CJT have asked if we can post this poll so they can ascertain people's views about the supporters buses. 

Edited September 11, 201510 yr by Scotty

Thanks to those who have responded so far. Can I please encourage people to comment in the topic as well. Suggestions, constructive criticism etc. Tnx 

Apart from the trips to Dingwall I generally combine my away match journeys with visits to friends and relatives. So I will take the car and often go early or stay overnight in the likes of Glasgow, Perth or Edinburgh. That said if I did happen to travel by bus I would go with CJT.

It's nice to see CJT looking to see how to tweak things if required.

Would it be possible to email CJT members for a broader reply. 

We don't have the same competition as other cities would have for bus hire. Nor do we have the short /cheap journeys that other clubs benefit from. So well done for what's been done so far.

For me away days are limited simply down to a lack of available free time l would try and make midweek games if I was working in the area.

Maybe try and mix it a little.

IE  Brewster's at Bishopbriggs just off the M80 when heading west offer cheap deals for lunch. 2 meals £10 and have a bar.  Its not much dearer than a pie at the game. Or negotiate a deal for soup and sarnies at the Inchture hotel heading to Dundee for a change. Moreso relating to grounds where the service is terrible.The stop on the way home could be shorter too.

Have a pub day when there isn't much doing at the final destination pubs wise IE, more pub stops on the way downdown and find somewhere that takes food orders over the phone so its ready on arrival. 

Just a couple of suggestions but you would be better listening to the ones who use it more.

 

Might even be worth contacting some friendlier faces OTB to see how they run their buses, prices, stops etc. See if anything could be learnt from their approach.

responses from survey

1 Aviemore

3 C J T

4 Always travel with CJT if there is a bus

6 Perth bus station

9 I am happy with way buses are run at the moment. The only thing I would change would be not to get to ground two hours early. one hour is fine.

Might even be worth contacting some friendlier faces OTB to see how they run their buses, prices, stops etc. See if anything could be learnt from their approach.

I heard last season that those running the Ross County bus want to do there's in a similar manner to ours.  Seemingly theirs stops at umpteem pubs and golf clubs on the way down, as well as (allegedly) turning a blind eye to drinking on the bus.  While there's is cheaper, it's subsidised by the club.

I'm quite glad our bus isn't like that in all honesty.  Those who use the bus do so to enjoy their football and support their team.  Opening it up to those who would be more interesting in the drinking side of it and you'd start having to share the bus with people you wish weren't going IMO.

I know Renegade it would be terrible to sit next to any of those fans who stopped off at St Johnstone on the way to Hampden. :-• 

I suppose if your using the bus all the time then your voice counts the most.

I know Renegade it would be terrible to sit next to any of those fans who stopped off at St Johnstone on the way to Hampden. :-• 

I suppose if your using the bus all the time then your voice counts the most.

You've completely missed the point.  Nowhere did I chastise anyone who does drink and it does happen usually upon reaching the ground or briefly in Perth on the way back.  On the CJT bus, the focus, as it should be, is football.  From what I gather, the focus on the Ross County bus is drinking.  When that happens you'll start attracting people you'd rather weren't going.  It's no surprise that most of the drivers attest that they much prefer driving our fans than our Dingwall counterparts.

As I've never been on a Ross County bus, I can't really comment.

IF, their fans do turn it into a session on the bus then this is where the problem lies and not an additional 25 min stop on the way down somewhere. Which is also another leg stretch for those needing it.

Is this merely an exaggeration regarding County as they are only stopping at a Community pub in Perth on the next bus run.

They have even further to travel than us so logistically they can't keep pulling off the main route to find a pub, park up, get every one off into the pub get everyone served and back on a bus numerous times.  Drunks want to drink all day and your right the bus would be a long journey sitting next to one but you've taken it from no drink to sitting next to someone with a drink problem.

I thought this topic was about finding ways to increase the numbers on the bus as we can't compete with County's £10 a head for members.

As a regular user of supporters bus I am very happy the way things are as all fans are catered for 

We could look at time of leaving depending on distance being travelled .ICT have a lot of young faithful fans

who turn up every week where possible most of them are under age to go into pubs this has

to be taken into account when making changes .As far as I know parents have to give 

consent for them to travel but who is responsible for them when we arrive at stadium 

too early and they can't or don't want to go to pub ? Our buses have always been run exceptionally

well and Im sure the majority who travel have no idea of the work involved .Please do everything 

possible to keep our young  fans safe .

As a regular user of supporters bus I am very happy the way things are as all fans are catered for 

We could look at time of leaving depending on distance being travelled .ICT have a lot of young faithful fans

who turn up every week where possible most of them are under age to go into pubs this has

to be taken into account when making changes .As far as I know parents have to give 

consent for them to travel but who is responsible for them when we arrive at stadium 

too early and they can't or don't want to go to pub ? Our buses have always been run exceptionally

well and Im sure the majority who travel have no idea of the work involved .Please do everything 

possible to keep our young  fans safe .

