Flytoget sets the trend for ticketless travel
3 March 2009
Flytoget, The Norwegian high speed airport rail link, has selected Clarity Commerce's Matra Systems subsidiary to implement a new central ticketing system. The software upgrade will allow passengers to use ticketless technology and multi-trip cards.
The upgrade will be managed in stages with new counters at the stations and ticket vending machines due to go live with new point-of-sale software by April 2009. The ticketless solution is expected to go live by the end of September 2009.
Knut Blom Sørensen, project director responsible for distribution at Flytoget, comments on the project,
“We anticipate 75 per cent of travellers using the ticketless system within two years.”
Ticketless travel will cut queues at participating stations as passengers will simply swipe their credit card at any barrier, select their destination on the touch screen and be permitted to travel. The cost of the ticket will automatically be added to their credit card bill. Receipts, as well as a full itinerary of travel, will be easily accessible on the Flytoget website.
Clarity's Freedom POS system will manage the whole enterprise that supports transactions at the kiosks as well as ticketless payments. The database will store information on customers' accounts and record how many trips are left on their multi-ticket. Clarity's software will also support Flytoget's website by providing content and automatic digital receipts to passengers by email.
Flytoget will use the Clarity database to retrieve all transaction data, enabling the management team to examine sales history, what kind of tickets were sold and which passengers should be entitled to discounts. These reports will give the company an accurate picture of how the business is progressing and show the team how the company is performing. In addition, the Clarity software will monitor the status of the barriers and alert staff to any problems via SMS.
“More than 70 per cent of our customers are business travellers, so it is vital we continue to offer a premium service, especially during the technology migration. We are confident the Clarity team will support us successfully through this new upgrade as its software is flexible enough to handle our new requirements,”
adds Blom Sørensen.
“We have invested a huge amount of time into testing and developing the system and are already looking at future upgrades such as ticketless travel ticket inspection using mobile technology. Buying the ticket is the most important aspect of travelling on Flytoget and we hope that our upgrade will make the whole experience even easier for their passengers,”
says Simon Towner, director at Clarity Commerce.
About Flytoget
Flytoget AS is the Norwegian high-speed airport rail link which transports predominantly frequent business travellers from Oslo airport to the city centre in nineteen minutes, serving eight stops in the Greater Oslo area. It operates sixteen high-speed trains and transported 5.6 million passengers in 2008, making up a 36 per cent market share of airport transport, with a service every 10 minutes.
The service was launched in 1998 to coincide with the opening of the airport, ensuring that the public transport infrastructure was in place to accommodate the number of passengers travelling to and from the airport. The Flytoget airport rail link was one of the first to be established worldwide, together with the Heathrow Express and the Arlanda Express in Sweden.
About Clarity Commerce
Clarity's software helps retail, leisure and entertainment companies to win and retain customers. It works by processing and tracking transactions more efficiently, solving problems such as long queues, slow customer service, lack of reliable information and poor co-ordination of sales channels.
Clarity brings fresh thinking to business problems by using its expertise from other sectors, giving businesses the tools they need to get more information from their customers, increase business control and boost profit.
Established in 1993, Clarity is headquartered in Basingstoke, UK and has 578 customers worldwide, including Reebok Sports Club, UGC Cinemas, Peel Hotels and Universal Studios Florida.
For further information, please visit www.claritycommerce.com
For further information please contact:
Jo Jamieson, Angela Woodward or Hannah Humphreys
Berkeley PR
+44 (0) 118 988 2992
