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Virgin Trains to launch split ticketing app to save passengers money on trips

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ForTheLoveOf

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As reported by The Telegraph, Virgin Trains are to launch a split ticketing app:
A train firm has announced a split ticketing app to help passengers save money on trips, but the industry body has said that it fails to address the real issue.

Virgin Trains is launching a mobile app which helps passengers take advantage of split ticketing to save money on journeys, claiming it could save passengers £1 billion.

Split ticketing involves buying multiple tickets for separate sections of one journey, with a combined price which is less than the standard fare.

In one extreme case in 2017, a Newcastle United fan bought 56 tickets to cover a return journey for him and his girlfriend to travel to Oxford for an FA Cup match, saving him £30.

The app, which will go live by the end of the year, will also introduce a fares cap similar to London's Oyster card system.

The Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents train operators and Network Rail, welcomed the move but said an "industry-wide root and branch reform" of the ticket system is needed.

...

Answers on a postcard please... And no, this is not the 1st of April!
 
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Aictos

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Sounds a good idea in principle but it has to be user friendly by that I mean easy to use.
 

Puffing Devil

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This is the same Virgin that will soon no longer have a trainset to run, so instead branching out into the world of ticket selling?
 

The_Train

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This is the same Virgin that will soon no longer have a trainset to run, so instead branching out into the world of ticket selling?

It did make me think how funny it is that Virgin now seem to want to save passengers money at a time when their franchise appears to be coming to an end. I wonder if this will be set up under the Virgin Trains umbrella or some different arm of the Virgin group
 

Tetchytyke

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This is the same Virgin that will soon no longer have a trainset to run, so instead branching out into the world of ticket selling?

The same Virgin who know they need a bit of goodwill to get their trainset back, and so launch something like this.

I'll bet it's also useful to find the loopholes to ramp up fares later...
 

Jonfun

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The same Virgin who know they need a bit of goodwill to get their trainset back, and so launch something like this.

I'll bet it's also useful to find the loopholes to ramp up fares later...

Quite. What better way to get some information on which flows people are using split tickets to get around?
 

BigCj34

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What is this fares cap they speak of? So if you spend £1,000 in a day you won't be charged anything more thereafter? Can't wait!
 

SickyNicky

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I believe the idea is that they will cap your weekly expenditure on a route at the cost of a weekly season ticket. Any tickets purchased beyond this would be free. Similar to what they do with contactless in London.
 

boultonmark

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@SickyNicky do you know a) is this Trainsplit style/competing full splits they are talking about? b) Is VT west coast not powered by Trainline, is this Trainline announcing doing splits via a TOC c) Are you worried?
 

BigCj34

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I believe the idea is that they will cap your weekly expenditure on a route at the cost of a weekly season ticket. Any tickets purchased beyond this would be free. Similar to what they do with contactless in London.

I see, well thats not a bad thing.

On a side note it always intrigues me how a company that takes PR and marketing seriously openly espouses how they're going to be ripoff merchants with their rail franchise.
 

robbeech

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The same Virgin who know they need a bit of goodwill to get their trainset back, and so launch something like this.

I'll bet it's also useful to find the loopholes to ramp up fares later...

Surely you’re not suggesting that they’ll work out where people are saving money and put in measures to prevent them doing this by changing restriction codes to eliminate services from ‘off peak’ timings of similar?
 

philthetube

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The first thing that struck me is that it could be a spoiler for the new franchise operator.
 

The Prisoner

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Just had an email from VT with all the not operating WC after 8th etc etc.

Then at the bottom this......

"Bon voyage, but not forever
Thought we were going to just disappear out of your life in a puff of smoke? Think again.

We've got a few tricks up our sleeve to add some techy magic to the way you buy train tickets and save the UK £1bn on rail fares.

Stay tuned and see you in the new year.

The Virgin Trains Team"


Any ideas?
 

Peter C

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Maybe they're making a ticket-purchasing app, similar to Trainline and others? That's what "the way you buy train tickets and save the UK £1bn on rail fares" says to me.

-Peter
 

The Prisoner

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Maybe they're making a ticket-purchasing app, similar to Trainline and others? That's what "the way you buy train tickets and save the UK £1bn on rail fares" says to me.

-Peter
Maybe that, or a ticket splitting app, or maybe even some sort of Megabus style partnership so that people get cheaper "Virgin" tickets?

Would be good to see them disrupt the market again somehow
 

py_megapixel

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Virgin are allegedly planning an open-access operation to compete with the franchised WC operator.

After typing that, I realised that Virgin are in two ways more of a WC operator than any other franchise, when you consider that they run talking toilets up the West Coast.
 

43066

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Just had an email from VT with all the not operating WC after 8th etc etc.

Then at the bottom this......

"Bon voyage, but not forever
Thought we were going to just disappear out of your life in a puff of smoke? Think again.

We've got a few tricks up our sleeve to add some techy magic to the way you buy train tickets and save the UK £1bn on rail fares.

Stay tuned and see you in the new year.

The Virgin Trains Team"


Any ideas?

Maybe Virgin will be drafted in to retrain the Euston gateline staff they’ve failed to properly manage for the last 20 odd years. ;)
 

Midnight Sun

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In ancient history, wasn't Trainline a VT spin-off?
It was, and back at the very start. Who remembers get up early to get one of the very limited ticket deals on The Virgin network (West Coast and Cross Country) £25 first return and £10 standard return.
 

CptCharlee

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Guessing open access operator being hinted at there. Also could be a hint at intersed in the crosscountry franchise back again?

Feels weird a network without the VIrgin brand.
 
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