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(21 Jan 2014, 10:40 am)andreos1 wrote [ -> ]No idea why, but as soon as you mentioned x35 and petrol can in the same sentence, 'the lane' sprung to mind as having something to do with it

Hahaha
Just emailed a few companies to price up the beano to Dunfermline, will pass it on to Dan when I hear back...

Couple of questionsWink

1. Does SVBM charge to get in, if so, would we be able to get a group discount?

2. If the coach idea did not work out as planned, would we be able to a good group discount on East Coast?
(19 Jan 2014, 11:00 pm)Kuyoyo wrote [ -> ]Gold isn't included in the Mega Fiver Wednesdays.

Just to add, neither are journeys to Scotland.
(21 Jan 2014, 2:20 pm)fozzovmurton wrote [ -> ]Just emailed a few companies to price up the beano to Dunfermline, will pass it on to Dan when I hear back...

Couple of questionsWink

1. Does SVBM charge to get in, if so, would we be able to get a group discount?

2. If the coach idea did not work out as planned, would we be able to a good group discount on East Coast?

I now have a couple of quote for Dunfermline now

Pygalls-600 quid for 42 seat coach with two nettys...£30 a head based on 20 going
Garnetts-580 quid...£29 based on 20 going
Snowdons(only have full size coaches)
Roberts
Northstar

Still waiting ro hear from the other 2 now...

PM on it's way to you Dan
(21 Jan 2014, 3:22 pm)fozzovmurton wrote [ -> ]I now have a couple of quote for Dunfermline now

Pygalls-600 quid for 42 seat coach with two nettys...£30 a head based on 20 going
Garnetts-580 quid...£29 based on 20 going
Snowdons(only have full size coaches)
Roberts
Northstar

Still waiting ro hear from the other 2 now...

PM on it's way to you Dan

Is it worth trying the likes of PG Trips, Cliffs of Fencehouses etc to get the price of a smaller vehicle?
(21 Jan 2014, 3:32 pm)andreos1 wrote [ -> ]Is it worth trying the likes of PG Trips, Cliffs of Fencehouses etc to get the price of a smaller vehicle?

I am waiting on a response from Northstar they certainly have smaller vehicles

I think Dan or whoever is officially organising this needs to put this on Social Media, does NEB have it's own Twitter and Facebook accounts...

The more the merrier and the more that comes the cheaper the bus fare
Email sent to GL Minibuses, will most likely here a Reply Back Tomorrow, I would think.
Response from Northstar...

16 seater for 350 quid or 23 quid a head based on 15 pax
51 Seater is 650 quid or 29 quid a head based 25 pax

I got to say, Northstar seem quite keen to take us, which is why I have asked if the price can be dropped to 20 quid a head, totalling 300 quid for the 16 seater and I have also asked about future trips, could we get some deals if we were to put business there way most of the time...

For what we will need, Northstars 16 seaters seems a decent enough deal and ideal for what we need to start with...

I am actually quite excited about days out, meeting others with a shared common interest as none of my friends are enthusiasts...Guess I am easily pleased, lol
(21 Jan 2014, 4:57 pm)fozzovmurton wrote [ -> ]Response from Northstar...

16 seater for 350 quid or 23 quid a head based on 15 pax

Bit steep, Considering I got quoted £320 by Kingsleys to go to York on 38 Seater Coach.
(21 Jan 2014, 5:43 pm)Adam Malarkey wrote [ -> ]Bit steep, Considering I got quoted £320 by Kingsleys to go to York on 38 Seater Coach.

I am trying to get down to 300 quid on Northstars 16 seat vehicle down to 20 quid a head, plus York is closer to us than Dunfermline, I would not pay anywhere near 20 quid to goto York, plus as it stands right now, a 16 seater would be enough and and if there was enough interest we could start re-negotiating for a bigger vehicle
(21 Jan 2014, 5:43 pm)Adam Malarkey wrote [ -> ]Bit steep, Considering I got quoted £320 by Kingsleys to go to York on 38 Seater Coach.

I'm still impressed by the quote of £410 for the 29-seater to Dunfermline.
(21 Jan 2014, 5:58 pm)Dan wrote [ -> ]I'm still impressed by the quote of £410 for the 29-seater to Dunfermline.

Off the top of my head, all 29 seats filled will be 14-15 quid a head, £27 quid for 15, £20.50 a head for 20 or £16.40 for 25
(21 Jan 2014, 5:55 pm)fozzovmurton wrote [ -> ]I am trying to get down to 300 quid on Northstars 16 seat vehicle down to 20 quid a head, plus York is closer to us than Dunfermline, I would not pay anywhere near 20 quid to goto York, plus as it stands right now, a 16 seater would be enough and and if there was enough interest we could start re-negotiating for a bigger vehicle

Yeah, £20 does seem a bit steep to goto York on a coach especially when, only last year, I managed to snag a £15 return on the train.
(21 Jan 2014, 6:06 pm)AdamY wrote [ -> ]Yeah, £20 does seem a bit steep to goto York on a coach especially when, only last year, I managed to snag a £15 return on the train.

