Virgin Trains the first operator to give customers the option to add train tickets to their Apple Wallet
LONDON, 2016-Nov-03 — /Travel PR News/ — Virgin Trains,in partnership with Trainline, has announced that it will be the first operator to give customers the option to add train tickets straight to their Apple Wallet on its west coast route.
From today iPhone users purchasing tickets for Virgin Trains west coast services through the Virgin Trains and Trainline websites can choose to download the bar-coded ticket straight to their Apple Wallet.
This latest development means Virgin Trains and Trainline customers will get a similar ticketing experience to that offered by most airlines – removing the need for customers to print off their ticket, download a separate app or collect at the station.
Additional benefits of the web to wallet offering include the ticket automatically popping-up as the departure time approaches and in the near future customers will also be greeted with a pop-up on their phone as they get closer to the departure station.
John Sullivan, Chief Information Officer at Virgin Trains commented, “We’re always looking at ways we can innovate for our customers to make their experience with us the best it can be. Our Apple Wallet m-ticket offering makes it easy for customers to store their tickets in one place without the need to print them out or open different applications on their phone.”
The move by Virgin Trains supports the plan to move away from paper tickets completely in the future. To date, Virgin Trains on the west coast has already enabled all tickets for its services purchased via Virgin Trains mobile app and website to be fulfilled as m-tickets*. In August, the launch of the e-ticket now offers customers even more choice in how they receive their ticket.
John Davies, Retail Director at Trainline added, “Trainline is proud to lead digital innovation in the rail industry. By placing customers at the heart of everything we do, we are helping train operators transform the way train tickets are both purchased and delivered, giving a much better customer experience and in turn, encouraging more people to choose train travel, more often.”
ENDS
About Virgin Trains:
Stagecoach and Virgin are working in partnership to operate the East Coast and West Coast inter-city routes under the Virgin Trains brand. Together, they are on track to revolutionise rail travel across the UK.
The combined network connects some of the nation’s most iconic destinations including Glasgow, Liverpool, Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Leeds, York and London.
Virgin Trains is committed to delivering a high speed, high frequency service, offering shorter journey times, more comfortable travel and excellent customer service. Customers consistently rate Virgin Trains as one of the top long-distance rail franchise operators in the National Rail Passenger Survey (NRPS) commissioned by industry watchdog, Transport Focus.
On the East Coast route, £140m is being invested to create a more personalised travel experience. We have already invested £21m to completely revamp our existing fleet and customers can now benefit from 42 additional services (22,000 extra seats) per week between Edinburgh and London. 2018 will see the introduction of completely new Azuma trains being built in the UK by Hitachi.
The West Coast route has a proud record of challenging the status quo – from introducing tilting Pendolino trains, to a pioneering automated delay repay scheme and becoming the first franchised rail operator to offer m-Tickets for all ticket types.
Visit the Virgin Trains Media Room – virgintrains.co.uk/about/media-room – for the latest news, images and videos. Subscribe here for regular news from Virgin Trains.
Press Office:
0845 000 3333
About Trainline
Trainline is Europe’s leading independent retailer of train tickets. We sell tickets worldwide on behalf of 44 train companies, helping our customers make more than 100,000 smarter journeys every single day in and across 24 countries. We are a one-stop shop for train travel, bringing together all major train companies onto one platform and providing our customers with a complete set of travel options. We make it easy for our customers to find the best price for their journey.
SOURCE: Virgin Trains