More than a thousand Scottish soccer fans packed into a fleet of rented American yellow school buses on Saturday night for a 45-minute journey from Providence, Rhode Island, to Gillette Stadium.
The traveling supporters, known as the Tartan Army, filled the buses to capacity while wearing kilts, singing, and waving flags in 90-degree heat during the trip to the venue, which is temporarily renamed Boston Stadium for the tournament.
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Organizers arranged the school buses as a novel transport method to save money after local officials and FIFA organizers faced criticism over steep prices for trains and buses.
The MBTA charged $80 for a roundtrip train ride, and official World Cup buses cost $95.
"They tried to rob us blind," said Scotland supporter Brian Roy.
The regular commuter rail trip to the stadium normally costs roughly four times less than the temporary World Cup train tariff.
"It's disrespectful," said Roy.
Providence Tartan Army organizer Scott Gillan stated that the idea to rent the vehicles began as a joke to help fans who had already spent over a thousand dollars per person on international travel before discovering the incredible prices from local bus companies.
"Started as a little bit of a joke," said Gillan.
The group charged fans $38 per seat to cover transportation, alcohol, and water, while generating over $16,000 in charitable donations, including $10,000 for Providence's Hasbro Children's Hospital.
"Spoke to a few bus companies, and the prices were incredible.
