Coach prices for away games

[Jim Smith 2,322]

I note it’s £56 for the coach to Liverpool and was £53 last night.

it’s been a long time since I went on the club coaches to an away game but that seems a lot. Is that typical for a distant away trip?

Does it cost £3k to hire s coach for the day to Liverpool and back?

Edited January 18 by Jim Smith

[Jim Smith 2,322]

A very cursory internet search of coach prices some NW or south coast clubs charge their fans indicates prices are typically in the £30-£40 bracket for their longer away trips (eg Liverpool to Bournemouth). 

 

[dylanisabaddog 4,933]

Blimey. If you'd asked me to guess I'd have said £35 to Liverpool. Two people in a car could make a significant saving by driving. 

[Walcombe canary 69]

The Club Coach travel is expensive, and then you check the Train prices. Rip off Britain

[FenwayFrank 2,459]

1 hour ago, Jim Smith said:

I note it’s £56 for the coach to Liverpool

Is that before or after you get £1 off for having a season ticket? 

[......and Smith must score. 1,346]

1 hour ago, dylanisabaddog said:

Blimey. If you'd asked me to guess I'd have said £35 to Liverpool. Two people in a car could make a significant saving by driving. 

Ah, but you’d miss out on the priceless Cabbage ‘ experience ‘…

[Jim Smith 2,322]

I’m just a bit shocked at how much it’s gone up in recent years. I get that costs generally have increased but I feel a bit sorry for those youngsters who are often reliant on the coaches to get to away games.

You would think that with the prize money from the 3rd round, the tv monies from the next round and the share of the Anfield gate receipts that the club could have at least subsidised it to a degree. You could lay on 10 free coaches for £25k and we get £100k just from the game being on tv. 

[stratton canary 134]

Double time on a Sunday, driver wise! 

[SteveN8458 64]

2 hours ago, Jim Smith said:

I note it’s £56 for the coach to Liverpool and was £53 last night.

it’s been a long time since I went on the club coaches to an away game but that seems a lot. Is that typical for a distant away trip?

Does it cost £3k to hire s coach for the day to Liverpool and back?

Went to the Liverpool game with my youngest son when we were in the PL (1st game of the season) on cabbage.

Almost missed the kickoff due to the driver not anticipating the A17 whould be crap.

Coming home, went via who knows where, arrived at the carra at 06:30 following day

SH1TE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Edited January 18 by SteveN8458

[Branston Pickle 3,661]

34 minutes ago, Jim Smith said:

I’m just a bit shocked at how much it’s gone up in recent years. I get that costs generally have increased but I feel a bit sorry for those youngsters who are often reliant on the coaches to get to away games.

You would think that with the prize money from the 3rd round, the tv monies from the next round and the share of the Anfield gate receipts that the club could have at least subsidised it to a degree. You could lay on 10 free coaches for £25k and we get £100k just from the game being on tv. 

It is definitely pretty scary how much coach travel is these days - I know some schools have found it cheaper to go on trips by rail.

I doubt the club is making anything from running trips, or you’d hope not; Norwich’s remoteness is always going to be a pain in adding to travel time which will presumably add to the costs. 

This is one of those where the club could have made some sort of gesture to say thanks to supporters and get as many travelling as they can - not that I ever benefit, not being local.  There is prize money in the FA Cup + we’ll get the extra tv money. 

[NewNestCarrow 195]

42 minutes ago, Jim Smith said:

I’m just a bit shocked at how much it’s gone up in recent years. I get that costs generally have increased but I feel a bit sorry for those youngsters who are often reliant on the coaches to get to away games.

You would think that with the prize money from the 3rd round, the tv monies from the next round and the share of the Anfield gate receipts that the club could have at least subsidised it to a degree. You could lay on 10 free coaches for £25k and we get £100k just from the game being on tv. 

Yes, the club could do this, but then some fans might moan that income wasn't being spent on players!

 

[Feedthewolf 4,846]

16 minutes ago, NewNestCarrow said:

Yes, the club could do this, but then some fans might moan that income wasn't being spent on players!

Quite. Free coach travel for, say, 4,000 fans at £56 a pop adds up to (checks calculator) £224k.

Cheapest way to do it would be to take a car with at least four people in it... let's say a 500-mile round trip, probably about £100 worth of fuel. 

