COMMENT: Virgin Trains Ticketing’s Mark Plowright PAYG reaction
Posted: 10 February 2024 | Emily Budgen | No comments yet
Mark Plowright from Virgin Trains Ticketing has issued his reaction to the PAYG trials which have now been introduced by Huw Merriman.
Rail Minister Huw Merriman made an announcement about the roll-out of PAYG trials, ahead of the Bradshaw Address.
Mark Plowright, Director at Virgin Trains Ticketing, comments:
“It’s great to see the government getting on board with passenger demand for speedy rail tickets by rolling out “tap in and out” trials to 90 stations from next year. It’s the sort of innovation the rail industry needs – and that has, up until this point, been driven by rail retailers – with the introduction of barcode tickets, account-based ticketing and on-to-go apps.
“But if we really want to improve passenger experience then we must make sure that Pay As You Go becomes a common service offered by all rail retailers – which isn’t the case in these early trials with retailers deliberately left in the sidings. We can’t lose sight of the importance of consumer choice and the role it plays in fuelling competition and driving customer value. Virgin Trains Ticketing, like many independent retailers, eagerly awaits the green signal to get involved.”
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