Consistency, clarity and affordability have to be the foundations for building customers' trust in the nation's railways. It's as simple or complicated an equation as that.
In stark contrast, the current fragmented and confusing ticketing landscape makes rail an unattractive option to all but the most tech-savvy and cash conscious customers. The dream of a fully integrated mobility ecosystem with rail at its core effectively trips at the first hurdle.
'Current ticketing is ludicrous'
I work in the rail industry and struggle to understand the details behind off peak, super off peak and split tickets – and that's before the issue of which train I can actually travel on. That's ludicrous.
Customers want to be 100% confident that they're getting the right best value ticket without wasting time searching different options to keep the price down.
Tapping on and off on public transport in cities develops trust in the system. I know there's a certainty to my transaction, and for example, in London I know the train will arrive in a few minutes and if it doesn't, I'll be told why.
Get the basics right
It's simple, clearly communicated and there's no tricksy fine details to trip me up, so I know I'm getting the best possible deal. The national rail network needs to learn from that ease and certainty.
It's slightly more challenging to deliver that nationally but we could simplify things just by looking at getting the basics right, which we currently don't.
Joined up, simple consistency will make the railway a more attractive proposition for customers and private sector investment which in turn leads to innovation and greater ridership. It's a virtuous circle.
Industry arrogance
Tens of millions of valid ticket and route combinations exist on the UK's railways, so expecting customers to embark on the labyrinthine task of finding the right ticket and eschewing their car is optimistic at best.
The need for a centrally operated, integrated fare and ticketing platform to drive improvements and synergies on the nation's railways has never been more pressing.
Renationalisation and the end of multiple ticketing systems would reduce settlement costs and allow the industry to share siloed data currently protected by operators.
Demand-led services
They in turn would benefit from clarity on passenger demand, helping them run services they can fill rather than basing their operations on a snapshot of possible travel patterns.
The days of trains either empty or full to bursting would become a thing of the past as we enrich our operational planning with analysed data and AI, while the shared travel pattern data would make the service more attractive.
More popular services mean lower operating costs by not having to run empty trains, as well as a reduction on the burden to the taxpayer through subsidies – music to any government's ears.
Transparent mileage-calculated fares
The obvious (to my mind at least) shift to a central platform could pave the way for TfL-style pricing, with transparent fares calculated using a combination of travel time, mileage covered and predicted demand. But always the best value.
Instead, we currently have the split ticket mayhem where one customer sitting opposite another making the same journey might have paid £30 more. Surely, we can do better than that?
It's needlessly complicated and flies in the face of a network that should run demand-led services to match where and when people need to travel.
Data and the AI benefits
The data reveal would also provide a helicopter view of exactly when engineering works should be best carried out to minimise disruption. Why does work happen at busy weekends rather than a quiet Tuesday afternoon as people work from home?
If it's because 'that's the way we've always done it', then it needs to change. And change it will with the supporting data to provide the business case.
Once data-driven decision-making gains traction and the operational benefits become even more obvious, the potential for freight traffic would expand to ease motorway usage with all the environmental gains that brings.
Realising rail's potential
A well-designed user experience that simplifies ticket purchasing, journey information and payments for rail and, potentially, other modes would rapidly move the railway closer to its full potential.
The outcome would be a wonderful example of public and private collaboration that would create a solid platform for an integrated mobility network for the whole nation.
With one action the government, strategically and on a national level, could make people's lives better which is one of their primary stated aims.
Backbone of society
The goal is not unachievable or unrealistic. The benefits of better rail, reductions in taxpayer burden as well as educational, leisure and employment access are all within reach.
Railway is the backbone of our society and it's vital we cherish it and help it thrive, by being inclusive and bringing everyone into the fold.
The first steps to that must be to make rail travel simple, affordable and something everyone can trust – and then expand out to include multiple modes to help people get to where they want to when they want to.
