Major growth in smart buying
Business travellers have saved £32m on rail tickets by buying more smartly, thetrainline.com said today (February 10).
Research on tickets bought over a three month period last autumn showed a 30% growth in the number of advanced tickets purchased compared with the same period in 2007.
Tickets bought in advance can be significantly less expensive than those bought on the day of travel.
The rail booking engine also did research on tickets prices which found that the average price of a ticket bought by business travellers in the three months form September to November in 2008 fell by 13%.
Clare Morrissey, marketing manager of thetrainline.com, said the research was carried out after it launched new tools to help corporates get the best deal from rail.
These were its fare finder, the ticket alert facility and its savings calculator.
Ms Morrissey said: "We strongly believe that these new tools are helping business travellers find savings. The analysis of the figures showed that average ticket prices were 13% down which is quite significant."
Ian Cairns, thetrainline.com's head of distribution, said there was also a rise in the number of rail tickets being issued through travel management companies. About 25% of business tickets were now issued by agents.
"We have seen two changes in buying. Those who used to buy tickets at the station are now going online and those who were already going online are now buying more smartly," Mr Cairns said.
Ms Morrissey said the key to savings was buying single fares, usually a fixed ticket for the outward journey and a flexible one for the return.
Mr Cairns said the attitude of corporates to travel by train was changing.
"TMCs not only recognise that it is a big market for them but also that there is a source of income for them.
"A lot of corporates are switching from air to rail. There is a much more positive approach to rail," he said.
www.thetrainline.com