Wanderers have confirmed they will be running a ‘streamlined’ matchday bus service for their supporters next season.After a thorough review of routes heading to the stadium, the club has decided to combine some of their less-busy routes to reduce costs.
Chief executive Neil Hart assures supporters that no area previously served by a matchday bus will be forgotten, and that it will meet all the needs identified by the review, but feels the new service will be more cost-effective.
Wanderers had expressed concern that passenger numbers had fallen in recent years and that operating buses to bring supporters to the stadium – a legacy agreement which was made when it first opened in 1997 – was now becoming financially unviable.
Hart confirmed that a three-year deal is to be signed with local company Tyrers to become the club’s official supporter travel partner, which will encompass matchday buses, away travel and also special extras, such as Wembley trips or shuttle buses for the upcoming Pink concert from Bolton, Leigh and Wigan.
“Tyrers have been really good to work with and understand where we are coming from,” Hart told The Bolton News.
“The rhetoric from us was that it costs the club a lot of money and can we put this in a position where we can use our funds better, make it more cost-effective without putting prices up for supporters? I think this will do that.
“We looked at how the bus services were being used – an example being we had one coming from the town centre and another from Radcliffe. Why couldn’t we combine that route? Two half-empty buses become one full one.
“The message to fans is that yes, the bus service is here to stay, it is going to be streamlined from the start of next season.
“We won’t be missing any of the previous pick up points – but if a bus is half-full, it isn’t efficient, and nobody had sat down and had that conversation before.”
Hart thanked supporters for their feedback during the consultation process, which was run in conjunction with the Supporters’ Trust, and insists cutting services completely was never seriously considered.
“A lot of really nice people contacted me – grabbed me on a matchday, they know I walk the plaza, go into the Fanzone, so anyone can come and see me. Lots of people told me they relied on the service, and I completely accept where they were coming from,” he said.
“I wasn’t expecting that question in the Supporters’ Trust meeting but when I answered it, I tried to be honest and transparent – and I just said it wasn’t working for us and that we were going to have a look at it.
“It needed to work for us in a better way, but I don’t think the intention was ever to cut it completely.”
Wanderers’ involvement in the Papa Johns Trophy final in April has boosted the membership scheme to more than 50,000 people, says Hart.
Success on the pitch this season has had a positive effect on season ticket sales, which hit a post-Premier League high of 14,500 by the end of the early bird offer.
The club hope to build on that number, with the possibility of Championship football still on the horizon.
“We have had a lot of supporters who came to the final, loved everything about that day, which was pretty much a 10 out of 10, and then bought a season ticket,” Hart said.
“It has made a lot of fans and from the club’s point of view the final also helped with the membership, rebuilt the database, so there is now more than 50,000 members.
“If you think we have 14,500 season ticket base at the moment, there is another 35,000 who are members, people who have bought tickets in the last couple of years and who are active with the club.
“That shows the potential of the fanbase and the potential we have to eventually get them in as season ticket holders, or people who are actively enjoying supporting Bolton.”
When launched mid-season, the membership scheme did cause some ripples of consternation among supporters, who quickly found themselves applying for tickets for themselves and family members in an unfamiliar way.
Hart has also acknowledged that some improvements are needed, and he hopes fans will see a difference next season.
He regards the scheme itself, however, as a success, and hopes that supporters are becoming more comfortable with the idea.
“The board and I stuck to our guns on it, and I think now we are reaping the benefits,” he said.
“It is a free membership, too. I was talking to a friend of mine who is an Everton fan, and he had to renew his membership and it was going to cost him £45.
“Other clubs charge but ours is free. We want people to join, be a part of it, because it helps us. But 50,000 members is incredible and that is current data – from October 2021.”
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but it will be Toughsheet if the new bus service doesn't work for you.
