Northern hail 2024 as the year of the ‘recremuter’
Posted: 2 January 2024 | Emily Budgen | No comments yet
Northern have coined the term ‘recremuter’ for the new train passengers who combine commuting for work and recreation.
Train operator Northern has coined the term ‘recremuter’ for its customers who now only commute to the office when there’s a recreational ‘add on’ to their day.
The average commuter now only travels into the office three days a week – and those days are increasingly being chosen based on non-work, recreational reasons.
Whether it’s to nip in the pub after work, meet mates at the cinema, meet a friend for lunch or to indulge in some retail therapy, the office itself isn’t reason enough anymore.
Northern is embracing this new trend with its Barcode Season Tickets, which offer any eight days travel in a 28-day window and up to 33%-off the regular cost of commuting between two stations.
They are available to adult customers as weekly or monthly options.
Mark Powles, customer and commercial director at Northern said: “We’ve seen the profile of our customers change post-pandemic.
“The traditional ‘Monday to Friday, nine to fiver’ still exist, but there are far fewer of them. More people are now commuting when they want and for reasons personal to them.
“Fortunately, our Barcode Season Tickets are designed for just that flexibility. They’re part of our investment in the largest network of digital ticket infrastructure of any train operator in the country.
“Customers can buy their ticket via our app, website or one of more than 600 ticket machines across the network.”
Everyone can compare the cost, travel time and CO₂ impact of their journey against the equivalent trip by road on the Savings Calculator on the Northern website.
Commuters who switch to taking the train can also enjoy additional benefits such as increased productivity, reduced stress, and the ability to avoid traffic jams and parking fees.
On Sunday 10th December, rail timetables across the North of England changed in line with the rest of the National Rail network. Customers are encouraged to use the ‘Check My Timetable’ feature on the Northern website for more information about their local station.
Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with 2,500 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.