Train tickets can now be purchased directly through the app, and users can synchronise their account details stored on thetrainline.com. The app is also being rolled out to Nokia, Blackberry and Android customers.
The upgraded app now has an option for passengers to buy tickets (similar to the online functionality at thetrainline.com), with customers then able to collect purchases from ticket offices nationwide. Users can also synchronise their online details with the app, enabling them to use stored credit / debit card data when buying tickets.
Originally only available to iPhone users, the upgraded app has now been rolled out to selected Nokia handsets, with Blackberry and Android versions due imminently. The firm says the majority of handsets will be supported by the end of the year.
Thetrainline.com says that over 800,000 people have downloaded the app since it was launched last October, with over half of these having upgraded to the new version.
The online rail ticketing agent says it plans to further extend the functionality of the app “in the near future”, adding that is will “soon” enable users have their tickets delivered directly to the phone as a secure barcocde, although initially this is likely to only be possible on selected routes.
Thetrainline.com recently asked its customers what functions they would like to see that would make rail travel easier, with 42 per cent of respondents wanting an app to wake them up just before they get to their stop, and 30 per cent requesting an automatic notification to alert friends and family when they are nearly home.
The upgraded app is free to download, but like the company’s website there is a £1 fee for ticket purchases. Purchases made online directly with Train Operating Companies usually do not attract a booking fee, although in both cases there may be additional fees for the use of credit / debit cards.
For more information visit thetrainline.com, and to read Alex McWhirter’s report on new rail booking tool Quno, see online news October 14.
Report by Mark Caswell
