This week South Western Railway (SWR) is celebrating “Smart Week” alongside the Rail Delivery Group, reaffirming our commitment to modernising ticketing on its network.
Over half (56%) of the journeys made on our network now use a smart ticket, with customers recognising that by using our Touch Smartcard, e-tickets as well as Oyster and contactless payments in London, they can travel at ease and not have to queue at a station to buy or collect tickets.
Customers with a Touch Smartcard can also choose to ‘renew without the queue’, by simply selecting digital delivery when buying tickets online. This also allows them to switch from paper to smartcard enabled tickets for their season tickets, single and return journeys.
In June, we made improvements to our smartphone apps, making it even easier for smartcard users to buy their tickets. Android users can now load Weekly and Monthly season tickets, and single and return tickets direct from the app by placing their Touch Smartcard on the back of the phone when purchasing a ticket. For customers using iPhones, they can buy their season ticket through the app for collection on their Touch Smartcard at their selected station.
We also offer monthly Auto Renewal Monthly Season tickets exclusively on its smartcard, saving time and money for customers. Instead of having to renew a season ticket online or at the station once a month, the season ticket renews itself just before it is due to expire, meaning that the customer just needs to tap in at the start of their journey to activate the next month. Plus, if the same season ticket is renewed 11 months in a row, the 12th month is free.
Customers who buy a season ticket online using a Touch Smartcard are also eligible for Automated Delay Repay. Here our systems monitor the customer’s journey, and it works out if they have been delayed by 15 minutes or more. If so it will generate a claim on the customer’s delay repay account, where they can follow the instructions on their email to accept, decline or amend the claim.
Earlier this year, we also launched Tap2Go, a new account-based ticketing system on services outside London. Once registered with Tap2Go, customers will no longer need to buy a ticket before their journey. Instead our system will work out the best daily fare when a customer touches in and out with their Tap2Go enabled smartcard.
Liam Ludlow, Head of Retail for South Western Railway, said:
"More and more of our customers are seeing the benefits of smart tickets, and we will continue to innovate and improve to make travelling with us even easier."
