O2 has moved another step closer to becoming a trusted digital services provider through the launch of a new mobile train booking application called O2 Train Travel. The service is now live and available on iOS, Android and most BlackBerry devices, regardless of network. The new app enables consumer to buy tickets for any mainland UK train route, completely free of booking and credit card fees.
With O2 Train Travel rail travellers will be able to plan the fastest route to any town or City across the UK, compare prices and purchase the cheapest tickets available, directly from their mobile. Customers can save up to *80% on advanced fares, compared to buying on the day using the new app.
O2 Train Travel is also seamlessly integrated with O2’s mobile payments service “O2 Wallet” enabling customers to pay for train tickets , if they choose to, quickly and securely using the cards they hold securely in their O2 Wallet. There is also the option to pay manually using regular debit or credit cards.
O2 Train Travel lets people buy mobile-tickets on selected routes for added convenience. Mobile tickets allow rail travellers to skip the queues by having their train ticket sent directly to their mobile phone. It’s also straightforward to buy multiple tickets in one single transaction through the O2 Train Travel app and to make seat reservations on the go.
Research, commissioned by O2, shows strong support for the functionality and convenience that O2 Train Travel offers. For instance, less than half (46%) of UK train travellers purchase their tickets at a station and for planned journeys, the vast majority (80%) choose to buy their train tickets in advance. Fee free is also a huge driver, with nearly two thirds (62%) of users of train booking services avoiding those that charge a booking fee.
The new O2 Train Travel app will enable customers to do the following: Plan journeys to find the fastest train to any UK route, Compare prices to find the cheapest tickets, Buy train tickets for all UK rail operators, Pay quickly and securely via O2 Wallet (or manually via a debit/credit card).
Other features include: No booking fees or credit card charges, Purchase mobile tickets (m-tickets) on all available routes, Reserve seats on selected journeys, Book tickets for multiple people, adults and kids under one transaction and Link the app to O2 Wallet for faster and easier payment.
James Le Brocq, Managing Director at O2 Money says of the launch:
“We have long said that our future lies in becoming a trusted provider of brilliant digital services. Earlier last year we launched O2 Wallet which delivers the benefits of mobile money to thousands of our customers. Enabling those same customers to also purchase rail tickets quickly and securely — either using the wallet or via a stand-alone app – is a natural extension of this approach.
“Consumers no longer just use their phones for making calls. They see their mobile device as a digital equivalent of the swiss army knife, enabling them to do a host of activities on the go. O2 Train Travel allows people to plan journeys, check train times and buy rail tickets, all on the move and pay for it securely and easily using O2 Wallet as a secure mobile wallet platform.”
To find out more and how to get this app please visit: www.o2.co.uk/money/traintravel