With a solid reputation for passenger comfort, Alba Travel have certainly hit the heights with Carlisle United this season as our official travel partner.
Having joined the team last summer, the Great Salkeld-based family run business have risen to the challenge of one of the most unusual football seasons ever witnessed, with mid-journey postponements, unexpected floodlight failures and even a match abandoned with barely 10 minutes played all taken in their stride.
Looking forward to working with Alba Travel once again next season, chairman Andrew Jenkins said: “When I spoke to Allan for the first time just over a year ago about becoming our official travel provider, I got an immediate good feeling.
“They quickly arranged for us to see the coach we would be using, and that confirmed to us that we were dealing with a very professional outfit.
“They’ve been fantastic for us this season, they’ve shown an extremely flexible and ‘can do’ approach, and we’re delighted that they’re on board with us again for the 2021/22 campaign.”
Allan and Barbara Holmes from Alba Travel said: “We’ve really enjoyed working with the club this season.
“It has obviously been an uncertain year for everybody and the main thing that has helped the relationship has been the communication between us and the club.
“We’ve been able to make small changes to plans at short notice to help with potential Covid issues, and the club have been great in communicating their needs with us.
“We are a local family business full of football fans, so we’re proud to be able to transport the club to their away games, and we’re looking forward to the partnership continuing next year.”
United manager Chris Beech said: “Alba Travel have been excellent all season, but I don’t want to give our driver Gaz too much credit because his dad is his boss!
“Seriously though, having the same driver every week does make a big difference because we can all get to know him, he’s been very professional and always arrives on time.
“There have been no mishaps, and things like that are important when you’re preparing for games.”
Kit man Colin Nixon told us: “Alba Travel have been fantastic, they really have. They’ve provided a first-class service and I couldn’t fault them in any way.
“They’ve done everything we’ve asked them to do, and we’ve all been left feeling very satisfied with the service they’ve provided.
“There have been some unusual challenges along the way, as we’ve all seen, and they’ve responded brilliantly.
“I’m in close contact with them almost on a daily basis through the course of the season and they really have been able to react immediately whenever something has cropped up.
“I know all of the lads get on with the driver Garry, he’s mixed in really well to the point where he’s almost one of them.
“I think that’s important because if they can trust him and he can trust them, it makes for a very positive travelling environment.”
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