[Jim Smith 2,322]

1 minute ago, Feedthewolf said:

Quite. Free coach travel for, say, 4,000 fans at £56 a pop adds up to (checks calculator) £224k.

Cheapest way to do it would be to take a car with at least four people in it... let's say a 500-mile round trip, probably about £100 worth of fuel. 

Well you wouldn’t do it for 4,000 though would you and that many people would never want to go on the club coaches.

Another way of looking at it is you could subsidise 1000 coach tickets by £30 (making the trip £25 a head) for just 30% of the prize money we got for last night or 30% of what ITV are paying us to screen the game (which has meant it moving to the Sunday and possibly inflated the coach trip costs). 

In fact the tv money alone could subsidise 1800 fans travelling for free and still leave the club with the prize money from the 3rd round and our share of the Anfield gate receipts. I just think it’s a bit of an opportunity missed to try and rebuild a bit of goodwill. I’m also not entirely convinced it costs £56 a head in the first place!

 

 

[Feedthewolf 4,846]

1 minute ago, Jim Smith said:

Well you wouldn’t do it for 4,000 though would you and that many people would never want to go on the club coaches.

Another way of looking at it is you could subsidise 1000 coach tickets by £30 (making the trip £25 a head) for just 30% of the prize money we got for last night or 30% of what ITV are paying us to screen the game (which has meant it moving to the Sunday and possibly inflated the coach trip costs). 

In fact the tv money alone could subsidise 1800 fans travelling for free and still leave the club with the prize money from the 3rd round and our share of the Anfield gate receipts. I just think it’s a bit of an opportunity missed to try and rebuild a bit of goodwill. I’m also not entirely convinced it costs £56 a head in the first place!

When you put it that way, your logic is sound, Jim. Identifying opportunities to rebuild goodwill hasn't been the club's strongest suit in recent times, admittedly.

I guess a lot depends on the depth of Attanasio's pockets, and how much he's prepared to invest in his new project... although part of me thinks that he's happy for the goodwill to slide while Delia and Michael are still in charge, so he can better play the 'knight in shining armour' routine when he does finally take control.

[king canary 7,609]

2 hours ago, FenwayFrank said:

Is that before or after you get £1 off for having a season ticket? 

I always found this so odd. Why even bother with a discount if it is that little?

[essex canary 497]

13 minutes ago, Jim Smith said:

Well you wouldn’t do it for 4,000 though would you and that many people would never want to go on the club coaches.

Another way of looking at it is you could subsidise 1000 coach tickets by £30 (making the trip £25 a head) for just 30% of the prize money we got for last night or 30% of what ITV are paying us to screen the game (which has meant it moving to the Sunday and possibly inflated the coach trip costs). 

In fact the tv money alone could subsidise 1800 fans travelling for free and still leave the club with the prize money from the 3rd round and our share of the Anfield gate receipts. I just think it’s a bit of an opportunity missed to try and rebuild a bit of goodwill. I’m also not entirely convinced it costs £56 a head in the first place!

 

 

They subsidised the coaches last time we went to Anfield for an evening cup game. Sitting on a coach until 4am in the morning isn't for everyone and not everyone lives in Norwich. Ticket subsidy is better and offers the Club an opportunity to make a gesture which they should most certainly be doing at present and limiting the financial exposure. 

Perhaps the wider issue is can they get a more competitive coach contract for all matches.   

Edited January 18 by essex canary

[Jim Smith 2,322]

12 minutes ago, Feedthewolf said:

When you put it that way, your logic is sound, Jim. Identifying opportunities to rebuild goodwill hasn't been the club's strongest suit in recent times, admittedly.

I guess a lot depends on the depth of Attanasio's pockets, and how much he's prepared to invest in his new project... although part of me thinks that he's happy for the goodwill to slide while Delia and Michael are still in charge, so he can better play the 'knight in shining armour' routine when he does finally take control.

Mind you since we will inevitably lose perhaps they are better saving the gesture for a league game rather than encouraging another 1000 poor souls to experience a hiding at Anfield!

[Robert N. LiM 4,394]

The club should be subsidising coach travel for away games as a matter of course for sustainability reasons. If posters on here are right that it's cheaper to drive (after taking into account running costs of your car - it's not just the petrol cost), that's ridiculous. 

