Q. How do I retail UK rail tickets?
All businesses looking to retail UK rail tickets will need their activities to be covered by a licence issued by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), the body that represents all the train operating companies in the UK. Evolvi is extremely experienced in helping third parties enter the UK market, firstly through its online rail booking and fulfilment API, and secondly as a result of its existing relationships with RDG.
Q. How do I get a Rail Delivery Group licence?
You can choose to apply for your own licence and we can assist with this, but the most direct route to market is via the Evolvi licence and with our self-booking tool or our API product.
Q. Do I need separate agreements with each TOC (train operating company) to retail tickets?
No, you will possess a contract with Evolvi, which is a licence holder, and should you choose to obtain your own licence you will have a single contract with RDG. In either case, you do not need separate contracts with individual train operating companies.
Q. How do I know Evolvi will serve up the best available fares in a customer friendly way?
Evolvi has been a market leader in online rail booking and fulfilment for over a decade through its self-booking platform and its API. Why not ask for a demonstration (see contact section)?
Q. What's the average timescale for integrating the Evolvi API?
Project timescales will depend upon the type of service you intend providing to the UK market, your own expertise and the complexity of the project.
Q. As an international travel business, do I face any restrictions entering the UK rail market?
Evolvi has experience of working with international partners across corporate and leisure markets and we can help you every step of the way.
Q. How many TMCs and corporate clients use the Evolvi self-booking tool?
We partner with over 170 travel management companies (TMCs) and enable access for 22,000 private and public sector organisations and around 1 million registered users.
Q. When will the UK have complete rail network coverage for barcode ticketing?
The roll-out of barcode ticketing is well under way across the UK but does not yet have universal coverage. It is a stated aim of the industry to provide an interoperable network for eticketing.
Q. Support team
At Evolvi, we have a dedicated team of experts ready to help develop the rail booking functionality you require, and to satisfy all the test requirements of RDG.
Customer testimonials
Flight Centre Travel Group
" Having Evolvi as a UK rail partner enables Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG )to deliver a total travel solution, and we see the product as a key function for consistent improvement on results. FCTG has a long-established relationship with Evolvi which has progressed through the growth of mutual customers. As the partnership has matured, we have found the technical support Evolvi offers has been invaluable for improving the customer experience from booking to reporting. As a result, Evolvi is integral to the experience of FCTG’s corporate customers. The partnership continues to grow and strengthen, supported by multi-level relationships across both businesses and we look forward to more successful years ahead."
Agiito
" Agiito and Vibe worked together to integrate Vibe into its evolving iris travel technology platform. A key element of this project was access for our customers to a smart rail booking and fulfilment engine, and as a long term user of Evolvi, we were very keen that their API be specified in the Vibe offer."