Definately, my dad wouldnt even need to spend £20 pound in petrol to York
Two quick comments on this.

Is it worth trying one of the preservation trusts?
An Alexander Olympian heading back home (Falkirk isn't too far), particularly if they are struggling for cash, they may be open to the idea.

The second comment is based on my own experiences a few years back.
Having been to the zoo, we made our way back to Haymarket ln the bus.
Getting off the bus, we were greeted by thousands of people heading towards us.
What we hadn't realised, was that Madonna was performing at Murrayfield just an hour or two later.
Apart from the crowds, transport companies had latched on to the fact there was a major event happening, so had ramped up their prices.
We had advance tickets on the railcard, but others weren't so fortunate.
Before organising any trips, maybe worth checking the local events calendar first.
(21 Jan 2014, 5:58 pm)Dan wrote [ -> ]I'm still impressed by the quote of £410 for the 29-seater to Dunfermline.

Was that from JH, I think we could manage 29 People to Dunfermline for SVBM in August and Lothian Open Doors Event in September no bother, As there is plenty of other Enthusiasts who not on the Forum who are likely to go also from around Tyne and Wear, So for £14 it is Very Reasonable, But for other Trips i.e. York or Blackpool, I can't that many people going and I think the NEB Poll reflects that even if there isn't people not on the Forum going, Hence the Reason I suggested GL Minibuses/Taxi Firms as I can't see any more than 12-16 People going on most Trips, Plus you'd think for a 12-16 Seater Ford Transit, it would be much cheaper than £400-£500 we have quoted by Coach Firms across Tyne and Wear thus far.
(21 Jan 2014, 6:25 pm)Adam Malarkey wrote [ -> ]Was that from JH, I think we could manage 29 People to Dunfermline for SVBM in August and Lothian Open Doors Event in September no bother, As there is plenty of other Enthusiasts who not on the Forum who are likely to go also from around Tyne and Wear, So for £14 it is Very Reasonable, But for other Trips i.e. York or Blackpool, I can't that many people going and I think the NEB Poll reflects that even if there isn't people not on the Forum going, Hence the Reason I suggested GL Minibuses/Taxi Firms as I can't see any more than 12-16 People going on most Trips, Plus you'd think for a 12-16 Seater Ford Transit, it would be much cheaper than £400-£500 we have quoted by Coach Firms across Tyne and Wear thus far.

Phoenix.

Dear Dan,

Thank you for your enquiry. For the journey below the costs would be as followed:

12 seats - £341 to Dunfermline
14 seats - £353 to Dunfermline
16 seats - £382 to Dunfermline
23 seats - £407 to Dunfermline
29 seats - £419 to Dunfermline
33 seats - £444 to Dunfermline
53 seats - £666 to Dunfermline
(21 Jan 2014, 6:30 pm)Dan wrote [ -> ]Phoenix.

For 29 Seats that isn't bad, but for as little as 12 Seats is ridiculous in my opinion, Considering we most likely end up Travelling in an LDV Maxus, Basically a Poor Man's Ford Transit.
(21 Jan 2014, 6:46 pm)Adam Malarkey wrote [ -> ]For 29 Seats that isn't bad, but for as little as 12 Seats is ridiculous in my opinion, Considering we most likely end up Travelling in an LDV Maxus, Basically a Poor Man's Ford Transit.

Yes, the quote for the 12 seater is shocking about 35 quid a head based on a full load...

I still don't think we would be able to fill a 29 seater, the best we can hope for is to fill is probably 25 tops, right now there is some enthusiasm for it, but could we rally up troops from here alone, I dont think so and think a 16 or 20 seater would be enough for now, I know I am probably being pushy by banging about Northstar, but if I can get them down to £300, then I think that is a good deal and there minibus looks nice too

[Image: gal3.jpg]

[Image: gal4.jpg]

While I may be banging on about Northstar too much, I am more than happy to go with the majority as long as it is cheap enough, £20 I can do, £25 at a push and anything higher and I just could not justify it right now...

What we need to think about is, do we need a vehicle that we will only half fill at best or get a minibus(up to 20 seats) and fill every seat, the minibus options is probably the best way forward right now to keep the price down, if we are going to be serious about doing lets just take babysteps for now and see how if it works, if it works on the smaller scale, look at how we can attract bigger numbers next time
Showbus is developing quite a bit of interest on Facebook - fozz, can you see how much your fave company would cost to go down to Duxford?
(21 Jan 2014, 8:26 pm)Dan wrote [ -> ]Showbus is developing quite a bit of interest on Facebook - fozz, can you see how much your fave company would cost to go down to Duxford?

