Chiltern Railways has become the first operator in the UK to adopt mobile ticketing, allowing passengers to use their mobile phones to book tickets and also use them for travel on the Chiltern Railways network.
All that is required is for passengers to initially download a free app to their mobile device, which can then be used to buy and download e-tickets. E-Ticket readers are being installed at stations across the Chiltern Railways region, which read the barcode ticket from the device.
The app has been developed by London based developer Masabi. Ben Whitaker, Masabi Chief Executive, said: “The app provides a convenient option to users to find information about trains and buy tickets. This app places a ticket machine in the pocket of mobile users – providing an enormously convenient and user-friendly means of searching for train times and then buying and displaying tickets.”
Other network operators are expected to adopt the scheme in the coming months, giving users the option to use the service across the whole UK rail network.
Thomas Ableman, Marketing Director of Chiltern Railways, said: “The Chiltern Mainline will reduce journey times significantly and our app ensures that passengers spend far less time searching for, queuing, buying and printing tickets.”
The launch of the app comes at a time when Chiltern are investing £250m to transform the commute experience for passengers to and from London.
Initially the app is available for the iPhone, and BlackBerry handsets, Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson. A version for Android devices is expected to launch soon. To download the app for your mobile, click on the Download App link and follow the instructions from there