Corporate travel buyers are adopting better purchasing methods when booking UK rail, as new data shows the ticket price for business travellers has dropped year-on-year.
According to online rail booking firm Evolvi, the year-on-year average rail fare for corporates using its platform is down 1.7 per cent to £57.85, despite rail fares rising with inflation each year across the UK.
“Our analysis shows organisations are using a combination of smarter purchasing, such as advance fares and single ticket combinations, along with policy combination tools built into the Evolvi system to bear down on cost,” said trade relations director at Evolvi rail, Jon Reeve.
First class travel
Analysis of Evolvi data shows a year-on-year reduction in first class spend of around 4 per cent, achieved either through a change in organisational policy or tightening of criteria.
Reeve said: “Feedback from our TMC customers suggests that corporates remain cautious about economic prospects, particularly post-Brexit, and this could be influencing First Class spend. At the same time, the ability to optimise rail budgets through smarter buying tools continues to deliver value to the clients of TMCs in an era of rapid corporate travel expansion across rail.”
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