Feature: Rail Travel
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has never been stronger, and Interactive Campaign Manager is easy to use, generating all the vouchers the traveller needs.” Capita is also helping customers save through a very high take-up of online booking, meaning lower service fees. The percentage of customers using self-booking tools increased from 78 per cent in 2010 to 89 per cent last year.
BOOKINGS MADE EASIER
THE re-launch of Evolvi is setting a new benchmark for rail reservations and ticketing, says the company's trade relations director Jon Reeve. Key new features of Evolvi-ng (new generation) are a shopping basket, which can contain up to eight journeys by up to eight passengers with full cost centre attribution; an integrated pre-trip authorisation process; a single click cheapest fare option; and enhanced management information (MI). The range of ticketing options has increased to include mobile booking, but ticket on departure (at station kiosks) remains the most popular fulfilment option. Desktop printing is also available as well as walk-up kiosks in major customers’ premises. “The shopping basket is simple in a consumer-facing environment because you don’t need MI, but we can now capture the budget code for several different trips and that is what the market has been wanting,” says Reeve. “Trip authorisation is also a fundamental requirement,
and we have introduced a suggested fare for each trip which is generally the lowest and is highlighted on the screen. This is the most revolutionary release we have had, and it sets a new benchmark,” he says. Evolvi’s main rival,
thetrainline.com, has led the way
with mobile applications, and also has a well-established best fare finder. It is also pioneering smart card technology for long-distance rail travel, similar to the Oyster Card in
London, but this depends on train operators introducing the necessary scanning equipment at stations and on board trains. This is likely to be a requirement when new franchises are let. Google has launched a new partnership with
thetrainline.com on Google Maps, providing train route and timetable information for more than 2,500 stations and 170,000 trips nationwide. Another positive develop- ment for
thetrainline.com is being voted top UK travel website for customer satisfaction in a poll by experience survey specialist
Foresee.com. Raileasy, meanwhile, is developing software to get to
grips with 'split ticketing', whereby two single fares from A to B and then B to C work out cheaper than a single from A to C. It claims it will be an industry first and is aimed at travellers buying tickets on the day of departure. New to the industry, Redspottedhanky entered the
market last year but has already revamped the system to include much more MI after consulting TMCs. The new system is due to go live at the end of March. Director James Bain says: “We have created a system
fit for purpose including more travel policy functions and payment methods. TMCs can white label the system and we believe it offers the widest range of ticketing options on the market. They can have either a fully managed service or a pay-as-you-go arrangement.”
“A big change over the last couple of years has been that people are now considering their product- ivity when travelling”
“Many customers are now content to travel off-peak when trains are quieter, saving money in the process,” says Sachdave. “They are not scheduling
meetings before 11.00 and are instead using that time to work on the train.” Carlson Wagonlit Travel’s director of programme management, Nigel Turner, says
mobile communications – including smart phones, iPads and laptops – are responsible for a continuing switch to rail travel. “The big change over the last couple of
years is that people now consider their productivity when travelling,” he explains. “If you have one of these devices you can use your time effectively on the train, instead of regarding it as lost time, like driving. Our rail business is holding up well, while fuel costs and air fares are not getting any cheaper.” Hotel booking agent Inntel now handles an increasing volume of rail bookings with or without accommodation or meetings attached. Its commercial director, Simon New, says rail bookings have risen by 40 per cent over the last year, with many customers switching from air. “Inntel has partnered with
thetrainline.com,
and with over 75 per cent of our clients using the self-booking tool we have achieved a 73 per cent online adoption rate across all our rail bookings,” says New. “Fare increases for rail have put pressure on procurement to keep costs down, but many are choosing rail over other forms of transport because they are taking the bigger picture into consideration – the door-to-door time, the quality of travel and their carbon footprint.” Adrian Watts, sales and distribution director
of
thetrainline.com, says it is working with more TMCs due to the popularity of online booking tools such as Concur, KDS and GetThere. Online systems drive cost savings in various ways, especially by highlighting the
Pictured top: Virgin Trains
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30 I THE BUSINESS TRAVEL MAGAZINE 18 I THE BUSINESS TRAVEL MAGAZINE
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