Published on: Tuesday, 12 November 2019
Last updated: Tuesday, 12 November 2019
Greater Anglia has cut down the time it takes for commuters to buy and collect a smart season ticket with a further upgrade of its ticket buying app.
The Greater Anglia app was upgraded earlier this year to offer ‘Remote Ticket Download’ on Android devices and has now been further improved to include iPhones.
This means that commuters who have one of the operator’s plastic Smart Cards can now collect their season tickets directly onto them using the app, no matter which type of phone they use.
The improvement makes buying and using season tickets more convenient than ever.
Passengers simply buy their season tickets online at greateranglia.co.uk or through the app on any device.
For Apple devices they then open the app on their mobile phone, select ‘Smart Card’ from the menu and hold their Smart Card to the back of the phone to load their ticket –it will automatically transfer onto the Smart Card.
This clever innovation uses the ‘Near Field Communication’ chip contained within the phone (this feature must be enabled on the phone and iPhones must be iOS 13.1 software or later).
Richard Walton, Greater Anglia’s Smart Service Delivery Manager, said, “There’s now no need to wait or queue to buy or renew a season ticket if you hold a Smart Card.
“Passengers can now buy their season ticket on-line or from the GA app and then load it onto a Smart Card in just a few minutes, wherever they are, saving them precious time.”
“We’re pleased to have developed this innovation with our partners, Ecebs VISA and Altcom, to offer much more convenient and flexible season ticket purchasing for rail passengers in East Anglia.”
Using a Smart Card season ticket is much quicker than the traditional paper ticket as customers simply touch the Smart Card on the reader at ticket gates to pass through the barriers, cutting down queues during busy times.
Rail staff will also be able to use the Greater Anglia app to help passengers download their purchases if necessary, and check cards to ensure they are valid and reduce fraudulent travel.