The roll-out of mobile ticketing is in the
train operators’ court, and progress so far has been patchy, with generally good avail- ability of advance tickets for main long- distance operators on mobile, but little availability for flexible tickets. Virgin Trains West Coast is a shining example as all tickets can be delivered to mobile, but on its East Coast route this was limited to London-Edinburgh and London-Leeds, as of early April. Great Western was offering virtually no flexible tickets on mobile, while CrossCountry was offering them only on the Manchester-Birmingham route, and from Leeds to Sheffield and York. “Train operators determine the rate
“We know that business and leisure travellers share a desire for a more convenient and hassle-free experience”
announcements and automated ‘delay repay’, all to a great fanfare; however, only if people used its direct channel and app. “This irked many travel managers who
have spent a significant amount of time persuading their superiors that capturing rail spend was useful, not least for risk management.” Hasler adds: “Many self-booking tools
and TMCs have their own apps, but only some allow you to book rail travel. Those that allow bookings often do not permit changes on these devices, which business travellers deem just as important. Allowing people to book all travel on mobile applica- tions must be a focus.”
SELF-BOOKING APPS RESTRICTED The non-availability of some fares through Evolvi or Trainline is a concern, and so are loyalty schemes not offered through these channels. Another example is Cross Country, which waives its £10 admin fee for customers changing advance tickets bought only on its website. It has also cut
117 BBT May/June 2017
the time between booking a ticket and col- lecting it from a station machine to five minutes for registered online customers. Evolvi managing director Ken Cameron
says he has lobbied the regulators, the Office of Rail and Road, and the Rail Delivery Group (bringing together train operators and Network Rail), to give Evolvi customers the same advantages. “We remain disappointed that train operators are allowed to promote special or temporary fares through their own websites and not through all retailers,” he says. “It will be interesting to see if the RDG can address this as it is clearly the number one issue for all retailers. “We adhere to the standards set by the
RDG and follow developments closely,” he adds. “The trials of alternative technologies and prospects of more to come are very exciting, but our priority is to provide a contemporaneous, dynamic platform for our customer base, and to lay the founda- tions for new methodologies when they are adopted by the industry as a whole.”
and scale of new ticketing methods,” says Cameron. “There is clear momentum in this area, which is to be applauded. However, the evidence suggests we are some way away from universal replacement of the orange-bordered ticket, and parity with it in terms of recognition, acceptance, refunds and inter-availability.” The latest Evolvi app enables users to
browse train times, make new bookings, check departure boards and specify ticket- ing preferences, including accessing and activating mobile tickets on the go. Policy compliance, as on the Evolvi platform, is mirrored in the settings of individual users. Later this year, it will offer TMCs the ability to manage refunds for mobile tickets.
TRAINLINE TARGETS THE SME Trainline’s app, aimed at SMEs, includes innovative features such as BusyBot, using crowd-sourced data to advise travellers where to board a train to have the best chance of getting an unreserved seat. Real-time information is available, and SME clients can benefit from e-receipts and inte- gration with expense solution providers. A revamped business dashboard allows SMEs to book for multiple employees. Alidad Moghaddam, European director of
Trainline for Business, says: “We know that business and leisure travellers share a desire for a more convenient and hassle-free train travel experience. On routes where we offer the option of a mobile ticket, 75 per cent of leisure travellers go for it – and we expect to see this strong appetite in the business travel market as well. “As travellers become more connected,
their demands for real-time information and a tailored experience from business apps
BUYINGBUSINESSTRAVEL.COM
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