Mentioned in the post match thread but needs its own thread I think.
Joking aside about them being saved, hugely disappointing for those impacted. Whole thing sounded a disaster from leaving too late to enforced driver brakes. Never even made it to the M4.
Know some on the coach who lost their 100% attendance record this season through this.
Just seems like all aspects relating to the club are failing.
Comments
based on the above and Google maps estimated journey time of 2 1/2 hours I would have suggested to the coach company leaving at the last pick up at 10. We would have then discussed extra traffic due to bank holiday and adjusted accordingly.
The club as the service provider should refund cost of coach and tickets for game as they have provided the service to get supporters to the game on time.
I have never known coach not making it to the game apart from due to coach breaking down. I have known coaches to arrive late (Grimsby 99/00 season arrived about half time due to traffic on Friday afternoon and Everton on a Saturday arrived shortly after ko)
At worst we once arrived about 5-10 mins late for a 2-2 draw at Tranmere (mid 90's) and earlier this season we arrived right on kick off for Stevenage. Can also remember getting to Wycombe right on kick off when we won 2-1 (think was 11/12)
The fans affected should definitely get a full refund and some accountability for the coach pick up times so fans can have future confidence in using the service.
Add 1 hour as bank Holiday = 4 hours.
Add 45 mins for driver stop.
4 hr 45 mins to arrive at 2pm = leave at 9.15am not 10.30am.
looks like today they took the m3 to cut off the m25/m4 section but turned back before reaching the m4
other than going through the city rather than going around the m25 I can’t see what the drivers could have done differently on the day once they had left.
The issue here is the coaches set off far too late
As we left the Services on the M4, there was slow progress for a few miles but we arrived & parked up at 11.15.
Luckily no major holdups or incidents en route but forward & sensible planning was all that was required.
Just seen on FB that one of our most faithful Addicks missed the match due to the negligency of the coach driver/coach company, along with her 2 sons, the younger celebrating his birthday. The lads were distraught understandably and their Mum seething.
Not a great day, football wise for those of us in attendance but nothing compared to those who didn't make it.
Passengers generally want a stop on a trip of over three hours but with two drivers you can cut it out if there are severe delays.
I suspect they would still have been late.
if the time put forward by the club was wrong you would expect the coach company to flag that up, because they have the experience.
One reason the away coaches come from Deal is that it makes more sense for the home coaches. But when they don’t even pick up in East Kent for away games any more it makes no sense for away travel except that the people making the arrangements will find it easier to work with the same company, who of course will want the business.
The away coach demand was destroyed by Katrien Meire anyway, and has never recovered because there has never been anyone in authority who could care less about that, like many other things in recent years. I don’t include the ticket office staff in that, to be clear. It’s the culture above that.
The ‘old bill don’t like coaches being over an hour early’ certainly wasn’t our mantra.
There was always somewhere we could put the coaches safely if they turned up early. It’s part of any football policing plan (well it was).
I wouldn’t have been happy with these coach pick up times if I’d been at any planning meeting.
I really feel for the supporters here.