National Express Transport Solutions has introduced flexible ticketing on its commuter services between Kent and London, which are operated by The Kings Ferry. The major overhaul is to accommodate what the group believes will be a ‘new normal’ way of working. It will see all season tickets of up to six months in duration scrapped and replaced with ‘bundle’ purchases.
The group points out that it is ahead of the rail industry in offering flexible ‘bundle’ ticketing. Up to 1,000 journeys can be purchased in one go, although the operator is still selling traditional annual seasons and single tickets.
National Express Transport Services Commuter Manager Sarah Hackett says the flexible ticketing move has come following customer feedback. The ‘bundle’ approach sees the per-journey price decrease as the number of journeys bought increases.
As an example, in the Orange Zone – which captures Maidstone, Medway and Swale – a single ticket purchased individually costs £13. A Flexi 100 ‘bundle’ of 100 single tickets costs £750 while a Flexi 1,000 ‘bundle’ is £5,744. An annual season ticket costs a maximum of £3,018 in the Orange Zone.
Adds Ms Hackett: “We had already seen a change in behaviour as more people have flexible working patterns and work from home. The pandemic has accelerated the trend and we predict that this will continue when more people return to the office later this year.
“We have a proud history of safely getting commuters to work in a way that works for them. We look forward to continuing to do that for years to come.”
