Scotland Fans Organize School Bus Fleet to Reduce World Cup Travel Expenses
A group of Scotland supporters attending this summer's World Cup in the United States have devised an innovative solution to counteract the rising transportation costs by hiring a fleet of school buses to ferry them to the stadium.
The Scotland national team will play their opening match of the tournament in Foxborough. However, it was revealed that fans would face charges of $80 (£60) for a train ticket and $90 (£67) for a bus ride from Boston to the stadium.
Local organisers and FIFA have faced criticism as these transport fees are reportedly three times higher than the usual cost for the journey.
Hundreds of fans, who are staying approximately 50 miles (80 km) from Boston in Providence, Rhode Island—closer to Foxborough—have chosen to arrange their own transportation.
"We came up with the idea of 'what about these school buses?" said Scotland fan, Davy Hood from Balloch.
"We thought maybe if the schools are off, the buses will be sitting idle.
"We got in touch with a couple of companies who came back with prices that suited us."
Davy is among several fans based in Providence who have been working to help travelling supporters save money on transport.
They successfully secured a total of 20 buses at a cost of $38 per fan and have even coordinated with local police to assist the convoy.
"We got in touch with the local police and they have agreed to provide an escort out of the city, up to the motorway," Davy added.
Given that the buses are designed for children, there is one notable drawback.
"Yeah it's the leg room - I'm small so I'm fine but if you're over 5'8", you might get sore legs!"
Scotland's World Cup Matches and Transport Arrangements
Scotland will begin their World Cup campaign in Foxborough with a match against Haiti on 14 June. Their second game, also at the same stadium, is scheduled six days later against Morocco.
Meanwhile, organisers in Miami have confirmed that fans holding tickets for the final group match against Brazil will be provided with free bus transportation to the Hard Rock Stadium.
