Rail booking services like Trainline and Omio have become indispensable tools for European rail travelers who don’t feel like navigating various train booking systems to purchase tickets, similar to how customers now expect to be able to book a single trip with multiple airlines in a single transaction.
These technologies also enable customers to save their tickets on their mobile devices rather of carrying around paper tickets, which is akin to modern air travel.
Users may keep any discount cards they may have on the app together with their tickets, for instance, with Trainline in the UK. In contrast, a local internet firm called Train Frog lets customers bid for first-class upgrades on tickets they’ve previously bought without involving the original seller.
Intelligent Travel is Facilitated by Digital Platforms
Paper tickets are being phased out progressively by several European transit agencies as they grow more prevalent. For instance, 122 years after the first metro pass was issued, Paris is finally moving away from paper metro tickets as it switches to a completely contactless ticketing system.
Only 10% of all travels on the city’s metro system, according to the mayor of London, are done using paper tickets.
A mobile device is now used for more than a third of all adult contactless pay-as-you-go Tube rides, according to data by Transport for London (TfL).
In its quest to become the most popular transportation app worldwide, Uber is now investigating this integrated technique of planning and paying for a variety of journeys.
As of this month, customers will be able to book a number of transportation alternatives, including interstate train journeys, using the Uber app in more than 10,000 places across the world.
