The Association of Train Operating Companies has invited tenders to develop a mobile phone app to store Railcards which give discounts on passenger services.
ATOC aims to introduce the app in April 2016. It will make applying for Railcards and using them simpler, quicker and more convenient. It will solve the problem of passengers forgetting or losing their railcards.
The digital Railcard is going to look like the paper or plastic version , but on the screen of a smartphone. The app will not need an internet connection so it can be shown on the train or station when the phone is offline. It also will allow the passenger to retrieve their Railcard should the phone become damaged, lost or stolen.
All nationally available Railcards will be available on the app, as well as still being made available in paper or plastic form. It is intended that local Railcards will be added at a later date.
Andrew Robertson, Head of Marketing for ATOC said:
More than half of all users buy their Railcards online and we expect that over time a similar proportion will switch to the app to save time and make their journeys more convenient.
It is expected that the 16-25 Railcard will experience an especially high take-up of the scheme.
