Pegula Sports and Entertainment today announced a partnership between the Buffalo Bills and Rally that will bring crowd-powered travel to Bills fans on gameday. Rally has become the Official Fan Shuttle of the Buffalo Bills and will provide shared bus rides for fans from across Western New York to games and events at New Era Field, beginning with the Bills preseason opener Thursday, Aug. 9 against Carolina.
"Beginning this season, Bills fans will have another transportation option that will help simplify their enjoyment of the gameday experience," said Erica Muhleman, Pegula Sports and Entertainment's executive vice president of business development. "Rally will give our fans another way to enjoy New Era Field's exciting tailgating atmosphere, along with the game action, along with a pre-arranged ride home. This service will be a great benefit to Bills fans this season and beyond."
Rally's crowdsourcing platform has enabled hundreds of thousands of fans to attend the top sports and music events in North America. To book a trip, fans use the Rally app or go to http://rally.co and select the event they wish to attend. From there, they are able to select from a number of pickup locations. Riders can book single rides, or enough for a whole group without the need to draw straws for the designated driver. They can also request a new Rally Point (pickup) in their hometown, as trips are confirmed wherever there's demand. Fans mingle and meet at their local Rally Point – oftentimes a restaurant or bar that's sponsoring a happy hour for Bills fans – and are able to watch as the bus approaches in real-time on the Rally app. Best of all, Rally allows food and beverage onboard and stores fans' tailgating gear in the undercarriage of the bus for safekeeping during the event.
"The Bills Backers were one of the first fan clubs to embrace Rally and so we naturally found the Buffalo Bills to be a perfect partner to help us build the model for the whole NFL," said Numaan Akram, founder and CEO of Rally. "Rally believes that we can do more as a group than as individuals, whether it's reinventing the future of bus transportation, or getting somewhere as exciting as a Bills game."
Once riders hop on the high-end Rally bus, they'll be able to enjoy all the amenities onboard: wifi, video screens, a restroom, comfortable bucket seats, and storage. Rally buses typically arrive three hours before kickoff so there's plenty of time to tailgate in the bus lot, but riders can also request personalized schedules. Customizable and demand-driven routes will be available in U.S. and Canadian cities surrounding New Era Field, with discount pricing for early birds and season ticket members.
A bus full of fans going to a Bills game is a time-honored tradition, and now it's easy to book, manage, track, and enjoy your trip. By empowering riders, drivers, and bus operators with apps, Rally brings new convenience to the classic tailgate.
About Rally
Headquartered in NYC, Rally (Rally Bus Corp) is the originator of a new travel category: the bus rideshare. The app enables riders to combine their itineraries to reach their final destinations with ease. From major events to custom trips, Rally's platform matches high-end buses with people planning similar journeys. Riders select from preset trips or create their own, digitally empowering the bus journey from planning to day-of logistics. Rally's mission is to be the ride of choice for people uniting with their passions, and has already transported hundreds of thousands of fans to their favorite events. Rally is the Official Fan Bus of 7 NASCAR tracks, and is backed by angel investor and Formula 1 World Champion, Nico Rosberg.
About Pegula Sports and Entertainment
Pegula Sports and Entertainment (PSE) is a management company that streamlines key business areas across all Pegula family-owned sports and entertainment properties including the Buffalo Bills, Buffalo Sabres, Buffalo Bandits, Rochester Americans, HarborCenter, Black River Entertainment, ADPRO Sports, PicSix Creative agency and numerous hospitality properties. PSE aims to be a leader in the sports and entertainment industry by bringing together the individual resources, capabilities and talents of each of its entities to create a cohesive and sustainable brand that together represents the Pegula family's interest. PSE's mission is exemplified by its One Buffalo initiative, which unites Western New York and serves as a representation of teamwork through a deeper connection between Buffalo sports teams, fans and the community.
