Virgin Trains Ticketing platform evolution
One of the hardest things when working on Virgin Trains Ticketing is avoiding a train pun, and the title of this blog post is no exception!
But in the same way that the glossy, customer-centred experience of St Pancras station today is a far cry from the amenity-free, smoke-clogged platforms of the 1830s, so the journey of purchasing a ticket is barely recognisable from the experience of those early train travellers.
This evolution, driven by a customer-first approach, is something we're proud to be a part of through our work on Virgin Trains Ticketing.
So, what’s new?
When we first launched Virgin Trains Ticketing (known affectionately as VTT), it came packed with features designed to improve a customer’s experience of purchasing rail tickets — a smooth, intuitive booking journey incorporating all train routes in Britain; the option of paper-free eTickets; the ability to earn Virgin Red loyalty points on every purchase and access to a dedicated customer care team.
But that was just the beginning of the journey 🚆
What came next…
User-centred growth
Throughout the project, we have worked to ensure that we are customer-led. Yes, I know, everyone says that but what does it actually mean?
In addition to regular user testing during development, we use surveys and other unmoderated tools to gather ongoing feedback on user preferences; we find out what VTT customers love, what they don't, and what features would make the biggest difference to them.
Customer wins: Getting the most important features out to our customers, prioritised to bring the biggest gains first.
Business wins: Knowing where to invest resources for maximum ROI, and where not to* (*not wasting effort on low-return features).
What are some of those big wins?
Split Tickets
Customer pain point: “Why is it cheaper for me to buy my ticket elsewhere?”
Answer: Due to how the British rail system works, it is sometimes cheaper to buy multiple tickets for the same journey than it would be to buy a single ticket. This solution is Split Ticketing.
Solution: We worked with our partner SilverRail to build a bespoke system that identifies the most cost-effective combination of tickets for any selected route.
Result: Customers save an average of 30% with a Split Ticket, and we've been specifically praised for our clear communication of the pros and cons of Split Tickets in the booking flow, which was a direct outcome of our user research.
App interface showing Split Tickets feature. Highlights information, including savings compared to standard tickets, and specific details around the split journeySpending loyalty points
Customer pain point: “I want to be able to spend the Virgin Points I’ve earned on train travel”
Answer: Loyalty points redemption
Solution: Working closely with the Virgin Red product and engineering teams, we launched a fully-integrated redemption system in the app, where anyone with more than 200 loyalty points can discount the price of their ticket, up to 100% of its value.
Result: A significant percentage of bookings now use either part- or full-redemption, and transactions including redemption are on average 23% higher.
App interface showing how a customer can pay using Virgin Points. Indicates points available, savings possible, and in the final screen, confirmation of decisions.
Combined, Split Tickets and Redemption have saved customers over £2m on their train travel.
Other customer-led features we’ve implemented include Railcard purchasing, saving eTickets to Google/Apple Wallet, Live Times and Add to Calendar, to highlight just a few.
An accessible future
Constant app refinement ensures usability and inclusivity, with accessibility as a key focus for 2025. We're driving a change in thinking, making accessibility a core principle, not just a Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) checklist. Click here to read more about Brightec’s Accessibility Audit and Accreditation service.
As of 2023, 24% of the UK population is registered as having a disability, and research shows that the diverse needs of those with disabilities, including cognitive, are often not met. People with disabilities are regularly saddled with poor experiences, and have to simply ‘get on with it’. Brightec and Virgin are constantly working to improve how we respond to this challenge in the Virgin Trains Ticketing app.
To date, this has meant a full review of the UX of the app against WCAG guidelines, ensuring our colours and touch targets meet standards, and that users can complete core flows (such as searching for and booking a ticket) using screen readers and keyboard only. Moving forward, we are improving the scripting around areas such as Live Times, where information can be hard to comprehend without enhanced audible description.
Recognising the importance of accessibility not only improves our customers' experience but also strengthens Virgin's business. Research indicates that disabled customers are highly loyal to services that prioritise their needs, and we are dedicated to further investment.
Continuous improvement
In addition, we currently have three features in active development, reflecting our commitment to continuous improvement.
So, to end as I started (with a train pun), we are on track to ensure the Virgin Trains Ticketing app consistently meets and exceeds user needs, maintaining its relevance as customer expectations shift and evolve.
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