UK: CrossCountry has selected the Arriva Customer Engine platform to provide web and app journey planning, ticket sales and travel information services including live travel updates.
CrossCountry selected the fellow Arriva Group supplier after a procurement process involving 22 competitors. ACE is already used by Arriva’s Chiltern Railways, Grand Central and UK Bus businesses, with 750 000 rail users having downloaded the app and other passengers using websites. Last year 1·14 million rail tickets with a combined value of £31m were sold through the ACE platform.
ACE said the multi-year contract with a long-distance operator which carries around 33 million journeys a year would expand its customer base and provide insights from additional categories of passengers. These could help to support the development of new features which could be used by other transport providers in the UK and Europe.
ACE’s plans include the use of machine learning technologies, and interaction with other platforms and apps to provide ‘bolt-on’ options enabling passengers to research and book additional services or activities.
‘By making it cheaper and easier to purchase tickets, our digital platform is one of the ways we can encourage customers to make the switch from their cars’, said Amanda Furlong, Interim Managing Director at Arriva UK Trains, on February 28. ‘We know there is growing demand for smart ticketing services, and we’re delighted to roll out our market-leading platform to CrossCountry passengers.’