The consent form makes it clear that the youngsters are the parents responsibility at all times. CJT take no responsibility for them at all. This is very clear on the form 

From where I live it's easier for me to use the train ;-) Having said that, there have been occasions where I have been in Inverness for an away game and used the bus. It doesn't happen very often. If I can get to a game and back by train I will. It is cheaper for me and I find it more comfortable. If I was a regular user of the bus I would prefer to get to the game at least 90 mins prior to ko as this gives time to socialise with friends / supporters - it's all part of the day out to me. I'd have no objection to the bus stopping en route to pick up supporters but a lengthy break is unnecessary. The current price structure seems fair to me. 

Im pretty much the same view as Gringo.  I prefer the train mainly as it makes it more of a whole day out. 

I would be more likely to travel on the bus if there was a small stop at Broxden and get to the ground earlier. I used to travel regularly on the bus and really did not like the extra time spend going into the centre of Perth.    I like the social side of the football and enjoy meeting up with people before the game.  This is not always possible when travelling on the supporters bus.

If the bus is mainly running at a loss, is there any chance of getting sponsorship from local businesses to part fund the bus

 

Im pretty much the same view as Gringo.  I prefer the train mainly as it makes it more of a whole day out. 

I would be more likely to travel on the bus if there was a small stop at Broxden and get to the ground earlier. I used to travel regularly on the bus and really did not like the extra time spend going into the centre of Perth.    I like the social side of the football and enjoy meeting up with people before the game.  This is not always possible when travelling on the supporters bus.

If the bus is mainly running at a loss, is there any chance of getting sponsorship from local businesses to part fund the bus

 

Ehm, that's really the way it works now.  To be quite honest, if we were to arrive at McDiarmid Park at the normal time, I'd have thought by the time you'd have walked into Perth town centre, it'd be time to walk back again.  You certainly wouldn't have enough time to have a meal in a restaurant or something.

I can't think of any trip I've made on the bus on the way to a game where we've had any trip to Perth town centre whatsoever, let alone a lengthy stop.

Edited September 17, 201510 yr by Renegade

Well that's good to know that the busses have stopped going into Perth bus station, this was the norm for quite a long time and one of the reasons I was reluctant to go on the bus, the busses regularly got caught up in traffic going into the centre of Perth and then would arrive at the ground very close to kick off time.  It used to do the same going back up the road, it would stop at the bus station for half an hour so people could get chips.

I get to very few away matches but hope I may be able to get to a few more in future.  When I have gone I have sometimes combined the trip with something else so have traveled by car or train, although have occasionally traveled on the club bus.  On those rare occasions I have always found them to be an excellent way of getting to the games.  I like the convenience of being dropped off close to the ground and I have always found a friendly, welcoming atmosphere on board, helped by the folk "in charge".  £20 seems a very fair price to me and I would certainly recommend the buses as they are currently run to anyone wondering whether to go or not. 

Personally I think it is important that the buses drop folk off close to the ground at a reasonable time before the game but without folk having to hang about for more than an hour before kick off.  I appreciate that many folk like a drink or two before a game but equally, there's many that don't.  I'm happy either way but the priority for club buses must be those who simply want to get to the game and then get home. It would be quite wrong to expect them to hang around for an hour or so just because others want a drink or two.  The buses need to cater for families, older folk, folk with some level of disability and others who simply want to watch the game and go home.  If people want to engage in activities in addition to the game then it is up to them to make their own arrangements.

£15 for everyone is fine for everyone it use to be £14-15 so why change it all of a sudden seems strange. Short away days like Dundee and Utd no need to stop on way down. Way back possibly so folk can get food and a drink for way home.  For arriving at game I like to be there 1 hour to hour and half early to get pre match atmosphere and a drink if pub near by etc 

£15 for everyone is fine for everyone it use to be £14-15 so why change it all of a sudden seems strange. Short away days like Dundee and Utd no need to stop on way down. Way back possibly so folk can get food and a drink for way home.  For arriving at game I like to be there 1 hour to hour and half early to get pre match atmosphere and a drink if pub near by etc 

No really anything strange to be honest regarding pricing just trying to get the buses running at something remotely resembling 'breaking even'. Costs have increased over the past several years but the price charged has never really gone up (maybe by a pound). The new price was to make it a bit cheaper (or at least no more expensive) for families/kids. 

Any time I've priced up getting a bus to the town/city of the team we're playing against the CJT bus, the CJT one has been cheaper and obviously that doesn't include additional costs of getting further (bus/taxi etc) transport to the particular stadium itself. 

CJT do realise that people work hard to their cash and that football can be an expensive pass time, keeping it as cheap as is realistically possible is a priority. Hope that sheds some light on it if it helps.