Rail passenger journeys and behaviours have changed since the pandemic, which implications for passenger experiences, ticket values and demand.
Using current information, passengers can with relative ease compare their cost per day of turning up to the station. For Rufus Boyd, Programme Director Passenger & Freight Services, GBR Transition Team (GBRTT), who used the example of his own commute into London, that could mean a fee of around £40 to travel if turning up unplanned on that day.
With a season ticket, that drove down to around £15 per day – on the proviso that the passenger, like Rufus does, commutes each day.
However, as the GBRTT Programme Director explained, the rise of hybrid working and new, flexible on-site working schedules has meant that passengers no longer necessarily commute to their office sites Monday to Friday.
So, how do these passengers easily identify the price per day?
As Rufus explains: “Suddenly, the calculation to assess the value of money [of ticketing and season pass tickets] are more difficult.”
That challenge is one that the Great British Railway team seeks to address. as the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail outlined.
And the need to do so could be more important than ever before – with Rufus and others believing that an improved passenger experience could be the deciding factor in some users returning to the railway.
“One of our best ways of encouraging people back to rail may be [this type of work to improve] the passenger experience.”
Rufus Boyd opened our RTM365 virtual event on Passenger Experience. All content from the day will be available to view on-demand in the platform. Join the platform here.
