Transport for Boro game. How we get there I don’t know......



rubberface said:
There was free buses on that night bud. 9:50 train will get ya into Boro really early with neewhere to go tho wont it?
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Ah reet was there I couldn't remember mate but had a feeling there must have been because it's usually the norm for mags and Boro away. Aye that's the problem with the 9:50 it gets you there for about quarter to 11, I just can't see how everyone is going to fit on the 10:50 unless extra carriages are put on so hopefully there'll be an announcement between now and then.

Would be canny if enough got on the 9:50 to get our own pub down there but doubt that'll happen.
 
Sgt Pepper said:
Ah reet was there I couldn't remember mate but had a feeling there must have been because it's usually the norm for mags and Boro away. Aye that's the problem with the 9:50 it gets you there for about quarter to 11, I just can't see how everyone is going to fit on the 10:50 unless extra carriages are put on so hopefully there'll be an announcement between now and then.

Would be canny if enough got on the 9:50 to get our own pub down there but doubt that'll happen.
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Sure when that's happened before at Boro, instead of going to a pub, we were escorted straight to ground.
 
Sgt Pepper said:
Ah reet was there I couldn't remember mate but had a feeling there must have been because it's usually the norm for mags and Boro away. Aye that's the problem with the 9:50 it gets you there for about quarter to 11, I just can't see how everyone is going to fit on the 10:50 unless extra carriages are put on so hopefully there'll be an announcement between now and then.

Would be canny if enough got on the 9:50 to get our own pub down there but doubt that'll happen.
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Boro always get designated a pub in our city centre when they come here.
 
GordonMuchallNo1Fan said:
Just drive down easy. if anyone wants info on free parking close to town centre let me know. Cheers. The buses seem very expensive[/QUOTE]

It's a love supreme mate (and yes I know they run this site), but it's never stopped me wondering at their eye watering prices for travel to away games. I have only ever traveled with them once which was for the 5-0 Boxing day match at Everton in the Reid days.

We almost always travel by car these days and stay over and I reckon I can get fuel and a hotel for less in most places than ALS charge for sitting on a dry coach both ways getting you there and hour and a bit before kick off. 4 of us going to Forest by car and we have got a quadruple room in a B&B for £34 and the fuel will be about a tenner each so that's £18.50 each for travel and an overnight stay. ALS are charging £28.50 for the bus.

Can't understand why people do it or pay it to be honest. If you want to just go to the game and straight back to Sunderland, then drive down with some mates as it will be far cheaper. Its not as if ALS give you loads of time in each destination.

Here is a challenge, lets find out what other clubs in the championship charge to travel by bus to Sunderland and compare it to what ALS charge our fans to go the same distance in the opposite direction?

I will start. Forest to Sunderland £21 or less than 75% of what ALS charge for the same trip.

https://www.nottinghamforest.co.uk/news/2017/september/tickets-sunderland-a/

I will probably get banned for this, but I can fly to Poland or the Czech republic for less that ALS charged for a bus to Barnsley.
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Just drive down easy. if anyone wants info on free parking close to town centre let me know. Cheers. The buses seem very expensive[/QUOTE]

It's a love supreme mate (and yes I know they run this site), but it's never stopped me wondering at their eye watering prices for travel to away games. I have only ever traveled with them once which was for the 5-0 Boxing day match at Everton in the Reid days.

We almost always travel by car these days and stay over and I reckon I can get fuel and a hotel for less in most places than ALS charge for sitting on a dry coach both ways getting you there and hour and a bit before kick off. 4 of us going to Forest by car and we have got a quadruple room in a B&B for £34 and the fuel will be about a tenner each so that's £18.50 each for travel and an overnight stay. ALS are charging £28.50 for the bus.

Can't understand why people do it or pay it to be honest. If you want to just go to the game and straight back to Sunderland, then drive down with some mates as it will be far cheaper. Its not as if ALS give you loads of time in each destination.

Here is a challenge, lets find out what other clubs in the championship charge to travel by bus to Sunderland and compare it to what ALS charge our fans to go the same distance in the opposite direction?

I will start. Forest to Sunderland £21 or less than 75% of what ALS charge for the same trip.

https://www.nottinghamforest.co.uk/news/2017/september/tickets-sunderland-a/

I will probably get banned for this, but I can fly to Poland or the Czech republic for less that ALS charged for a bus to Barnsley.
 
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Fulham's prices for tomorrows game by coach;

https://www.fulhamfc.com/first-team/2017_2018/league/away/sunderland

'Travel

Coaches depart from Motspur Park and Craven Cottage at 6:30am

(NB the Motspur Park coach will depart from West Barnes Lane, opposite the Earl Beatty pub).

Price

Season Ticket Holders/Members: Adults £30, Juniors £20

General Sale: Adults £35, Juniors £25

Call 0203 871 0810 to book today'

ALS to Fulham £40 no concessions.

