French payment and transactional services provider Worldline has secured a contract from UK-based rail franchise Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) to replace the operator's existing desktop Ticketing Issuing Services (TIS).
The deal will see GTR's current TIS system replaced with Worldline's @Station mobile ticketing service, which is a mobile point-of-sale system that is expected to offer significant advantages.
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The new system will also offer the ability to ‘queue bust’, as well as cross and upsell both Rail Settlement Plan and non-RSP products to customers.
Additionally, it will ensure that GTR is Direct Acquiring (DA) compliant.
Implementation of @Station will start in the fourth quarter of this year and is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year.
The new mobile ticket system is expected to provide better functionality and cost savings for GTR, and shares the same back office architecture as Worldline on-board TIS, which means all data relating to mobile ticket sales will be captured via one system.
The company noted that using its mobile and on-board systems in tandem also delivers operational synergies and efficiencies.
Govia Thameslink Railway Business Improvement director Alex Foulds said: "As the UK’s largest rail franchise, utilising the most operationally-sound technology is critical to the logistical success of our network and the customer experience we offer.
"We are confident that Mobile POS for ticket issuing and retailing other products will improve passenger service, increase the speed of customer interaction, and enable payments to be processed faster.
"The agreement with Worldline comes as we work to improve our customers’ experience amid our transformation of the busiest part of UK’s rail network."
GTR also noted that the upgraded systems are strengthening the technological capabilities across the company's network at a time of modernisation for the UK’s busiest rail operator.
The contract builds on an existing relationship between GTR, its Go-Ahead Group parent company, and Worldline.
GTR is currently already using Worldline on-board ticket issuing systems, and the Go-Ahead Group also recently procured 585 mobile on-board TIS units from Worldline.
