Reading Buses Boxing Day Surcharge

[Forbury Lion]

http://www.reading-buses.co.uk/football-fares/

Boxing Day Saturday 26 December 2010

A surcharge will apply on all fares on this day.

Ignoring the fact that it's Sunday, not Saturday.... Does anyone know what the surcharge is? The website doesn't state this and you need the exact fare.

In past years it's been £1.

[weybridgewanderer]

http://www.readingfc.co.uk/page/NewsDet ... 62,00.html

so same again, but our bus never charged the extra

[Ian]

Got caught out by this one from Shire Hall. Now I have no issue with the drivers being paid overtime and so they should but three buses making what three trips each I doubt if the drivers got paid that much at an extra £1 per person. Do the sums.

The powers that be want you to use public transport but stunts like this do nothing to encourage you.

[Red]

Got caught out by this one from Shire Hall. Now I have no issue with the drivers being paid overtime and so they should but three buses making what three trips each I doubt if the drivers got paid that much at an extra £1 per person. Do the sums.

The powers that be want you to use public transport but stunts like this do nothing to encourage you.

Agree with that. Noone would begrudge the drivers getting a bonus but this should come from fares throughout the year and the bus companies pocket rather than the hapless residents of central Berkshire who have no choice but to get a bus on boxing day.

[tomrfcurz]

Bit of a monopoly for them really as there was no trains so people have no choice, £1 extra is ridiculous really

[Red]

No trains on boxing day is a shambles in itself.

[Silver Fox]

Bit of a monopoly for them really as there was no trains so people have no choice, £1 extra is ridiculous really

Considering there was hardly anyone on the buses and we had just shy of 20K there must have been some sort of alternative

[Red]

The private motor car I imagine SF.

[weybridgewanderer]

Bit of a monopoly for them really as there was no trains so people have no choice, £1 extra is ridiculous really

Personally I think that for some guy or woman to give up their bank holiday to drive me to the football, £1 extra is a bargain

[Red]

Bit of a monopoly for them really as there was no trains so people have no choice, £1 extra is ridiculous really

Personally I think that for some guy or woman to give up their bank holiday to drive me to the football, £1 extra is a bargain

You make it sound like a chauffeur who's volunteering for the sake of £1.

I've already said I don't begrudge the drivers the extra dosh, and I stick by that - but plenty of professions have to work unsocialable hours - it's part of the job.

[Ian]

Does STAR have a view on this? Have they made, or will be making representations to Reading buses?

If Reading Buses are part of the Council as opposed to being a company they would be subject to Freedom of Information Act requests so how much extra did they take? What extra did it cost them to run the services (drivers and others overtime)? How much extra profit was generated? So much for public service.

[tomrfcurz]

Bit of a monopoly for them really as there was no trains so people have no choice, £1 extra is ridiculous really

Personally I think that for some guy or woman to give up their bank holiday to drive me to the football, £1 extra is a bargain

But these coaches are rammed, we're looking at an extra £50.00 on top of normally excessive fees for a one way trip. My point is this £1.00 is not going to the driver is it? For example, if there's 50 people on the bus, thats an extra £50.00 - i'd imagine the driver is only getting extra pay of about £20.00 max on that trip; that makes £30.00 going into the money pot of the company every trip (obviously not accurate figures but just a for instance)

[weybridgewanderer]

who all are required to get these buses on the road? Just the drivers?

We will no doubt have inspectors, maintenance staff and others

So yes maybe only a fraction o fthe £50 per bus is going to the driver, who may well be

Taxis charge an increased tarrif on boxing day, on every fare. For the taxi I took on boxing day that increase was 30%.

For the bus I was on the £1 increase was 15%.

Do we complain about the taxis chnging their tarrifs on boxing day?

[RoyalBlue]

who all are required to get these buses on the road? Just the drivers?

We will no doubt have inspectors, maintenance staff and others

So yes maybe only a fraction o fthe £50 per bus is going to the driver, who may well be

Taxis charge an increased tarrif on boxing day, on every fare. For the taxi I took on boxing day that increase was 30%.

For the bus I was on the £1 increase was 15%.

Do we complain about the taxis chnging their tarrifs on boxing day?

Even allowing for their other overheads, there is no way that Reading buses didn't profit significantly as a result of this extra £1 charge. As has been pointed out, tit wasn't as though the buses were running even partly empty!

Do Reading buses charge an extra £1 on all the other buses they run on public holidays?

[weybridgewanderer]

I suppose taxi drivers made more money charging christmas and boxing day surcharges too that are not in line with what they would charge on other bank holidays

where is the outrage? Anyone use a black cab to get to the stadium?

[Tad Showbiz]

who all are required to get these buses on the road? Just the drivers?

We will no doubt have inspectors, maintenance staff and others

So yes maybe only a fraction o fthe £50 per bus is going to the driver, who may well be

Taxis charge an increased tarrif on boxing day, on every fare. For the taxi I took on boxing day that increase was 30%.

For the bus I was on the £1 increase was 15%.

Do we complain about the taxis chnging their tarrifs on boxing day?

Even allowing for their other overheads, there is no way that Reading buses didn't profit significantly as a result of this extra £1 charge. As has been pointed out, tit wasn't as though the buses were running even partly empty!

Do Reading buses charge an extra £1 on all the other buses they run on public holidays?

No. I paid the usual £3.80 busabout from Woodley to town then caught the No.6 down the Basingstoke Road.

The £1 extra is from the charge football fans as much as we can get away with policy! If London Irish were at home then Reading buses would have lowered the prices.

[Big Foot]

I paid for a £1.70 single from town to Whitley and walked to the ground from the top of Northy

[weybridgewanderer]

well bully for you

[Big Foot]

well bully for you

Exactly

[STAR Liaison]

But these coaches are rammed, we're looking at an extra £50.00 on top of normally excessive fees for a one way trip. My point is this £1.00 is not going to the driver is it? For example, if there's 50 people on the bus, thats an extra £50.00 - i'd imagine the driver is only getting extra pay of about £20.00 max on that trip; that makes £30.00 going into the money pot of the company every trip (obviously not accurate figures but just a for instance)

From the discussions we had when we looked into this a few seasons ago, I think the big problem for these buses is that the drivers have to be called in for a full shift for just the football buses and when the buses are used they also have to call in other staff in the garage (and presumably someone to supervise them all ) so the costs are a lot more than just the wages paid to the drivers.

I am talking from memory but I wll see if I can find the details somewhere