Seems it costs 33% more for a Sunderland season ticket holder to go South then North, rather than a Fulham season ticket holder to go North then South. Even a non Fulham season ticket holder gets it cheaper than our fans and god help you if you are a junior.

Here was me thinking London drivers would be on a London weighting and it would therefore cost more for them? Silly me.

Bolton Wanderers

https://www.bwfc.co.uk/tickets/Official-Travel-Club/

£19 max and could be got for £17.

ALS to Bolton £26. No Concessions.

Birmingham City

https://www.bcfc.com/news/articles/2017/sunderland-v-blues-ticket-details/

£19 for non season ticket holders and £18 for season ticket holders. Concessions £17

ALS to Birmingham £30. No Concessions.

Has anyone spotted the pattern yet? Answers on a postcard to ALS house.

As the season goes on and more teams come here we can keep checking these but I doubt any other club has the audacity to charge what ALS do for a similar journey and offer no concessions at all.

I realise ALS are out to make money, but seriously lads, give them some competition, join a supporters branch and travel with them instead as they are non profit making.

It would be useful if the branches could put their prices up here for comparison as they know what it actually costs to make a bus run without making a loss.

For e.g how much are the Shields branch charging for Nottingham? I bet its not anywhere close to £28.
 
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Bladecat said:
Do you know where there's free Parking?
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we always use lawson industrial estate. always room and quite close. easy to get away after as well.
turn right at first roundabout on a66 where mcdonalds is then right at next one.
if you're brave you can walk past the navigator or if not then back up parallel to the a66 then over the bridge.
 
tynevalleyblackcat said:
Fulham's prices for tomorrows game by coach;

https://www.fulhamfc.com/first-team/2017_2018/league/away/sunderland

'Travel

Coaches depart from Motspur Park and Craven Cottage at 6:30am

(NB the Motspur Park coach will depart from West Barnes Lane, opposite the Earl Beatty pub).

Price

Season Ticket Holders/Members: Adults £30, Juniors £20

General Sale: Adults £35, Juniors £25

Call 0203 871 0810 to book today'

ALS to Fulham £40 no concessions.

Seems it costs 33% more for a Sunderland season ticket holder to go South then North, rather than a Fulham season ticket holder to go North then South. Even a non Fulham season ticket holder gets it cheaper than our fans and god help you if you are a junior.

Here was me thinking London drivers would be on a London weighting and it would therefore cost more for them? Silly me.

Bolton Wanderers

https://www.bwfc.co.uk/tickets/Official-Travel-Club/

£19 max and could be got for £17.

ALS to Bolton £26. No Concessions.

Birmingham City

https://www.bcfc.com/news/articles/2017/sunderland-v-blues-ticket-details/

£19 for non season ticket holders and £18 for season ticket holders. Concessions £17

ALS to Birmingham £30. No Concessions.

Has anyone spotted the pattern yet? Answers on a postcard to ALS house.

As the season goes on and more teams come here we can keep checking these but I doubt any other club has the audacity to charge what ALS do for a similar journey and offer no concessions at all.

I realise ALS are out to make money, but seriously lads, give them some competition, join a supporters branch and travel with them instead as they are non profit making.

It would be useful if the branches could put their prices up here for comparison as they know what it actually costs to make a bus run without making a loss.

For e.g how much are the Shields branch charging for Nottingham? I bet its not anywhere close to £28.
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Cracking post. I know earlier I was discussing this on the thread with @buster and I do take his point that it's not easy to organise coaches but it's been obvious for years that ALS charge a hell of a lot for what they offer. What's clear from your post is that plenty of other clubs offer discounts for kids and I think it's disgusting that ALS don't. The bairn and his mates are just getting into doing loads of aways and it costs a fortune if they get ALS. We let them go with branches but there's obvious reasons why some parents would rather their kids went with ALS, shame that they charge a premium for it. On top of that they seem to charge more for adults than most other clubs.

It would be hard for a direct competitor to be established tbh, ALS have been doing it so long that they've immediately got a lot of the market cornered but I'd love to see competition from a group who have the primary aim, as Sunderland fans, of getting other fans to the game for a reasonable price rather than just being a business looking to maximise their profit. ALS are welcome to go down that route should they wish but, for me, it' not what football club supporters travel should be about
 
rubberface said:
Boro always get designated a pub in our city centre when they come here.
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Aye think it was Passion nightclub they got put in one of the more recent times. Sounded like some of them went in Jameson's last August as well but they didn't get given it and it went up I'm sure as it had our lot in as well.

John J Rambo said:
Sure when that's happened before at Boro, instead of going to a pub, we were escorted straight to ground.
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The most likely scenario like but another poster has said a few years back we got a pub so you never know.
 
