Virgin Train has teamed up with Trainline to become the first operator to give customers the option to add train tickets straight to their Apple Wallet on its west coast route.
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.”
Source: virgintrains.co.uk/