http://www.facebook.com/events/124010394447342/ The Riders are running a bus from the Phoenix Landing to Gillette Stadium for $30 (members) or $35 (non-members). With the ticket you also get access to the Open House Tailgate.
For now, this is the only bus, as the Riders are heading it up. Once the Revs start doing this on their own (insert laugh track here), then I could see one from both Boston and Providence happening. And of course, Nashua.
Ok I'm thinking about traveling to Boston and going with my bro since my tailgate ride (crappy blue Jeep) finally shit the bed.
I'll walk to Gillette if I have to, so see you there either way Monty. Looking forward to a great season.
I am doing the same, us northerners should put together car pooling..... I would offer my car and the drive down. Coming from Route 95 in Rowley.
How did the buses from Boston turn out in 2013? Did the revs end up running them or was this a riders initiative? Good turnout of car less Bostonians for games/tailgates? Curious.
The Riders did this twice (opening game and playoff match). They were sparsely attended. If we could do it more consistently then we would probably begin to see a regular group who take the bus. The tough thing we've encountered is the fact that most of the bus companies around here are horribly run and inconsistent. We've had issues with every bus company on a variety of levels. They haven't been able to provide a reliable product and the Riders and those taking the bus have suffered. We're going to look in to getting smaller vehicles next year (think bachelor party sized buses) but not many people offer this and the amount of time we're asking to have the bus for makes it quite expensive.
Thanks for the insight. Would the Riders ever consider a partnership with Zipcar or one of their competitors like RelayRides.com? I would think those companies want to market to the car less urbanite crowd and get their brand out there. Maybe the Riders work out a deal for members that with a Riders membership, they save 15%. Another idea: RelayRides.com is a car sharing program where car owners can rent their car out for other people on an hourly basis or longer periods of time. It's a cheaper, privately owned Zipcar. It could be a great catalyst to solving this challenge if the Revs partnered with them and co-marketed the service to metro Boston Rev STHs (there's a lot based on the STH map) who may carpool and have cars at home in Boston not being used to get to and from Foxboro for the game. Sort of a "help a fellow revs fan" type campaign. It's a win-win; the STHs get paid to rent their car while car less revs fans get to the game.
FWIW, I used Zipcar for years as a STH. I think from 2005 though 2010 when I finally got a car. It was a great way for me to get to the game, but there are some negatives. I would reserve a car for four hours. One hour to get to the game, 2 hours for the game, and an hour back to Boston. The drive was probably only 45 minutes, but you get the idea. The nice thing is that you have a parking spot reserved in Boston. This sort of reservation probably runs around $42.00 these days. I honestly cannot remember what it used to cost. I am guessing around $30-$32. After the game I would try to get out as fast as I could to beat the traffic in the parking lot. I know there is not a lot of traffic, but I did not want to end up sitting stuck in the parking lot and I was trying my best not to have the car longer than my reservation. This sort of schedule did not leave any time for tailgating or socializing after the game, which I would have been interested in. Time is money with Zipcar. Anyway, I think Zipcar or RelayRides would be great. Possibly a low budget shirt sponsor or secondary shirt sponsor if such a thing exists? The down sides are that the reservation costs more than your ticket unless you have others with you to split the cost and that you might not get to tailgate/socialize unless you want to pay for it. Also, on weeknight games it was difficult to leave work at five, take the green line for an hour, drive in traffic to Gillette, and catch the game on time. That is probably true for everybody driving from Boston though for a mid week game.
Great feedback on using Zipcar, thanks. Very good point about losing the tailgating / social side of it. The beauty of RelayRides is the car owner sets their price, so there could be a healthy "fellow revs fan" discount since the car owner will be at the same place as the car borrower. Whatever Zipcar charges, make sure it's significantly less. If it's me, I would be happy with charging the cost of a whatever I paid for a single game revs ticket (and maybe gas money) to let the car sharing program pay for my STHs over time. Keeping in mind, as I'm positioning this idea, the goal isn't to make money here, it's to help fellow fans get to the game without breaking their bank. The second part would be how to encourage visibility to both buyer/sellers. Maybe the Riders publish a blurb on the value of participating in RelayRide for members and then a section of available rentals in their weekly members' email to encourage members to participate. Would be an interesting and easy pilot for 2014.
Can you do something about the four feet of snow before the first home game? Walking is tough on ice and snow.....