Real-time personalised journey updates with Passenger Connect

Relevant RTS critical priority(ies):
Easy to use for all

Although the rail industry wants to meet the needs of customers through personalised information, many are failing to deliver a truly personal service. For example, the ability to save a journey or download a personal timetable to a smartphone does not adequately address the needs and expectations of the modern rail customer.

To combat these challenges Zipabout has created Passenger Connect; a plug-in personalised information service, powered by big data and built specifically for the transport sector.

It delivers information that is truly personal and relevant to each specific journey. Journeys rarely start and end at the station, that’s why it has the ability to integrate all modes of transport and cover every stage of the journey – from door-to-door.

By accumulating data from a huge range of sources – vehicle telematics, weather and air quality, and even social media sentiment – it can detect (and predict) disruptions across a multi-modal transport landscape. This is important as transport operators, including rail, often struggle to get the right information to the affected passengers in enough time.

In a global first for the transport industry, National Rail Enquiries began using Passenger Connect in 2019, sending more than one million personalised journey updates to rail passengers every month.

Now in response to the coronavirus crisis, the Department for Transport engaged Zipabout to help support the recovery of the UK’s transport network and rebuild passenger confidence. As well as advising passengers if disruption and overcrowding will affect their journey, Passenger Connect provides alternative travel options, helping people maintain social distancing as they continue to make essential journeys. This two-way relationship will help to re-build trust in the rail network and increase overall engagement.

As well as delivering great customer service, Passenger Connect has the ability to offer real-life insights into passenger behaviour and demand across every mode of transport, allowing operators to make better planning decisions and design services around the customer. Data driven insights from passenger intent to travel has the power to support capacity optimisation and demand management, long-term strategy, timetable planning and CO2 reduction. Only by understanding where passengers need to be, and how they want to travel, can rail operators create a network that works for them.