Rail operator makes tracks with mobile ticketing

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Chiltern Railways plans to trial mobile ticketing technology that will text barcodes directly to passengers, freeing them from the hassle of paper tickets and speeding up their pre-journey experience.

Later this year, the operator, which runs services along the M40 corridor from London Marylebone to Birmingham Snow Hill and Aylesbury, will embark on a three-month pilot of the system.

Once the pilot, where relevant journey details are sent to passengers' mobiles and then scanned at the ticket gates, is complete, the company plans to roll out the service permanently.

To test out the merits of the technology in practice, Chiltern's pilot will only focus on its popular internet-only Eday ticket, which is must be purchased online at least 24 hours in advance of travel.

The company is working with Your Rail and web retailer ts.com on the project.

"Mobile ticketing will mean easy purchases, anywhere, any time," said Neil Micklethwaite, commercial director at Chiltern Railways.

"There are many benefits to mobile ticketing but the most important to mention is that it's simple and convenient providing lower cost tickets for our passengers giving the customer even further value for money."

Ultimately, the rail operator also plans to make it even easier for passengers' to purchase tickets by allowing them to use their mobiles to buy the tickets as well as receive them.

"We have listened to our passengers and what they want is a simpler and easier way to purchase tickets for their travel," Micklethwaite added.

Despite the negative perception that many in the rail industry suffer, Chiltern Railways has previously done much to improve passenger satisfaction levels, particularly in relation to technology.

As part of a £17.1 million renovation, all of its trains are either brand new or refurbished. In addition, carriages have been equipped with CCTV, passenger information screens and air-conditioning.

The rail company believes that this latest move makes it the first operator in the UK to sell mobile ticketing in this format.

Just last month, the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) announced that it was partnering with Atos Origin and Kizoom to investigate the potential of ticket-to-mobile purchasing to enhance the passenger experience and reduce costs.

No definitive timescales were provided for further developments.

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