Last Minute Driver Cancellations

[MrBob 96]

All but one of them pulled their kids too.

 

I'd have charged them for the event anyways.  A "no refunds" policy tends to get people to not pull that kind of stunt.

 

YMMV, of course, but in my experience, even a tiny hit to the wallet tends to pull people up short and remind them that Scouting isn't something you do unless you can find something else to do.

[Horizon 97]

Once upon a time each patrol owned their own transport. We have gone away from that, but sometimes I wish we would return.

[Stosh 3452]

Once upon a time each patrol owned their own transport. We have gone away from that, but sometimes I wish we would return.

 

That has to count for something.  You bail and all your buddies in the patrol suffer.  Works for me.  I'm sure after missing a couple of events like this, either the slacker wises up or he's looking for a new patrol.  Don't make a commitment you don't intend to keep.

[gumbymaster 98]

I've noticed this difference between my son's troop and the troop of my youth.

Note this may also be associated with the relative size difference of the units (his 20 young boys, 3 patrols; mine 60+ distributed boys 6+ patrols)

 

For my son's troop, they first determine the number of seats that cars of camping adults generate, then, if needed, inquire for additional seats (this is adult to adult); the SPL then organized who goes in who's car - generally they try to split up siblings and parents and children for the ride up, for the ride back they usually organize by dropoffs.

 

In my troop, other than the troop canoe trip ski trip, and summer camp (organized at a troop level rather than patrol level), the patrol leader was responsible for organizing the transportation (youth and equipment) for his patrol, if he didn't have enough, either a parent had to step up, or the patrol leader had to beg for an extra seat from one of the other patrols.  It did help, that few of our trips needed to be more than a 90 minute trip (one-way).