Late Coaches

[anR]

Being fair I did not get enough time to have a look about the concourse or anything before the game at Wigan

What? Seriously? You wanted to look around the concourse?!

Too right I did! If we are not allowed to drink on the bus I'd at least like some time to do this at the ground before the game.

Secondly :-
You simply don’t have time to pick people in town. In future, would it not be more sensible for the Mad Stad departure time (being that we're right by the M4) to be the ACTUAL time we get on the road? If Station pick up is necessary (and you may argue that most people can get to the Mad Stad, they do for home games!) then couldn't that be done BEFORE the Mad Stad, as there really is a lot of time wasted before you get on the motorway network. The time was pushing 9:45 by the time we were going up St Peter's Hill in Caversham.... it's all eating in to what was a tight time anyway.

Now if this was the case I'd be screwed! Until they make Green Park a rail station! Getting the train then bus is sort of routine for me. Seems curious the country route we always take to get on the motorway, and Coach 1 paid for this on the way back by being trapped behind a small car doing a slow 30 mph down clear winding roads on the way back...

Missing kick off is unacceptable. A bit of anticapation about rush hour raffic is all that's needed in the planning process, I think. Getting to a stadium just in time for kick off is undesirable, as we need to make a day off it rather than a few hours! Am I alone in my thinking?

[STAR TRAVEL]

Fozzy.

First of all shooting is not required.
Thank you for a considered and objective post.

Firstly, the times for the last two games were based on previous experience with similar destinations, however nothing is set in stone and we are constantly reviewing our process. We have already taken the decison to bring forward the times for Sheffield Utd.

Historically we have always offered a pick up at Station Hill and this has not caused us problems before. The last two games have been the exception not the rule. The route we use has in the past proved time and time again to be effective, the alternative of using the M4 A34 on Saturday would not have helped as I understand there were severe problems near Abingdon that resulted in partial/total closure. We may not have made it all. The coach company have the use of traffic master and as previously stated we are always reviewing situations.

No matter what we do we will not please everybody, there are those that expect a service tailored to their individual wants. we have people say we leave too early we have had them say we leave to late, we have had them say why can't you pick up at other places.
At the end of the day we have to make decisions, we are damned if we do and damned if we don't.

[fozzy]

Fozzy.

First of all shooting is not required.
Thank you for a considered and objective post.

No matter what we do we will not please everybody, there are those that expect a service tailored to their individual wants. we have people say we leave too early we have had them say we leave to late, we have had them say why can't you pick up at other places.
At the end of the day we have to make decisions, we are damned if we do and damned if we don't.

Fully understood. Frustrations I think are mostly based on UK traffic problems really and yes, one shouldn't expect a tailored service but just one that arrives in decent time before k/o : hard I know, and yes it's easy to criticise. I wouldn't want your job of organising, i don't envy it at all. Interesting to see your comments re: Sheff Utd. Bringing forward times is probably best : yes, you can't please all of the people all of the time but at least you can try to provide a service which arrives TOO EARLY rather than TOO LATE..... if the punters don't like the early start then tough, it's better than missing the k/o.

After all, when we went to Wigan with you in Nov 1978 we arrived at 1.15, in the pouring rain with only a 6" ledge on the main stand at Springfield Park to hide under
I would have taken that any time compared to the stressful rush on Saturday.

Finally, the big difference in 'complaints' these days is of course the internet. I always go by the rule of 'never say something you wouldn't say to someone's face' - but there are too many people who just throw criticism on here for the sake of it because it's anonymous. I don't know for sure which STAR person you are (I can probably guess) and you don't know who I am and which coach I was on : but I am more than happy to know/tell via PM if it makes any difference.

I am please of course that we made the k/o ....... at the end of the day we saw the whole game.