Guinness Guzzler said:
Cracking post. I know earlier I was discussing this on the thread with @buster and I do take his point that it's not easy to organise coaches but it's been obvious for years that ALS charge a hell of a lot for what they offer. What's clear from your post is that plenty of other clubs offer discounts for kids and I think it's disgusting that ALS don't. The bairn and his mates are just getting into doing loads of aways and it costs a fortune if they get ALS. We let them go with branches but there's obvious reasons why some parents would rather their kids went with ALS, shame that they charge a premium for it. On top of that they seem to charge more for adults than most other clubs.

It would be hard for a direct competitor to be established tbh, ALS have been doing it so long that they've immediately got a lot of the market cornered but I'd love to see competition from a group who have the primary aim, as Sunderland fans, of getting other fans to the game for a reasonable price rather than just being a business looking to maximise their profit. ALS are welcome to go down that route should they wish but, for me, it' not what football club supporters travel should be about
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The basics of supply and demand are as clear as day in this case , Als have established themselves as the main coach transport supplier for the majority of our fans who wish to travel by coach.

They themselves will not have a lot of choice from coach companies who wish to have football fans on their coaches , memories of coaches getting trashed in the past etc.

Added to which the fuel costs never seem to drop or if they do the y drop in costs never seem to get passed on.

Now have a look at it from ALS point of view ,

Established market.
High % of seats filled if not sold out on a regular basis.
Known product.
Good pick up points.
Stewarded buses.
Profitable service.

Why reduce your prices , there's no obvious need to unless as I stated in an earlier post that new competition turns up to meet them head on.

As long as it stays like it is nothing will change.
 
humbug said:
we always use lawson industrial estate. always room and quite close. easy to get away after as well.
turn right at first roundabout on a66 where mcdonalds is then right at next one.
if you're brave you can walk past the navigator or if not then back up parallel to the a66 then over the bridge.
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If you're really really brave you could walk past the Navigation pub instead ;)
 
buster said:
The basics of supply and demand are as clear as day in this case , Als have established themselves as the main coach transport supplier for the majority of our fans who wish to travel by coach.

They themselves will not have a lot of choice from coach companies who wish to have football fans on their coaches , memories of coaches getting trashed in the past etc.

Added to which the fuel costs never seem to drop or if they do the y drop in costs never seem to get passed on.

Now have a look at it from ALS point of view ,

Established market.
High % of seats filled if not sold out on a regular basis.
Known product.
Good pick up points.
Stewarded buses.
Profitable service.

Why reduce your prices , there's no obvious need to unless as I stated in an earlier post that new competition turns up to meet them head on.

As long as it stays like it is nothing will change.
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You're right, as a business you wouldn't reduce your prices. That's my gripe with ALS, I'd rather that a fanzine try to provide a good, affordable service for fellow fans rather than purely being a profit driven business. For me fans groups aren't meant to be all about maximising profit, just like the branches aren't.

Seem to remember when West Ham were charging 60 odd quid a ticket ALS were one of those complaining. Judging by their own standards they shouldn't have moaned; our section was still going to sell out. Unless of course they feel football clubs should have a responsibility to fans but that fanzines don't
 
Guinness Guzzler said:
You're right, as a business you wouldn't reduce your prices. That's my gripe with ALS, I'd rather that a fanzine try to provide a good, affordable service for fellow fans rather than purely being a profit driven business. For me fans groups aren't meant to be all about maximising profit, just like the branches aren't.

Seem to remember when West Ham were charging 60 odd quid a ticket ALS were one of those complaining. Judging by their own standards they shouldn't have moaned; our section was still going to sell out. Unless of course they feel football clubs should have a responsibility to fans but that fanzines don't
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GG , I'm not defending ALS , I'm just trying to see it from their side and as I've made very clear I'd rather not go to away matches rather than travel with them.

Funnily enough over the years I have seen MMc F at Durham station getting the train down to London when we're playing down there .
 
buster said:
GG , I'm not defending ALS , I'm just trying to see it from their side and as I've made very clear I'd rather not go to away matches rather than travel with them.

Funnily enough over the years I have seen MMc F at Durham station getting the train down to London when we're playing down there .
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First class? :lol:

Could bear aways on a bus. However I guess they need a buffer for half empty coaches etc. It appears that buffer is a tad wide like.
 
Well just to confirm eventually decided on £10 coach with the main branch of the Supporters Association. This was £2 cheaper than the train and meant no parking hassles etc.

I let our railcard lapse as rarely used it. Occasionally drive away (Bury, Bradford, Southampton and St Johnstone for example). Was thinking of Weekenders in Cardiff and Bristol so May drive them. Not bothered about having a drink and actually enjoy the crack on the bus. Probably cos I’m in my fifties now back in the day getting pissed was the priority.

Anyhoo dry coaches are as dry as you make them.
 

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