Smart ticketing to entice passengers back to rail, says GTR survey

Credit: Govia Thameslink Railway

Smart tickets are the future of rail according to a new survey commissioned by Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), with 58 per cent of consumers saying that they would travel by train using smart tickets after learning more about them.

Younger generations have been found to be the most interested in switching to smart tickets, with 84 per cent of 16- to 24-year-olds agreeing that they would consider travelling by train more often after learning about the benefits. However, 66 per cent of respondents from the 35 and over demographic also stated that nothing would prevent them from using a smart ticket.

The research – from the rail operator which runs Southern, Thameslink and Great Northern services in the UK – has revealed that nearly six in 10 (59 per cent) of customers were previously unaware of smart tickets and, therefore, were not familiar with the many benefits of their use.

After an introduction to smart tickets, 35 per cent of customers agreed that they would make travelling easier and also help to remove the stress of losing paper tickets. Additionally, 28 per cent believed that, for GTR’s Pay As You Go option, KeyGo, smart tickets would guarantee the best value walk-up fare for all of the different journeys taken on one day.