Apologies for the recent silence, an unexpected period in hospital has very much taken the wind out of my sails.
Regarding a minibus for home games. The cheapest way would be to hire a 17-seater and drive ourselves, but for that we need a responsible and reliable driver to come forward. I am afraid I don't feel able to do this. The West Country minibus was started by an experienced HGV driver. We wouldn't necessarily need such an experienced driver, but it is not a case of anyone 'doing a bit', anyone who is going to drive even part way has to be there to show their documents when the vehicle is collected. Anyone who felt able to take this on would of course get free passage to games. If we ever got this off the ground, the likely cost per person, with a reasonably full bus, would be about the same as the West Country bus, £26 at present.
All the driver problems can easily be overcome by hiring a minibus with driver, but at a cost of course. A local firm has quoted me, to go from Keighley along the Aire Valley, into the centre of Leeds, and down the M1, with sensible pick-ups en route, £500 for a 16-seater. So a price somewhere mid-thirties if reasonably full. But who picks up the tab if 3 or 4 decide to drop out at the last moment?
At a price of say £35, it looks tempting to say a couple of people sharing a car would be cheaper, but that does not take into account wear and tear of the car, hours of tedious motorway driving, and not to mention the increasing difficulty of finding somewhere to park when you get there.
Please contribute on here if you have any thoughts, or PM me direct, particularly if you would be interested in the minibus option at that price.
If nothing else happens for the time being, I think it would be good idea if a few more of us got to know each other, and the obvious way would be a meet up, probably in Leeds (where are you, AB?), to see a televised game. A bit more car sharing might result, and that could eventually develop to the point where a minibus became viable. It seems a shame that so many Yorkshire Bees are only getting to one or two games a season, when the team are playing the best football of any of our lifetimes!
Sheffbee- I have not forgotten you, but it may be a few weeks before I contact you.
Seriously though, would usually be house-sitting for a cousin in Burley Woodhead this time of year. If I hadn't started a new job instead I would have joined you.