RAIL
THE BUYER’S PERSPECTIVE
KATRINA WILLIAMS, HEAD OF TRAVEL, CROWN COMMERCIAL SERVICE
CROWN COMMERCIAL SERVICE (CCS), A GOVERNMENT AGENCY, helps public and third sector organisations buy common goods and services, and offers a suite of commercial solutions to manage the cost of travel. Digital communication continues to
reduce the need for extensive business travel – however, public sector workers may still find themselves faced with demanding travel needs. CCS recently launched the Public
Sector Travel and Venue Solutions, enabling the booking of rail, air travel and accommodation, as well as event services and other travel provisions. The organisation manages a £250 million annual spend on rail travel via negotiated deals with rail operators and best-in-class booking processes. Encouraging public sector workers to travel by rail could help deliver a modal shift toward more environmentally sustainable solutions – one of CCS and the wider public sector’s key drivers.
ISSUES TO OVERCOME Some knotty issues impede the take up of rail as a primary business travel solution. Fast, reliable wifi makes rail an attractive option, but free wifi is often restricted to the first 15 minutes in standard class. Reclaiming for wifi via expenses involves time and cost.
The ability to pre-select seating with
tables and power sockets is a significant benefit for travellers, but reservations may sometimes be difficult to find. Station parking also has to be
considered. It can cost £12 a day to park at a station, so it could be cheaper to drive all the way. The rail industry needs to consider the end-to-end costs and the overall impact on travel budgets in order to increase usage.
WORKING WITH RAIL OPERATORS Katrina Williams, head of travel at CCS, says: “We welcome the rail industry’s current review of fares, including guidance around split ticketing, which some travellers take advantage of where this offers a lower cost. We also welcome the rail industry’s refreshed approach towards paying compensation after delays but this needs to be automated and easy for people to claim. “The suite of solutions offered by
CCS will enhance customer choice and commercial value for organisations and public sector workers managing rail travel. Combined with other positive industry developments, rail travel could become the public sector’s main ground transport solution for business travel.” To find out more about the Public Sector Travel and Venue Solutions Agreement, go to
crowncommercial.gov.uk
into London, and has since processed 865,309 claims, 546,813 of which were automatically settled. It was then approached by five TOCs to handle their compensation process, which it expects to roll out to more operators shortly. It has now launched Business Travel Compensation for TMCs, with the aim of expanding beyond rail in due course. Lee Fortnam, TCS head of technical development, adds: “The corporates we have spoken to aren’t receiving a penny in compensation, so anything they get is good. There are also benefits for train operators who are now getting tens of thousands of claims. If they receive claims in bulk it’s good for them. Delay Repay is a necessary evil for them, something they have to support to offer a better customer experience.” Railguard, meanwhile, won the
RAIL TRAVEL COULD
BECOME THE PUBLIC SECTOR’S MAIN GROUND TRANSPORT SOLUTION FOR BUSINESS TRAVEL
122 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018 New developments
could encourage more public sector workers to travel by rail
GTMC’s Entrepreneurs in Business Travel Award for innovation earlier this year. Its system processes all train running information and matches it with TMC bookings. It claims businesses can recoup 3 per cent of their rail spend using its service. Capita Travel and Events is the first agency to partner with Railguard to proactively identify eligible claims and alert travellers when compensation is due. The service also reconciles and reports successful claims for delays and refunds the traveller’s organisation. The partners also used anonymised data of live customer bookings in 2017 to identify 2.5 per cent of the rail spend that was eligible for Delay Repay compensation. The TMC will pilot the service with multiple customers over the coming months.
buyingbusinesstravel.com
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