[NewNestCarrow 195]

10 minutes ago, Jim Smith said:

Mind you since we will inevitably lose perhaps they are better saving the gesture for a league game rather than encouraging another 1000 poor souls to experience a hiding at Anfield!

Our last match at Anfield (a FAC tie, funnily enough) was a narrow 1-2 defeat.

But that doesn’t suit the prevailing opinion, so we’ll ignore it!

 

[Peregrine Shorts 315]

if you own over a thousand shares in the club you should be carried to away games in a sedan chair by members of the youth team

[norwich canary 73]

A bit unfair to be honest

for that price you get your own window which you can lick all the way there and back again so if you think you have transport and entertainment included in the price then it’s a good offer 

[NewNestCarrow 195]

And another thing to consider, the FAC cash may not be all profit.

If players get a bonus for winning cup ties - the kind of results-based scheme that most would agree is a good thing - there may not be much left over for wacky schemes to keep the peasants quiet!

[MrFruit 28]

 - I don't agree with subsidising coach tickets. It should be off a match ticket then ALL will benefit. That said we are self funding club so why expect/hope for a discount?

 - Sanders are based in Holt so for Liverpool it's almost 550 mile round trip. So at £56 it works out at approx 10p per mile x say 50 per coach = £2800. Divide that by 550 miles it works out at just over £5 per mile which is not far off the commercial rate that coach companies charge. Include that they have to have 2 drivers per coach for long trips.

- by all means drive if that's your preference but include fair wear & tear, parking costs etc.

- I recall when our players subsidised Crystal Palace away match tickets I think it was £10 off per ticket. A section of NCFC 'fans' repaid that gesture by slagging off Billy Gilmour for most of the match. Yes he was poor but if I was in our squad I would think seriously about offering a further gesture. 

Edited January 18 by MrFruit

[essex canary 497]

2 hours ago, Peregrine Shorts said:

if you own over a thousand shares in the club you should be carried to away games in a sedan chair by members of the youth team

I will let Delia do that and take her seat on the plane.

[RobJames 881]

It is around £60 on National Express, but that is as so much is now - you find the price varies on what time you access their idiot fares.

An anecdote is someone I know caught the train in rural Hampshire to S'oton. No ticket office-machine broke so he approached guard on the train, who told him it was illegal to travel without a ticket and he should have bought one with his phone. He replied it was South West Trains , not South West telecom, and the fare was £5.70. No, said the guard as he was on the 10 47 running late and it would be £8. He offered the £5.70 which was declined so he gave his address, threatening letters followed which he ignored. I fear we have not reached peak bollox when it comes to paying for stuff and it will become more complicated as time goes on.

10p a mile doesnt seem that expensive. You could run behind the coach and save that 10p for each mike - but you could be better to run behind a taxi and save over ten times the amount, your choice.

[shefcanary 2,410]

Well, I'm researching trains from Sheffield. On Trainline to get there in time they are currently only showing two trains - one has two changes in Manchester, takes near 3 hours, the other has a change at Huddersfield and also takes nearly 3 hours. The usual train I take to Liverpool which is the Norwich to Liverpool train usually takes less than 2 hours. I assume that because of this match, the tickets for these trains have been snapped up or held back for a rush over the weekend. 

Also both of the trains I've found cost £44 for an open return. This makes Club Cabbage quite appealing.

Something tells me that someone somewhere is trying to make a lot of money out of this game. 🤔

[TIL 1010 4,753]

It's not just the £56 as you will require further money for your half and half scarf.

[NewNestCarrow 195]

1 hour ago, RobJames said:

It is around £60 on National Express, but that is as so much is now - you find the price varies on what time you access their idiot fares.

When I checked yesterday the earliest Nat Express service from Norwich (on the 28th)  doesn't reach Liverpool until after the final whistle will have blown. 

[Capt. Pants 4,252]

£56 doesn't sound that bad in this day an age imo. 

It would probably be an administrative nightmare but those who went to Bristol ought to get a sizeable discount.

 

[Branston Pickle 3,661]

1 hour ago, NewNestCarrow said:

When I checked yesterday the earliest Nat Express service from Norwich (on the 28th)  doesn't reach Liverpool until after the final whistle will have blown. 

Coach travel to:from London to Norwich isn’t the best either - I looked up during the train strikes, it didn’t seem overly cheap and there weren’t any return coaches after 5ish until nearly midnight!

Edited January 18 by Branston Pickle