Will do mate...If I aint heard by friday, I will give them a ring
(21 Jan 2014, 8:26 pm)Dan wrote [ -> ]Showbus is developing quite a bit of interest on Facebook - fozz, can you see how much your fave company would cost to go down to Duxford?

Any others developing interest other than Showbus and SVBM, and what sort of Numbers are we looking now.
(21 Jan 2014, 8:55 pm)Adam Malarkey wrote [ -> ]Any others developing interest other than Showbus and SVBM, and what sort of Numbers are we looking now.

Well we've had two comments on Facebook and one like. That's just by posting on NEB's Facebook.
I imagine if I posted on other groups too, it would develop greater interest too.

So we'd be looking at 9 yes and 7 maybe before even looking at other groups.
(21 Jan 2014, 8:57 pm)Dan wrote [ -> ]Well we've had two comments on Facebook and one like. That's just by posting on NEB's Facebook.
I imagine if I posted on other groups too, it would develop greater interest too.

So we'd be looking at 9 yes and 7 maybe before even looking at other groups.

So, I might be about to be proved wrong here, judging on that response there is a good chance we could close to 30 ;-) lol
(21 Jan 2014, 8:57 pm)Dan wrote [ -> ]Well we've had two comments on Facebook and one like. That's just by posting on NEB's Facebook.
I imagine if I posted on other groups too, it would develop greater interest too.

So we'd be looking at 9 yes and 7 maybe before even looking at other groups.

Yeah I would post on few Facebook Groups, So far it looks like there will be decent amount of People willing to go on these Trips
The more the merrier and the cheaper per person it will be Big Grin seems like we are really starting to get somewhere with this idea
One thing that needs to be taken into consideration, which hasn't really been touched upon, is where are the proposed trips going to start/finish?

Getting to, say, Sunderland is not going to pose that much of a problem to the likes Dan, Adam Malarkey and Fozz; however, for me (and maybe some other potential takers), it's going to cost an extra £6.10/£6.80 with an additional 2-3 hours of travelling time on top. If I lived in, say, Fencehouses, I might be able to go on the trip but not arrive back until the next day incurring a lengthy overnight wait in some grubby Sunderland bus shelter.

So, yeah, we need to think about where people are located. Should we all meet in one central location or is it possible for the coach to make stops to pick people up/drop people off along the way?
(21 Jan 2014, 10:25 pm)AdamY wrote [ -> ]One thing that needs to be taken into consideration, which hasn't really been touched upon, is where are the proposed trips going to start/finish?

Getting to, say, Sunderland is not going to pose that much of a problem to the likes Dan, Adam Malarkey and Fozz; however, for me (and maybe some other potential takers), it's going to cost an extra £6.10/£6.80 with an additional 2-3 hours of travelling time on top. If I lived in, say, Fencehouses, I might be able to go on the trip but not arrive back until the next day incurring a lengthy overnight wait in some grubby Sunderland bus shelter.

So, yeah, we need to think about where people are located. Should we all meet in one central location or is it possible for the coach to make stops to pick people up/drop people off along the way?

I understand and agree mate, Newcastle has already been mentioned as a pick up point, which is ideal for probably most of us...Although depending on where the bus comes from, I am sure we could organise multiple pick ups i.e Sunderland, Washington and Newcastle...But Newcastle should be within easy reach for everybody, even me from Murton

I suppose what we could also look at is multiple drops on the return, especially of it is late and we run the risk of missing last buses home, that is for Dan to sort out when he comes to booking up
(21 Jan 2014, 10:32 pm)fozzovmurton wrote [ -> ]I understand and agree mate, Newcastle has already been mentioned as a pick up point, which is ideal for probably most of us...Although depending on where the bus comes from, I am sure we could organise multiple pick ups i.e Sunderland, Washington and Newcastle...But Newcastle should be within easy reach for everybody, even me from Murton

I suppose what we could also look at is multiple drops on the return, especially of it is late and we run the risk of missing last buses home, that is for Dan to sort out when he comes to booking up

I've often found in the past people want more money for multiple pick up and drop off points. Newcastle is usually your best bet. It's about an hour each way for me on the bus now but still dead easy to get to.
(21 Jan 2014, 10:43 pm)aureolin wrote [ -> ]I've often found in the past people want more money for multiple pick up and drop off points. Newcastle is usually your best bet. It's about an hour each way for me on the bus now but still dead easy to get to.

Yeah, but for me, I would be worried about getting back to Newcastle too late, there is no direct bus back to Murton, so I would have to get the Metro, while having it in mind my last bus from Sunderland is round 11:15pm...I could of course make other arrangements to get home, but dont like putting people out to come for me...That is an obstacle i will deal with when need be Big Grin