because an official statement could be made saying it was a good will gesture.

Two sides to it, as Jack says. And I can see both.

The club will say that every pound they give way on is a pound that they don't have to improve SFC, be it on the pitch or off it.

On the other hand TT is right that the more supporters who go, the more we get back out of the gate receipts, mitigating any "loss" from reducing coach prices. Plus, every pound we make on the Cup run, from whatever source, is "bonus" money to begin with.

I don't necessarily think the prices are unreasonable, but when you've got to find the cash to pay, it is still a lot of money to some families. However, even at £10 instead of £15 (say) then for a father and two kids, it's £62 as opoosed to £72 for the coach and the match. Not a huge difference. The £10 is the issue, not the £62 or £72. And there is also the incentive of your coach ticket giving you a "leg-up" for tickets for any potential First Round Proper match.

I hope ultimately that it won't leave a sour taste.

Unfortunately the drop in concession price came too late for the Stourbridge News. They've still got it as £20/£18 in this week's paper.

I personally feel that the coach is very reasonably priced for the length of journey.

Due to our cirumstances at the moment, we cant really afford both of us to go, (but that is coach, entrance, everything rather than just the coach). Being the nice caring mom I am, I will miss out and Jack will be going to represent the Nethercotts. There will always be some who can or cannot afford things in life and you have to cut your cloth accordingly at times - that is not the clubs responsibility!

Whats the numbers like so far of those that are coming to Workington?

For those interested there is a wetherspoons in the town centre not far from the ground, also pubs called station road and railway club, which are also close to the ground. There is good food and drink in the bar, all reasonably good prices.

Safe trip down and hope to see you all making lots of noise.

(P.S - the weather will most likely be poor so bring your wet suits   )

Some people need to learn to read things properly.

Just a little feedback with my opinion on the whole coach travel fare debate. In response to Tricky, the point he makes about the club not making a loss even with reduced concession price is very true BUT ONLY IF WE FILL THE COACH! What must be remembered is that for every league away match on the coach,we supporters have only ever numbered a maximum of 24. Therefore it is a gamble on the clubs behalf with pricing the coach accordingly. The club cant take it for granted that we will fill the coach,particularly at such an early stage as when the prices were initially announced. I appreciate that for a match of such importance it would be very disappointing should we fail to sell 49 coach seats but the club cannot take a chance.

With Jane's comment on the prices being reasonable, I agree entirely. It would be impossible for a family of four to get to Workington and back any cheaper by ANY other means of travel.

Also, what must be taken into account when being critical of the club about concessionary prices on the whole.... What do we charge under 12's for admission into our ground? Answer: NOTHING!

Workington are charging £7 I believe for this age group

Hmmmmm....my main points being missed or overlooked.

Just to add that my post was not in response to anybodies particular post, just my view on the thread in general.

[quote="workington"]Whats the numbers like so far of those that are coming to Workington?

I think our very own Ulster Jim has registered on your forum, as he is responsible for away travel bookings, he should be able to keep you up to date with numbers so far!

I would be very disappointed should we not have in excess of 100 supporters making the journey in total.

TRM wrote:Unfortunately the drop in concession price came too late for the Stourbridge News. They've still got it as £20/£18 in this week's paper.

As it did for the tickets lol.

Just a note for those moaning about the coach prices, Hednesford are at Workington today and their prices are £21 and £18 for concessions.

If anyone coming on the coach has any good family viewing dvds please bring them along. I don't think my hooligan dvds are appropriate with kids on the coach. lol

UlsterJim wrote:Just a note for those moaning about the coach prices, Hednesford are at Workington today and their prices are £21 and £18 for concessions.

And it's not as far for them!

Worth pointing out, in balance, that the coach fare for their trip to West Auckland in the week was £5. And the coach was full. A bit different when it's a midweek game at very short notice, perhaps.

Don't like a lot of things about Hednesford, but they do have a very active Supporters' Association which raises a lot of money and subsidised the cost of that coach. To be honest it's something I think we should be aiming for, but of course it takes people with time and know-how to set it up and run it.

UlsterJim wrote:If anyone coming on the coach has any good family viewing dvds please bring them along.  I don't think my hooligan dvds are appropriate with kids on the coach. lol

Don't know if you'd be interested, Jim, but I've got the "Match of the Day 60s, 70s and 80s" DVDs. The 70s in particular is a fantastic DVD if you grew up in that era. Clough, Best, Dirty Leeds, Ronnie Radford, Ray Crawford...

TRM wrote:

UlsterJim wrote:If anyone coming on the coach has any good family viewing dvds please bring them along.  I don't think my hooligan dvds are appropriate with kids on the coach. lol

Don't know if you'd be interested, Jim, but I've got the "Match of the Day 60s, 70s and 80s" DVDs. The 70s in particular is a fantastic DVD if you grew up in that era. Clough, Best, Dirty Leeds, Ronnie Radford, Ray Crawford...

Definitely TRM. Cheers

Your DVD selection is massively important for this Jim! How tedious the journey is, is down to you, and you only!