Talk:Projects in incubation/Wikibus to Esino Lario

Huzza!

This sounds like a great idea. :) Sam Wilson (talk) 09:01, 12 January 2016 (GMT)

I also love this idea, but it would have to be sorted out soon, otherwise people will be booking flights. MartinPoulter (talk) 12:19, 26 January 2016 (GMT)

Problem is that 9 days is a pretty significant chunk of time for most people.Geni (talk) 13:45, 1 February 2016 (GMT)

Budget

Would you be able to provide an estimated total cost? Karla Marte(WMUK) (talk) 12:45, 29 January 2016 (GMT)

As Martin says time is of the essence: therefore some sort of "agreement in principle" is needed to allow serious planning to take place. Megaphone Duck (talk)

Yes, and yes: we are working on the budget but what we need to know is how long it will take WMUK to deal with a final proposal from its submission to having the response, and whether there are any key moments in time we should use as a deadline for submission. Leutha (talk) 15:43, 1 February 2016 (GMT)

Okey looking at the numbers from nationwide hire the cost for the minbus, european cover and cover for 2 drives (note only pre 1997 license holders can drive a 17 seater) is £1207.10. Including fuel you are looking at £1500 maybe?Geni (talk) 13:45, 1 February 2016 (GMT)

That fits with our research, but I would allow more for petrol (4 days in Italy and we we would add mileage to visit places on the way). Also we have the cost of the channel crossing and campsites on the way down. Also we are looking at camping accomoodation there and what support we could get from Wikimania 2016 bearing in mind we would be providing a minibus and drivers for the duration. Leutha (talk) 15:38, 1 February 2016 (GMT)

This is a very interesting idea. I agree that it's probably better to stick with a smaller bus as it will much easier to fill-up and pay for – as has been pointed out, nine days is quite a commitment for many people. My main my concern would be the cost, which could end-up being prohibitively high for WMUK. However, the benefits to the project/movement could be large and even a small contribution from those going on the bus (instead of putting it on flights) would add-up, not to mention that the WMF/WM2016 team could also provide some support. The other problem is time – people will be booking flights soon if they haven't already, so a draft budget/itinerary as well as a provisional sign-up list would be sensible next steps for this proposal to move forward. CT Cooper · talk 03:40, 17 February 2016 (GMT)

Update

Fabian and those who helped develop the project,

Thank you for putting time in planning this idea. Wikimania is traditionally a great venue for volunteers to come together, build bridges, and exchange ideas, and we could see that this idea captured people's imagination too.

As much as our project grants are normally up to £250, we still put thought and discussion into this proposal. Unfortunately, after careful consideration Wikimedia UK is not going to be able to fund the Wikibus as the cost of the project is too high, there were also finance reporting complications – it may be seen as funding a sightseeing trip, which is not really in our charity objectives.

This doesn't mean that nobody would fund the project. If you want to look for alternative sources of funding, the WMF's Project and Event Grants may cover such a project and it seems to meet the eligibility requirements (Travel and Participation Grants are only for groups of up to 4).

We are still planning to make a small number of traditional scholarships available for people from the UK to go to Wikimania, and will be announcing details soon.

Richard Nevell (WMUK) (talk) 15:03, 9 March 2016 (GMT)