\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0
\nHow and when to go from Saltburn-by-the-Sea to King\u2019s Cross? I recently needed to get a ticket back home. So where do you start? Firstly, check one of the many so called \u2018third party retailers\u2019 (TPRs) \u2013 they often offer split tickets which can represent better value for money and other benefits such as loyalty points. Then check the LNER site \u2013 the operator of the main leg of the journey. Train company websites sometimes have good value tickets which are not made available to TPRs \u2013 plus loyalty schemes. So, a two-site check at least. In the end I got an advance single for some \u00a335 on a train leaving Saltburn at 17:22. Quite good value.<\/p>\n
So, the universe sketched out by Norman Baker (\u2018Ministers need new sources of funding\u2019<\/a>) and Nick Richardson (It\u2019s time to rethink the issue of fares\u2019) \u2013 both in the previous edition of Passenger Transport \u2013 rang partly true. Fares presentation can be confusing and fare levels sometimes expensive. Yes, the government needs private sector funding.<\/p>\n As the chair of Independent Rail Retailers, the trade body for the major sellers of rail tickets in Great Britain, I see first-hand the benefits that private investment brings to the industry. Our members are experts in their field, specialising in three key areas: selling tickets directly to passengers; providing travel management services to companies, charities and other organisations; and supplying \u2013 on a \u2018white label\u2019 basis \u2013 the IT that powers nearly all train company ticket websites. <\/p>\n So how can we spark a rail retail revolution?<\/p>\n The new government envisions a transport system that is reliable, safe, efficient, accessible, and affordable. While change is necessary to achieve this vision, third-party retailers in the rail industry are already excelling in these areas \u2013 and beyond. Labour\u2019s aim to deliver a unified and simplified rail system, prioritising improved services for passengers and better value for taxpayers, aligns perfectly with the strengths of independent rail retailers.<\/p>\n Extra revenue at no cost to the taxpayer or government? That\u2019s got to be good news.<\/p>\n As private sector businesses, retailers are motivated to boost sales, control costs and get more customers onto trains. And thanks to the commission-based model, for every pound they generate in revenue, 95p is returned to the industry. That\u2019s an exceptionally low cost of sale \u2013 and arguably less than it costs the train companies themselves once other costs such as payment processing, technology, customer support and marketing are taken into account. Extra revenue at no cost to the taxpayer or government? That\u2019s got to be good news.<\/p>\n What\u2019s better, and maybe even a little surprising to some, is that our members now handle around \u00a35bn in ticket sales each year. That\u2019s over half the industry\u2019s passenger revenue. They\u2019ve played a big part in the shift to digital ticketing, funding the rollout of barcode ticketing equipment across the network, and split ticketing. To remain competitive and grow as businesses, TPRs are focused on greater efficiency, effective cost management and \u2013 most importantly \u2013 encouraging more people to choose rail, which means finding new markets and making it easy to buy tickets. And it works: passengers trust them to get the best deal.<\/p>\n But there\u2019s so much more we can do. It\u2019s frustrating searching for the right ticket, relying on a limited question-and-answer format whilst others \u2013 e.g. airlines, hotels, Eurostar \u2013 utilise modern systems that allow for broader searches. Imagine the possibilities if you could ask \u201cWhen can I get to Brighton for \u00a35?\u201d or tempt people with \u201cDo you want to travel to Edinburgh this weekend for \u00a320?\u201d<\/p>\n Modernising how passengers find \u2013 or are tempted by \u2013 the right ticket for them is a key part of the rail revolution<\/p>\n Such advanced search capabilities and marketing strategies could boost passenger numbers and be further enhanced through the innovation that competition brings. Modernising how passengers find \u2013 or are tempted by \u2013 the right ticket for them is a key part of the rail revolution, and our members are engaged in financial modelling as we speak to illustrate what could be achieved in this area.<\/p>\n We also need to ensure that every retailer has access to all ticket types and fares. Currently, train companies and public authorities often create products, such as family tickets and pay-as-you-go fares, that TPRs are restricted from selling. Excluding 50% of the market for these products is simply counterproductive, undermining trust, reducing affordability and impacting revenue. It\u2019s certainly a quick-win when looking at fairer commercial terms between state-sponsored and private retailers.<\/p>\n With a few straightforward changes and no need for government funding, independent rail retailers could generate significant additional revenue for the railways over the next five years. By implementing innovative, customer-centric, targeted strategies to fill empty seats, we can reduce the number of cars on the road and increase the overall appeal of rail travel. <\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 DON\u2019T MISS OUT \u2013 GET YOUR COPY! \u2013\u00a0click here to subscribe!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n The post Steering rail to a prosperous future<\/a> first appeared on Passenger Transport<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u200b\u00a0<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u00a0 With no need for government funding, independent rail retailers could generate significant additional revenue for the railways \u00a0 How and when to go from Saltburn-by-the-Sea to King\u2019s Cross? I recently needed to get a ticket back home. So where do you start? Firstly, check one of the many so called \u2018third party retailers\u2019 (TPRs) \u2013 they often offer split…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":8218,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8217","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-camcab"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/camcab.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8217"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/camcab.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/camcab.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/camcab.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8217"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/camcab.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8217\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/camcab.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8218"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/camcab.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8217"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/camcab.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8217"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/camcab.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8217"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nABOUT THE AUTHOR: Anthony Smith<\/strong> is chair of Independent Rail Retailers. He was previously chief executive of independent watchdog Transport Focus.<\/p>\n
\nThis story appears inside the latest issue of\u00a0Passenger Transport<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\n